Why is it not good to lay down or go to sleep right after you eat?

Answer 1

The purpose of eating is to use the energy from the food to keep your mind and body active for a certain period of time. When you are up and active after a meal, your body's metabolic rate is higher and more able to break down your food and convert it to energy needed to function. Food is not meant to remain in the body as undigested matter for indefinite periods of time. The minute you put food or drink in your mouth, hundreds of enzymes are released through the saliva, then hydrochloric acid is released once it reaches the stomach. When you are inactive or lie down after eating, your metabolism slows down and it takes much longer for food to be moved through your digestive tract. By lying down, the enzymes and digestive juices tend to stay in the same area too long or even back up in the esophagus, burning and damaging mucous membranes.
If food is not moved through the colon and eliminated in a reasonable amount of time, it putrifies and can poison the intestines and even seep into the bloodstream, putting dangerous bacteria and other toxins into your entire body.
The other issue is calories. Eating before bedtime causes any metabolized food to be stored as fat, since you are not burning these calories up while you sleep.
If you have been unable to eat earlier, my advice is to eat a protein bar or have a protein shake before bed. The protein will not be stored as fat and will be utilized by the brain and muscles during sleep. It will be more easily digested than a meal but give you the same sense of fullness. It won't give you acid reflux or upset stomach.

Answer 2

if you lay down after eating, you have alot of stomach acids in your stomach, and not having gravity working for you to keep the acids in your stomach, they can splash up into your esophagus and give you heartburn and even damage the esophagus.