Sara Marin Berbell, Ph.D.: "Don't shower after eating. It takes all the priority off your stomach, causing heartburn, heaviness, and even dizziness."

Taking a shower right after eating might seem like an innocent and even relaxing practice, one that many people do without thinking about it. However, according to Dr. Sara Marin, it can have negative consequences for digestion. In a recent video that has gone viral on social media, the doctor clearly explained why this habit can be harmful to our bodies, especially our digestive system, and recommended waiting a reasonable amount of time before getting underwater.

"After eating, blood goes to your stomach to help digest all that food," Dr. Marin explained in her presentation. The digestive process, as she explained in the video, is energy-intensive, which causes the body to redirect blood flow to the digestive system to facilitate its functioning. This is what happens after any large meal: the body prioritizes digestion, and that requires resources.

However, when someone showers, especially with hot water, the body interprets it as needing to regulate its temperature, so a redistribution of blood flow occurs. "The body sends all the blood to the skin to open the vessels and help you regulate your temperature," Marin added. This means the stomach stops receiving the blood it needs to digest normally.

The result is slower digestion, a feeling of heaviness, heartburn, and even dizziness. The doctor warned that it's a process similar to what is popularly known as "indigestion," something many remember as a classic warning from mothers and grandmothers on the beach: don't go into the water right after eating. Although in this context the risk is associated with cold water, the underlying principle is the same: the body changes its physiological priority and puts digestion on the back burner in order to focus on regulating body temperature .

In the case of showers, especially in summer, the thermal contrast with the environment, although milder than a dip in the sea, is also enough to force the body to change its strategy. This can interfere with digestion, especially if the meal was heavy or high in calories.

"It takes all the priority off the stomach, causing slow digestion, heartburn, heaviness, and even dizziness," the doctor points out, highlighting the most common effects that can be felt in the body if this rest period is not respected. The recommendation is clear: wait between 30 and 60 minutes before showering after a meal. This gives the body enough time to begin digestion properly without interruptions.

This warning becomes especially relevant during the hottest months of the year, when the body is already working to maintain a stable body temperature. "Especially now in the summer," Marin points out, "wait 30 to 60 minutes before showering," since the risk of digestive disorders is higher during this time due to the high temperatures.

Various studies and physiology textbooks support the idea that showering immediately after eating can interfere with the digestive process due to a redistribution of blood flow. For example, a study published in the journal Gut showed that, after a meal, the body significantly increases blood flow to the superior mesenteric artery, which supplies blood to the small intestine, to facilitate digestion.

However, if you take a hot shower at that moment, cutaneous vasodilation occurs, diverting part of that flow to the skin to regulate body temperature, as explained by the physiological principles outlined in the Guyton and Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology . This can lead to slower digestion, a feeling of heaviness, or even dizziness.