Dinner and Dreaming
Overeating at dinner causes the bloated stomach and intestines to press on surrounding organs. The intense work of the digestive system, including the stomach, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas after a large meal sends signals to the brain, activating cells in corresponding areas. Once this "wave" of excitement spreads to other parts of the cerebral cortex, it can trigger various dreams. Nightmares often leave people feeling tired, and over time, can lead to conditions like neurasthenia. Dinner and Obesity
Eating too much for dinner increases the concentration of blood sugar, amino acids, and fatty acids. This promotes the large-scale secretion of insulin. Since people are generally less active at night, energy consumption is low. Under the influence of insulin, excess calories are converted into fat, leading to gradual weight gain. Therefore, dinner for middle-aged and older people should be light. The calories consumed at dinner should not exceed 30% of the total daily calories, which is beneficial for preventing and controlling obesity. Dinner and Diabetes
For middle-aged and older people, consistently overeating dinner repeatedly stimulates large insulin secretions. This often overloads and eventually exhausts the insulin B cells, leading to the onset of diabetes. Dinner and Coronary Heart Disease
Consuming excessive calories at dinner can increase blood cholesterol levels. It also stimulates the liver to produce low-density and very-low-density lipoproteins, which transport excess cholesterol to the artery walls to accumulate. This is another major cause of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Dinner and Urinary Tract Stones
Urinary stones are linked to late dinners. It is measured that the peak human urination period is generally 4 to 5 hours after a meal. If dinner is too late, the peak urination period occurs during sleep. Urine is retained in the bladder, and over time, this can form urinary tract stones. Therefore, dinner should not be too late, ideally around 6 PM. Dinner and Sudden Death
A rich and overly abundant dinner, especially when accompanied by excessive alcohol consumption, can easily trigger acute pancreatitis. This can lead to shock during sleep, and even a healthy person may die without timely medical intervention. If the ampulla of the bile duct is obstructed by a stone or an ascaris worm, leading to chronic biliary tract infection, the risk of triggering acute pancreatitis and sudden death is even higher. Dinner and Intestinal Cancer
The majority of a day's side dishes are consumed at dinner, and with reduced activity, a portion of the protein cannot be digested, and a small portion of digested material cannot be absorbed. In the large intestine, these substances are acted upon by anaerobic bacteria, producing harmful substances such as amines, ammonia, and indole. These toxic byproducts increase the burden on the liver and kidneys and provide a toxic stimulus to the brain. During sleep, intestinal motility decreases, which relatively prolongs the time these substances stay in the intestinal cavity, promoting an increased incidence of colorectal cancer. Dinner and Hypertension
Consuming too much meat at dinner not only increases the burden on the digestive system but can also cause a sharp rise in blood pressure. Additionally, blood flow slows down significantly during sleep, causing a large amount of blood lipids to deposit on the artery walls, leading to arteriosclerosis and hypertension. According to scientific experiments, people who often eat meat for dinner generally have blood lipid levels 2 to 3 times higher than those who often eat a vegetarian diet. For people with hypertension or obesity, the harm of eating meat for dinner is even greater.