How to Read “A nap after meals makes ten thousand illnesses round”
Shokugo no issui manbyō en
Meaning of “A nap after meals makes ten thousand illnesses round”
“A nap after meals makes ten thousand illnesses round” means that sleeping briefly after eating is good for your health, like a miracle cure that prevents all kinds of diseases.
The “nap” here doesn’t mean long sleep. It refers to just a short rest.
This proverb emphasizes the positive effects that post-meal rest brings to the body. Digesting food requires a lot of energy.
When you rest during this time, your digestive system works properly and your body absorbs nutrients better. A short rest after lunch especially helps restore your energy for afternoon activities.
Even today, feeling sleepy after lunch is recognized as a natural bodily response. This proverb teaches us not to fight that sleepiness.
Instead, we should take a short rest when our body asks for it. This wisdom is especially valuable for busy modern people.
Origin and Etymology
The exact origin of this proverb isn’t clearly documented in historical texts. However, the structure of the phrase reveals an interesting background.
Let’s look at the expression “manbyō en” (ten thousand illnesses round). “En” means a round pill.
During the Edo period, various cure-all medicines were sold under the name “manbyō en.” For people of that time, these pills were trusted remedies for preventing illness.
This proverb compares a post-meal nap to such a miracle medicine.
In traditional Chinese medicine, rest after eating was believed to aid digestion and balance the flow of qi. This philosophy spread to Japan and became established as a health practice.
Especially in times when physical labor like farming was central to life, a short rest after lunch was essential for recovering strength.
The expression “issui” (one sleep) is particularly interesting. It doesn’t mean long sleep, but just a brief nap.
This is because people knew from experience that a short post-meal nap was most effective. People in the past understood that sleeping too long actually makes your body feel heavy.
This proverb contains the wisdom of our ancestors who tried to convey practical health advice in an easy-to-understand way.
Usage Examples
- I try to lie down a bit after lunch because “a nap after meals makes ten thousand illnesses round”
- Grandma never skips her afternoon nap, and maybe that’s why she’s healthy at 90—”a nap after meals makes ten thousand illnesses round”
Universal Wisdom
The proverb “a nap after meals makes ten thousand illnesses round” contains an important message about respecting the natural rhythms of the human body.
Our bodies naturally seek rest after eating. This is a physiological characteristic of humans that hasn’t changed for thousands of years.
What’s interesting is that people felt the need to create a proverb to remind us to listen to this obvious signal from our bodies.
This suggests that both in the past and now, people tend to ignore the signals their bodies send because of busyness or sense of duty.
What this proverb teaches us is a fundamental truth: health isn’t about doing something special. It’s about honestly responding to your body’s natural needs.
Not expensive medicine or special treatments, but simply resting a little. This simple act has value equal to a “cure for ten thousand illnesses.”
This reflects a deep trust in the natural healing power that humans possess. The body has the ability to recover itself.
What we should do is give our bodies the rest they need so this power can work fully. This wisdom never fades, even in our modern age of advanced medical technology.
In fact, precisely because we live in an era that tends to seek external solutions for everything, the importance of listening to our own bodies stands out even more.
When AI Hears This
When humans eat a meal, about 30 percent of the body’s blood concentrates in the digestive organs. This is because the stomach and intestines need large amounts of energy to break down food and absorb nutrients.
At this time, blood flow to the brain relatively decreases, and the oxygen and glucose available to the brain also reduce.
In other words, the body enters a state where it must prioritize either “digestion” or “thinking and alertness.”
This phenomenon is called a trade-off in biology. When limited resources cannot be distributed to multiple functions simultaneously, priorities must be set.
Feeling sleepy after eating isn’t laziness. It’s a sign that the body is lowering brain activity levels to prioritize digestion.
Through evolution, animals that stayed still and focused on digestion after eating likely had higher nutrient absorption efficiency and survival advantages than those that moved vigorously right away.
What’s even more interesting is that forcing yourself to stay awake may reduce not only digestion but also immune function.
When the body has decided “now is digestion mode” but the brain demands “activity mode,” both end up half-done. This proverb demonstrates the rationality of not fighting against the body’s resource allocation system and following its natural rhythm.
Lessons for Today
What this proverb teaches modern people is the importance of taking rest without guilt.
Our society tends to view constant activity as a virtue. We check work emails during lunch breaks, rush through meals, and immediately move on to the next task.
Hasn’t this kind of lifestyle become normal?
However, “a nap after meals makes ten thousand illnesses round” teaches that rest itself is a productive act. A short nap isn’t laziness but an investment in health.
If a 15-minute nap greatly improves your afternoon performance, it’s not a waste of time. Rather, it’s a smart use of time.
Even if taking a nap at your workplace or school is difficult, try to at least take time to relax a bit after eating.
You don’t have to do much. Just stop looking at your phone, close your eyes, and take deep breaths.
Responding to the rest your body requests is taking care of yourself. And in the long run, it’s a choice that improves the quality of your life.
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