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Christmas is just around the corner, and for many of us that means spending days lounging about with bloated stomachs and nursing hangovers after one too many.

But what's the science behind such over-indulging and why do our bodies feel so full after eating too much?

The answer is revealed in a video that explains why too much turkey during the festive period can leave you unable to swallow another morsel of food.

Scroll down for video 

The American Chemical Society has explained the chemistry of eating too much. In the video on their Reactions page they detail the processes taking place (illustrated) when we over-indulge in certain foods. Our stomach has a finite size and squeezes other organs when it's full

The video was created by the American Chemical Society's YouTube channel Reactions.

They explain that, when you eat a big meal, part of the reason you can feel full is down to the size of your stomach.

'Your stomach can stretch the volume of about one litre; that's about the size of a burrito,' the narrator says.

'When you eat a big meal you fill your stomach to its limits, squeezing against your other organs and making your abdomen feel, well, full.'

When eating your stomach and intestines also fill with gases, not only from food and drink but also gulps of air when you swallow anything.

This additional air adds to the swollen sensation you get after eating.

Fizzy drinks can make you feel especially full, as the gas that makes them fizzy - namely carbon dioxide - can fill more space than the liquid it came in.

Your body can get rid of this gas though - in the form of burps and other methods that don't need to be explained.

'For some people another uncomfortable result of a big meal is heartburn,' the video continues.

'The stomach produces hydrochloric acid to break down food. More food to break down means more acid, which can creep into the oesophagus, leading to that burning feeling.'

Antacid tablets can alleviate this pain using bases, which are at the opposite end of the pH scale, to neutralise the acids.

Doing this, however, can release more carbon dioxide and increase the feeling of being full.

Ingesting air and gas can also lead to people feeling more bloated, while our brain also sends out hormones to warn us to stop eating when it detects we've got too much fat in our bodies. The bloated feeling will be felt by many come Christmas time (stock image shown)

But it's not just on a physical level that you can feel full; your brain also sends signals to stop you eating when it thinks you've had enough.

It releases a hormone called leptin when the amount of fat in your body reaches a certain level, which inhibits hunger.

In addition, the video says: 'When you eat a high-calorie meal, cells in your intestines secrete a hormone called peptide tyrosine-tyrosine, or PYY.

'When PYY reaches the brain, it binds with receptors that give you the feeling that you're full. Maybe even a little queasy.'

Other hormones also have a similar purpose, to get you to stop eating when you've had too much.

But for some, come Christmas time, there's simply too much delicious food available for any notice to be given to these hormones.

And instead, they'll be left to deal with the biological repercussions of over-eating.