@Night owls, I’m not trying to scare you, staying up late really can cause cancer!

It is said that staying up late for a while is good, but staying up all the time is a disaster. I have set the flag of going to bed early many times, but many people know that staying up late is harmful to the body, but they still can't help but watch some videos and play a few games before going to bed...Staying up late seems to have become a "standard" of modern life.

Today, Professor Yan Wenhui, chief expert of the Oncology Department of Changsha Taihe Hospital, reminded all "night owls" not to stay up late anymore, as it will really increase the risk of cancer!

New research finds that reversing black and white is a human carcinogen

In February 2024, the Journal of Hepatology published a study on the causes of cancer caused by staying up late. For the first time, experiments confirmed that "reversal of day and night" (chronic circadian rhythm disorder) is indeed a carcinogen.

Previously, another study published in the Journal of Hepatology also found that staying up late and having circadian rhythm disorders can directly induce the occurrence of fatty liver-related hepatocellular carcinoma and accelerate the distant metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma!

After reading this, my friends who are used to going to bed late and staying up late, are you starting to fall into deep panic?

Did you know that staying up late also has its own criteria?

So far, the medical community has not yet reached a unified time standard to define staying up late. The issue of staying up late requires specific analysis of specific situations. For example, if you go to bed at 2 a.m. and get up at 10 a.m., does that count as staying up late? Strictly speaking, no.

There are currently two recognized factors that influence sleep regulation: one is the biological clock, and the other is sleep homeostasis. Therefore, the two key points of sleep are "regularity " and "enough sleep". Generally speaking, if you can guarantee 7-9 hours of sleep every day and fall asleep at a fixed time, it is not considered staying up late.

Therefore, staying up late does not just mean not falling asleep late at night, but more importantly, it refers to the lack of sleep time and the decline in sleep quality.

Why are people who often stay up late more likely to get cancer?

Studies have found that lack of sleep can cause fatty acid oxidation (FAO) to sense the circadian rhythm and further transmit carcinogenic metabolic signals, enhancing cancer stemness and tumorigenesis.

Lack of sleep can trigger a variety of pathological processes, including hormone secretion disorders, decreased immune function and gene damage . It can also affect the development of cancer, such as changing glucose, glutamate, bile acid and lipid metabolism, thereby stimulating tumor growth, metastasis and immune escape.

Specifically, staying up late can cause endocrine hormone disorders, resulting in abnormal cell metabolism, leading to thyroid hyperplasia, nodules, and even thyroid cancer ; for women, it can also stimulate excessive proliferation of breast cells and increase the incidence of breast cancer .

Staying up late can also weaken the body's immune function and impair the lung's self-repair function. If accompanied by smoking habits, it will further damage lung cells and increase the risk of lung cancer . In addition, staying up late can disrupt the rhythm of intestinal microorganisms, leading to chronic inflammation and abnormal cell metabolism, increasing the risk of colorectal cancer .

Is it okay to catch up on some sleep after staying up late?

From a physiological point of view, catching up on sleep does not undo the damage. Sleep can hardly compensate or store. Catching up on sleep can only slightly alleviate a person's tired state, and cannot really compensate for good quality deep sleep.

Long-term lack of sleep can cause problems such as energy overdraft, slow reaction, decreased immunity, and poor memory, and these cannot be made up for by taking a nap or twice.

How to get high-quality sleep?

1. Establish a regular work and rest schedule

Maintain a regular schedule, avoid staying up late, and reduce sleep fragmentation. Before going to bed, you can do relaxing activities such as deep breathing, yoga, meditation, etc. to help your body fall asleep more easily, but you should avoid strenuous exercise within a few hours before going to bed.

2. Create a good sleeping environment

Keep your bedroom quiet, dark, and cool, use comfortable bedding, and reduce noise and light distractions.

3. Limit evening caffeine intake

It is not recommended to drink strong tea, coffee, or milk tea before going to bed, as this will make you excited before going to bed and make you sleepless. In addition, be careful not to eat too much before going to bed. Eating too much before going to bed will increase blood sugar, which will make people more excited and make it difficult for us to fall asleep.

4. Try not to play with your phone before going to bed

Not only will this make you go to bed later, but it will also keep your brain in a state of activity after you put down your phone, making it difficult to fall asleep.

For physical and mental health

Start Today

Stop staying up late

Go to bed early~

Source: Changsha Taihe Hospital

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(Edited by YT)