Staying up all night will "activate" inflammation in the body

A report released by the Chinese Sleep Research Society in 2024 showed that among 6,255 respondents aged 18 to 73, nearly half fell asleep after midnight. Many people have a fluke mentality about staying up late. However, a new study found that even if you only stay up for one night, your body's inflammation will be "activated."

Why does staying up late increase the body's inflammation level? What can be done to minimize the damage?

01

Staying up all night can increase inflammation levels

A study published in The Journal of Immunology, the monthly journal of the American Association of Immunologists, showed that even just one experience of staying up late will increase the risk of inflammation, which shows that the immune system is highly sensitive to sleep.

The study revealed the impact of sleep quality on the body's immune system and explained its close relationship with the development of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Through sleep deprivation experiments on subjects, it was found that 24 hours of sleep deprivation (not sleeping overnight) would change the characteristics of immune cells in the body. If this change persists, it will lead to long-term inflammation and greatly increase the risk of disease.

A study published in Cell in 2023 also confirmed that lack of sleep can trigger an inflammatory storm throughout the body.

02

Staying up late not only reduces immunity

Guo Xiheng, director of the Sleep Medicine Center of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University, said that the rhythm of people's lives must follow the biological rhythm. Any behavior that violates the rule of "work at sunrise and rest at sunset" may cause rhythm disorders.

Sleep disorders are the most typical manifestation of circadian rhythm disorders. People work, play games, or use mobile phones when they should be sleeping at night, and feel sleepy when they should be awake during the day.

Long-term sleep deprivation not only causes disruption of one's own biological rhythm, but also causes problems such as inattention, poor judgment, and eating disorders, leading to a decrease in the body's immunity, making it easy to get infected or aggravate existing conditions.

When you stay up late, your body may suffer multiple injuries:

Weakened immunity

Data shows that if adults cannot get 7-8 hours of sleep for several consecutive nights, their immune function will be seriously reduced. For example, some people will suffer from diseases such as shingles.

Multiple system disruptions

Gastrointestinal dysfunction, bile and insulin secretion disorders, and increased risk of peptic ulcers, pancreatitis, diabetes, etc.

Decreased secretion of important hormones

Staying up late leads to low secretion of thyroid hormone, sex hormone, and melatonin, which can cause poor skin condition and premature aging, and increase the risk of gynecological diseases such as ovarian cysts, uterine fibroids, and breast hyperplasia in women.

Induce cardiovascular disease

Studies have found that staying up late increases the risk of cardiovascular disease by more than 5 times, and increases the risk of a series of diseases such as coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, vasospasm, arrhythmia, heart failure, and hypertension.

Causes Alzheimer's disease

Lack of sleep can cause forgetfulness, absent-mindedness, difficulty concentrating, and other problems, and can also cause cognitive impairment.

Deterioration of mood

People who stay up late for a long time often have various "little tempers" such as emotional sensitivity, and are more likely to be sad or angry than ordinary people.

03

How to reduce the harm caused by staying up late?

Insufficient sleep, poor sleep quality, and reversed sleep rhythm are all considered staying up late.

In terms of time, 11pm to 6am is the best time to sleep, especially from 11pm to 3am the next day, when deep sleep is concentrated. If you stay up late after 12pm, it is considered staying up late, and the later you go to bed, the more harm it will do to your body.

Some people have to stay up late because of their jobs. How can they minimize the harm?

Make up for sleep in time : Even though the brain is still in an excited state after staying up late, it is still recommended to lie down in bed and rest, because when people lie down, their metabolism will slow down, thus avoiding overdrawing their body.

Take a hot bath : After staying up late, you can take a hot bath, which can not only relieve fatigue but also help you enter deep sleep quickly. If you don’t have a lot of time to make up for the sleep, you must arrange a nap or take a nap when you have time, even 10 minutes is effective.

Light diet : After staying up late, breakfast is the most important nutritional supplement. Try to eat low-calorie foods rich in B vitamins and protein, such as lotus root starch, oatmeal soaked in low-fat milk, green vegetables, fruits, etc. Eat less high-sugar, high-salt, and fried foods. When working at night, if you are really hungry, you can eat a small amount of light food. If you are not hungry, try not to eat, and drink more water.

Moderate exercise : After catching up on sleep during the day, you can exercise moderately when you are full of energy. During the night shift, get up and move around every half an hour, stand on tiptoe, do a few Golden Rooster Stands, squats, etc. for a few minutes. Soothing exercises such as Ba Duan Jin and Tai Chi can also help relieve fatigue.

Source: Jointly produced by People's Daily WeChat and Life Times WeChat

Experts interviewed: Shi Ming, deputy director of Shanghai Traditional Chinese Medicine Insomnia Medical Cooperation Center, and Gao Wei, chief physician of the Department of Neurology, Peking University Shougang Hospital

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