Beware! Staying up late is quietly draining your body! Have you been affected by these hazards?

In this fast-paced era, various forms of entertainment are flooding in. After a busy day, curling up on the sofa and staying up late to watch TV series has become the first choice for many people to relax and relieve stress.

The Xiangdong Hospital affiliated to Hunan Normal University reminds: The seemingly pleasant time of chasing TV series hides a huge crisis. If you are not careful, staying up late to chase TV series may cause sudden deafness, and we will lose the ability to listen to the world without realizing it.

1. Why does staying up late cause deafness?

The ear, as an important organ for us to perceive external sounds, has an extremely sophisticated internal structure. Among them, the auditory hair cells are like "little guards" responsible for converting sound signals into nerve impulses and transmitting them to the brain. However, these "little guards" are very delicate and are particularly sensitive to ischemic and hypoxic environments.

1. Biological clock disorder

Staying up late will completely disrupt the body's original regular biological clock. Our body is like a sophisticated instrument, and each organ works in an orderly manner according to the biological clock. Once the biological clock is disrupted, the endocrine system will be the first to be affected. For example, the secretion of melatonin will decrease, and melatonin not only helps sleep, but also plays a key role in maintaining the body's normal metabolism and physiological functions.

2. Obstruction of blood circulation in the ear:

Endocrine disorders will further affect the blood circulation of the ear. When the blood supply to the ear is insufficient, the auditory hair cells cannot obtain sufficient nutrients and oxygen, just like dry land without water nourishment, gradually losing vitality and impairing function. If this continues for a long time, it may cause sudden deafness.

2. Other hazards of staying up late

Staying up late has all-round harmful effects on the body, and sudden deafness is just the tip of the iceberg.

1. Impaired immune system:

Staying up late for a long time will greatly reduce the "combat effectiveness" of the immune system. The activity of immune cells is reduced, the production and function of white blood cells are inhibited, and the body's ability to resist pathogens such as viruses and bacteria is weakened. This is why people who often stay up late are more likely to catch colds, coughs, and suffer from various diseases, and it takes longer to recover after illness.

2. Increased burden on the cardiovascular system:

When you stay up late, your body is in a state of stress, your sympathetic nerves are excited, and hormones such as adrenaline are released, causing your blood pressure to rise. At the same time, your heart needs to work harder to maintain blood circulation. Over time, the burden on your heart increases, increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease and arrhythmia.

3. Frequent skin problems:

The metabolism of the skin mainly takes place at night. Staying up late will interfere with the normal metabolism of the skin, leading to an imbalance in the secretion of skin oil and accelerated water loss. The skin becomes rough and dull, and problems such as dark circles, eye bags, and acne appear, accelerating the aging process of the skin.

3. How to prevent the harm caused by staying up late?

Since staying up late has so many harmful effects, how can we prevent it? The key is to develop good living habits.

1. Regular work and rest:

Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. For example, go to bed before 11pm and wake up around 7am to get 7-8 hours of adequate sleep. You can set a bedtime reminder to gradually cultivate your biological clock.

2. Reasonably arrange entertainment time:

Avoid watching TV series or playing games for long periods of time. You can divide the time of watching TV series or playing games into small segments, and take a 10-15 minute break every 40-50 minutes. During the break, move your body, do some simple stretching exercises, and turn your head and neck to relieve physical fatigue. At the same time, you can also look into the distance to relax your eyes; massage your ears to promote blood circulation in the ears.

3. Nutritional supplement:

If you have to stay up late because of work or other reasons, in addition to getting enough sleep, you can also make adjustments to your diet. Eat more foods rich in vitamins A, C, E and protein. Vitamin A is good for the eyes, such as carrots and animal livers; vitamins C and E have antioxidant effects and can reduce the damage to body cells caused by staying up late, such as oranges, strawberries, nuts and other foods; protein is an important raw material for body repair, and milk, eggs, fish and other foods are all sources of high-quality protein.

Hunan Medical Chat Special Author: Zhong Yuqin, Publicity and Legal Affairs Department, Xiangdong Hospital Affiliated to Hunan Normal University

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(Edited by Wx)