On World Sleep Day, practice the "118 Early Bedtime Action". There are so many benefits of a good night's sleep!

According to statistics from the World Health Organization, 27% of people worldwide have sleep problems. March 21 is World Sleep Day, so of course you need to get a good night’s sleep!

Starting today, I advise you to develop a good sleep habit! Because a good night's sleep can bring you so many benefits! Including but not limited to becoming more beautiful, healthy, and in a good mental state... In this article, let's talk about the importance of a good night's sleep, and what we should do if we have to stay up late?

Tuchong Creative

1. How many people in our country have sleep problems?

Staying up late is a very common phenomenon in our country. Some people are forced to stay up late because of work and study, some people stay up late to watch TV series and play games for entertainment, and some people have difficulty falling asleep because of poor sleep quality.

The 2022 "White Paper on Healthy Sleep for Chinese Citizens" shows that young people aged 19 to 25 are the "champions of staying up late", with 44% going to bed after midnight. The average sleep duration of residents in third-tier and lower-tier cities is over 7.1 hours, while the average sleep duration of residents in first-tier, new first-tier, and second-tier cities is less than 7 hours.

Survey data from the "China Sleep Research Report (2022)" shows that 64.75% of residents actually sleep less than 8 hours a day, and only 7.97% sleep more than 8 hours. Especially among people in the workplace, lack of sleep is very common, and more than 60% of people in the workplace have the habit of drinking tea or coffee to refresh themselves.

It can be seen from this that the problem of insufficient sleep and poor sleep quality among Chinese residents is still relatively common.

2. What’s the use of having a good night’s sleep?

1. Prevents Cancer:

As early as 2007, the World Health Organization (WHO) defined staying up late as a Class 2A carcinogenic factor. In other words, staying up late increases the likelihood of cancer.

The reason why lack of sleep increases the risk of cancer may be related to two factors. First, insufficient sleep will affect the secretion of melatonin, resulting in a decrease in melatonin secretion. Melatonin has antioxidant properties and can inhibit the occurrence of tumors. If the secretion is insufficient, tumor cells in the latent growth period will be released, increasing the risk of cancer. Secondly, long-term lack of sleep will increase people's stress and depression. Bad emotions are one of the factors that increase the incidence of cancer.

However, although lack of sleep may induce cancer, it does not mean that the longer you sleep, the better. Some studies have mentioned that the relationship between sleep duration and cancer risk shows a J-shaped or U-shaped curve, and sleeping too long may also increase the risk of cancer, such as colorectal cancer. [1]

1. Weight Control:

Staying up late will disrupt the natural level of hormones in the body, brain gut peptide will increase, and leptin will decrease. Both are related to appetite, and the hormonal changes caused by staying up late will increase the amount of food eaten the next day, thereby increasing the risk of obesity.

Studies have shown that people who sleep 7 hours or more at night are less likely to be overweight or obese. Compared with people who sleep less than 7 hours at night, those who can sleep for 7 hours can reduce their risk of being overweight by 10.9% and their risk of being obese by 21.9%. [2]

Therefore, if you want to lose weight and control your weight, don’t just adjust your diet and exercise, you also have to go to bed early.

1. Prevents Cardiovascular Diseases:

Insufficient sleep is closely related to cardiovascular disease. In order to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, we should not only pay attention to diet, but sleep is also an important factor.

A study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association included 12,268 participants without cardiovascular disease, collected their sleep-related information, and conducted a follow-up for 18 years. The results showed that sleeping less than 7 hours and sleeping ≥10 hours both increased the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, and coronary heart disease. [3]

Maintain your appearance:

Staying up late regularly can affect your endocrine system, leading to acne, wrinkles, dry skin, and poor skin quality. Studies have shown that compared with people who do not stay up late, the skin barrier of people who stay up late is damaged. This is manifested in a decrease in the water content of the stratum corneum, which in turn leads to an increase in transepidermal water loss. It is important to know that only when the water content of the stratum corneum is high can the skin be bright and shiny. In addition, the amount of sebum in the skin of people who stay up late will increase, and the firmness of the skin will also decrease. [4]

Prevention of Mental Illness:

Staying up late not only affects physical functions, but also mental health. A university conducted a survey on 752 students and found that the rate of staying up late was as high as 94%. Psychologically, students may suffer from anxiety, loneliness, interpersonal tension, depression, and mild mental disorders. [5]

We also have this feeling at ordinary times. If we stay up late the night before, we will be listless the next day, unwilling to communicate with others, or even depressed throughout the day, which greatly reduces our work and study efficiency.

Controlling Alzheimer’s disease:

A study has mentioned that if the elderly have poor sleep or sleep disorders, it will accelerate the progression of patients with mild cognitive impairment to dementia, which is not conducive to the control of the disease. [6] If the elderly suffer from Alzheimer's disease, in order to control the disease, we must find a way to let them sleep well.

Since both insufficient sleep and excessive sleep are bad for health, how should we sleep? What is the most appropriate amount of sleep?

Tuchong Creative

3. Tips for healthy sleep:

-118 Early Bed Action:

When it comes to sleep, we urge everyone to practice the "118 Early Bedtime Action", which is to go to bed before 11 p.m. as much as possible and sleep for 8 hours a day.

-Moderate exercise:

Exercising moderately every day is very helpful in improving sleep quality, but you need to be careful not to do strenuous exercise one hour before going to bed.

- Do not drink coffee or strong tea 5 hours before going to bed:

These drinks contain caffeine, which not only makes people excited and unable to sleep, but also has a diuretic effect, causing people to go to the toilet frequently.

Studies have shown that the average time it takes for caffeine to reach its maximum plasma concentration is 45 minutes, and its half-life is an average of 5 hours. In order to ensure a good sleep, you should avoid drinking it before bed. Some people may metabolize caffeine more slowly, so you can metabolize it earlier. [7]

-Don’t drink too much water before going to bed:

Drinking too much water before going to bed will increase the number of times you wake up at night and affect your sleep quality. It is also best to go to the toilet before going to bed.

-Don’t look at your phone before going to bed:

At present, mobile phones are the main reason for most people to stay up late. The light from the screen will inhibit the secretion of melatonin and affect sleep. In addition, looking at the phone before going to bed is also harmful to the eyes, increasing the risk of dry eyes and myopia. Surveys show that the proportion of people staying up late to look at their phones is as high as 70%. If you want to go to bed as early as possible, put down your phone.

-Avoid negativity:

Most people will have this feeling. If they have something on their mind, it will seriously affect their sleep, or even keep them awake all night. If they have something bothering them, they should try to convince themselves not to think about it, or solve it as early as possible on the same day.

4. What should I do if I have to stay up late?

Drink more water: Staying up late will increase the body's water loss, and the skin will be easily dehydrated and dry, so you have to pay attention to hydration. Men and women should drink 1700 ml and 1500 ml respectively during the day. If you have to stay up late at night for work, you have to continue to drink more water.

Balanced nutrition: Staying up late will consume more nutrients, such as vitamin A, B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, etc. In addition to three balanced meals, it is recommended to take some additional dietary supplements.

Don't drink a lot of coffee: If you plan to stay up late to work overtime, you will inevitably need to drink some refreshing drinks, such as coffee, which is the most common drink. If you want to drink, you must control the amount. The "Scientific Consensus on Coffee and Health" recommends that the daily caffeine intake of ordinary adults should be controlled within 400 mg. This is equivalent to no more than 1.5 cups of Starbucks large (473 ml) American coffee per day, and no more than 5 bags of 1.8~2g instant coffee per day.

However, in order not to affect sleep, it is best not to drink 3 to 5 hours before planned bedtime.

Do more outdoor exercises: Staying up late will make people listless, and it will be difficult to "start up" the next day, so try to walk outdoors more and adjust your mood.

Summarize:

Staying up late not only ruins your appearance but also harms your body. Don’t stay up late if you can avoid it. Start setting a goal for yourself today! Practice the "118 Early Bedtime Action" to save your body.

References:

[1] Chen Yuheng, Wang Yalong, Feng Xiaoshuang, Lü Zhangyan, Tan Fengwei, Dai Min. Meta-analysis of the relationship between sleep duration and cancer risk in the Chinese population[J]. Chinese Journal of Public Health, 2020, 36(07): 1104-1108.

[2] Liu Yaqi, Wang Zhuo, Deng Xiangzhong, Li Taizhen, He Yujin, Zha Yuxin, Chang Xiaoyu, Hu Dihui, He Jun, Deng Ying, Wu Xianping. Association between napping habits, nighttime sleep duration and overweight and obesity among Chinese adults[J]. Journal of Preventive Medicine Information, 2023, 39(01): 60-66.

[3]Wang Z, Yang W, Li X, Qi

[4] Liu Ting. Correlation between skin physiological characteristics and skin microecology of people who stay up late[D]. Shanghai University of Technology, 2020. DOI: 10.27801/d.cnki.gshyy.2020.000414.

[5] Tang Liping, He Yuanming. Investigation and analysis of the impact of staying up late on college students' mental health: A case study of Hunan University of Science and Technology [J]. Journal of Hunan University of Science and Technology, 2018, 39(04): 130-131+156. DOI: 10.16336/j.cnki.cn43-1459/z.2018.04.045.

[6] Liu Miao, Ma Chun, Li Shuling, Xu Wenjing, Wang Huaiyu, Song Meijia, Yang Lihua. Relationship between lifestyle and mild cognitive impairment in the elderly[J]. Chinese Journal of Gerontology, 2021, 41(03): 665-669.

[7] Kong Weimin, Zhou Huanhuan, Gao Xin, Lou Qingqing. Effects of excessive consumption of functional drinks on cardiovascular and nervous systems in children and adolescents[J]. Chinese Journal of Public Health, 2015, 31(10): 1361-1364.

The article is produced by "Science Refutes Facts" (ID: Science_Facts). Please indicate the source when reprinting.

The pictures in this article are from the copyright gallery and are not authorized for reproduction.