How does staying up late affect the liver?

Usually, we think that staying up late mainly affects the nervous system, cardiovascular system or mood. But it doesn't stop there, staying up late can also damage the liver.

The habit of staying up late for a long time disrupts the liver's circadian rhythm, increases oxidative stress, liver endothelial inflammation, and increases the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), according to the health website Healthline (USA).

Staying up late can disrupt the liver's biological rhythm, increasing the risk of fatty liver disease.

PHOTO: AI

Staying up late harms the liver through the following effects:

Liver circadian rhythm disturbances

Like many other organs, the liver also has its own biological clock, which helps coordinate metabolic activities in a 24-hour cycle. When staying up late or sleeping irregularly, the biological clocks in the brain and liver are out of sync, causing a loss of coordination between the eating, digestion and metabolism cycles.

The consequences of this circadian rhythm disturbance are promoting metabolic disorders, increasing the risk of fatty liver disease and liver cancer

Staying up late for a long time also makes the liver work outside of normal hours, under pressure to receive nutrients from late dinner. In addition, the liver cell recovery process is also affected.

Hepatitis

Lack of sleep or staying up late is a form of physiological stress, increasing the production of free radicals and oxidative stress in liver tissue. This condition, if prolonged, will stimulate an inflammatory response, activate liver macrophages, hepatic stellate cells to release inflammatory cytokines. The result is damage to liver structure and fibrosis if it continues for a long time.

Increased liver fat accumulation

One consequence of staying up late is disrupted blood sugar regulation, increased sympathetic nervous system stimulation, and elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol. All of these contribute to insulin resistance, leading to increased fat accumulation in the liver and fatty liver.

Hormonal changes

Staying up late or not getting enough sleep for a long time often disrupts hormones such as cortisol, leptin and ghrelin. These are hormones that affect stress, appetite and metabolism.

In particular, high cortisol in the evening can stimulate increased glucose synthesis and increase blood sugar. As a result, the liver has to work harder, leading to increased liver enzymes. This condition, if prolonged, can weaken liver function, according to Healthline .

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/thuc-khuya-anh-huong-gan-ra-sao-185251011131551281.htm