Heart

Many people consider staying up late as something that is normal, or even should be done. Whether it's due to overtime to complete office projects, watch soccer games, or study with the overnight speeding system before important exams at school. However, you need to be more careful about the various effects of staying up late on the health of the body at a later date.

Why do we need sleep?

Sleep is included as an activity that has a myriad of benefits. When you sleep, the brain releases hormones and compounds that help metabolize processes in the body. Starting from restoring appetite, boosting the immune system, improving memory, improving mood, improving fitness, to increasing energy and focusing on the next day's activities.

Getting enough sleep can even help you manage stress and symptoms of psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety and depression.

The ideal length of sleep for adults and the elderly is around seven to eight hours. Meanwhile, children and adolescents need a longer sleep time (around 8-12 hours, depending on their age)

The effect of staying up late on health, over time can shorten life

The effects of staying up late on the health of the body have been proven by many scientific studies. The habit of staying up late is reported to increase the risk of a number of serious health problems, ranging from hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, sleep apnea, to premature death.

This is evidenced by researchers from England and Italy who analyzed the sleep habits of 1.3 million people, who were collected from 16 separate studies. His findings showed that people who slept less than six hours each night were 12 percent more likely to experience premature death. They also found that people who cut sleep time from seven hours to five hours or less had a 1.7 times faster risk of dying. What caused it?

A number of studies have found that getting less than 5 hours of sleep a night can cause constriction of blood vessels which in turn can increase blood pressure. What's more, lack of sleep can also lead to magnesium deficiency which can lead to hardening of the artery walls (atheroscellosis). Atherosclerosis can increase your risk of hypertension, stroke and other heart problems.

In addition, the effect of staying up late is also seen in increasing the body's blood sugar levels. Lack of sleep can cause the body to be resistant to insulin and increase the stress hormone cortisol so that the body cannot absorb the remaining sugar in the blood. As a result, blood sugar levels increase. This condition can lead to diabetes.

The effect of staying up late too often can also increase the release of the hunger hormone ghrelin which can make your appetite increase. It's no wonder that prolonged sleep deprivation can make the body fat, which can lead to obesity later in life. Obesity, hypertension, and diabetes will certainly have a very bad impact on your health. Especially if it happens at the same time.

Apart from the risk of disease, lack of sleep can also decrease your focus and alertness. This can be very dangerous if you are driving a vehicle. The dangers of driving when sleepy can even be equated with driving while drunk. Driving when sleepy after just 3 hours of sleep a night increases the risk of a motorized accident by more than fourfold.

Tips for sleeping better

In order not to get used to sleeping late and dealing with the effects of staying up late in the future, try implementing a few simple tips:

• Set alarms for bedtime and wake-up time at the same time every day, including weekends. If you need to wake up at 6 a.m., make sure you go to bed by 11 p.m. so you can get 8 hours of sleep a night.
• Avoid strenuous physical activity before going to bed. If you want to exercise before bed, do it at least 2-3 hours before bedtime.
• Avoid caffeine, cigarettes and alcohol while going to bed.
• Don't take a nap after 3 p.m. Afternoon nap time that is too late will actually make you refreshed at night.
• Try doing things that make you calm and relaxed before going to bed. For example, by listening to songs, reading books, soaking in warm water, or other activities that make you more relaxed.
• Create a bedroom atmosphere that is comfortable, quiet, dark, and cold. Avoid things that can disrupt sleep, such as TV and gadgets.
• If you've been lying in bed for 20 minutes and still can't sleep, try getting up for a while and doing other activities so you don't feel stressed. Worrying and worrying about not being able to sleep will actually make you fresher and less sleepy.