UM Surabaya Expert Describes the Dangers of Staying Up Late and Their Impact on Health

• 19 Jul
• 2022

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UM Surabaya Expert Describes the Dangers of Staying Up Late and Their Impact on Health

• Article
• By Uswah Sahal
• Health
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Drowsiness is one of the most common effects of staying up late. After staying up late someone will often yawn and feel tired. However, not only that, the effects of staying up late can cause disturbances in physical and mental conditions.

Everyone needs different sleep times, depending on age and daily activities. Adequate sleep time for adults is generally around 7-9 hours per day, while children need to sleep for 10-13 hours each day. If it's hard to sleep that long a person can try biphasic sleep.

During sleep, the body will rest and produce energy and repair damaged body tissue. Sleep also plays an important role in improving physical and mental conditions. While in children and adolescents, sleep is the time when the body produces growth hormone.

Herman Sudjarwo Head of the UM Surabaya Clinical Service Agency explained 8 effects of staying up late that are bad for health. According to Herman, besides being easily sleepy and tired, lack of sleep due to staying up late can also affect emotional and psychological conditions.

Herman explained that the habit of staying up late can increase the risk of gaining weight. Based on research shows that people who are sleep deprived or often stay up late can experience more weight gain, when compared to people who get enough sleep every day. This can make people who often stay up late more at risk of obesity.

“The effect of staying up late can disrupt the body's metabolism. Apart from that, lack of sleep can also make the body get hungry faster, so it is difficult to maintain a diet, “explained Herman, Sunday (19/6/22)

The second impact is premature aging. When staying up late and lack of sleep a person will produce more stress hormones (cortisol). This hormone can break down and damage the structure of collagen in the skin, which is a protein that functions to make skin firmer and more elastic.

Due to frequent staying up late, skin and face will become duller and drier. Damage to collagen on the face can also cause lines or wrinkles to appear on the face, black spots or spots on the face, as well as swollen eyes and dark circles to appear around the eyes (panda eyes).

The third is easy to forget. When a person sleeps, tissue and nerve cells in the brain will undergo a process of repair or regeneration. With the formation of healthy brain tissue, your brain function will always be maintained. Regeneration of brain tissue is also important for strengthening memory or memory, concentration and thinking ability.

Conversely, when a person often stays up late, the cells and brain tissue will be damaged more quickly and difficult to repair. This can interfere with brain function, so you will feel sleepy more often, forget easily, and have difficulty concentrating.

"Another impact is a decrease in brain function, the effect of staying up late can reduce reasoning power, problem solving ability, and concentration. The ability to pay attention to something and the level of alertness will also decrease. Difficulty focusing can also often cause accidents while driving or working,” he added.

Fifth is decreased sexual desire (libido). Decreased libido is one of the effects of staying up late. When sleep deprived, the body can become tired, sleepy, lack energy, and stress more easily. The effect of staying up late can make you less passionate about having sex.

The next impact is an increased risk of mental disorders. Several studies have shown that people who often stay up late are more susceptible to impaired brain function and sleep disturbances in the form of insomnia. In the long term, the effects of staying up late can increase the risk of mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety disorders.

This risk will also increase, if a person has unhealthy habits, such as frequent smoking, rarely exercising, frequent stress, and not maintaining a diet.

Seventh is the increased risk of cancer. According to Herman, the effect of staying up late is also related to an increased risk of someone getting cancer. Research shows that those who have a habit of not sleeping enough, or often work shifts at night, are more at risk of getting cancer when compared to people who sleep enough everyday.

The last is a decrease in the immune system. Various studies have shown that the habit of not getting enough sleep or staying up late, especially if you sleep less than 6 hours, can weaken your immune system. This can make your body more susceptible to bacterial and viral infections, including the Corona virus that causes COVID-19.

"After knowing that the effects of staying up late are not good for the body, now is the time to think again before deciding to stay up late. Try to meet the need for sleep at least 7 hours every day, "he concluded.