Beware of staying up all night for extended periods – it can actually weaken your body! Traditional Chinese Medicine says: One night of staying up late can't undo the damage.

Don't want to age quickly? It might be related to your late-night habits! In this episode of "When to Focus on Health," two registered Chinese medicine practitioners—Dr. Chen Qiqi and Dr. Huang Jingjing—share their perspective on staying up late from a traditional Chinese medicine standpoint. It turns out that traditional Chinese medicine views staying up late as extremely harmful to health, even causing irreparable damage, making you look older and more tired! To prevent yourself from looking older than others, it seems like it's time to break the habit of staying up late.

Everyone knows that staying up late is bad for your health, but which organ suffers the most? Dr. Chan Yee-ki points out that in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), "liver damage" doesn't just refer to the liver itself, but rather the entire detoxification system. "From a TCM perspective, the liver is responsible for storing blood," she explains. Staying up late damages the liver by preventing it from storing blood, leading to a decrease in blood volume and various symptoms. One obvious symptom is hair loss. Dr. Chan shares that some women may experience androgenetic alopecia (male pattern baldness) or diffuse hair loss after prolonged periods of staying up late, causing them to appear older than their actual age.

Preventive care - When to focus on health - Staying up late and its effects on premature aging

Another harmful effect of staying up all night is the depletion of Yang energy. The human body needs Yang energy to maintain its vitality, and staying up all night depletes the body's Yang energy. Even if you try to "catch up" the next day by sleeping until 4 or 6 pm, you can't make up for it, resulting in a constant feeling of fatigue and a lack of energy no matter how much you sleep. Dr. Chen Qiqi and Dr. Huang Jingjing shared that they both have patients who ask, "How long does it take to replenish Yang energy?" The answer is that it can never be replenished. Some say that sleeping all night for seven days can replenish it? The doctors laughed and said that of course not, and even eating delicacies may not have a nourishing effect, but may have the opposite effect.

Preventive care - When to focus on health - Staying up late and its effects on premature aging

Is it best to avoid taking tonics while staying up late?

Many people believe that since staying up late is harmful to health, simply eating more tonics afterwards can remedy the damage. Dr. Huang Jingjing explains, "Normally, the digestive system begins to function during sleep. If the digestive system doesn't function smoothly and its efficiency is reduced, even if you eat a lot of tonics, you will experience indigestion, leading to 'the more you supplement, the weaker you become.'" She further cites the example of many people eating bird's nest or other foods they mistakenly believe are nourishing after staying up late, such as honey, milk, and snow fungus, which are actually poisonous. Eating these foods after staying up late increases dampness in the body, making people feel stickier and more tired; at the same time, the symptoms of spleen deficiency after staying up late will be more severe, with a weak spleen and stomach, insufficient blood and qi, and edema, resulting in a worse overall condition.

The harm of staying up all night knows no age.

You may have seen that some people are still energetic after staying up all night, while others look haggard. Is it because of different constitutions? Are some people unaffected by staying up all night? "You might have this kind of constitution before the age of 20," Dr. Chen Qiqi shared. "Usually, my patients are young lawyers or accountants in their 40s and 30s who may have a lot of social engagements, which often leads to drinking and insufficient sleep, and they still have to go to work early the next morning." This is almost a microcosm of the lives of all working people, and the most common symptom is a sore throat.

Preventive care - When to focus on health - Staying up late and its effects on premature aging

How to treat a sore throat from staying up all night?

Sore throat, heat rash, and even recurring tonsillitis are common symptoms and problems after staying up late. Doctors point out that most of the symptoms that occur in the throat are due to yin deficiency, which damages the throat. It is best to regulate the diet to nourish the throat.

Preventive care - When to focus on health - Staying up late and its effects on premature aging

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that staying up late depletes Yin energy, and suggests that the treatment should focus on clearing heat, nourishing Yin, and replenishing Yin. The following drinks can be consumed appropriately: • Monk fruit water • Snow pear water • American ginseng water. In addition, Dr. Huang Jingjing reminds everyone to be careful to avoid some difficult-to-digest foods, including high-calorie and fried foods, so as not to put more burden on the stomach and intestines.

Drink plenty of water after staying up all night.

In addition to diet, Dr. Chen Qiqi often reminds patients to gargle with salt water. This is because salt, in traditional Chinese medicine, acts as a guiding agent, helping to reduce excess heat in the kidney meridian and prevent sore throat symptoms. "The method is very simple: hold the salt water in your mouth for about two or three minutes, then spit it out," Dr. Chen Qiqi explains. She believes this method is simple and effective, and even those who don't stay up late can use it to protect their throats if they have similar symptoms.

Preventive care - When to focus on health - Staying up late and its effects on premature aging

What time should I go to bed so that I don't feel like I'm staying up all night?

Doctors believe that sleeping too much isn't necessarily good; in fact, it can make you feel more tired. It's best to be awake during the day when there's sunlight and the sun is rising to absorb Yang energy. Aim for 7.5 to 8.5 hours of sleep. Don't assume that sleeping longer will make up for lost sleep; choosing the right time to fall asleep is more effective. When is the best time to sleep? Doctors remind everyone to get good "beauty sleep," which refers to falling asleep between 11 pm and 3 am. Sufficient rest during this time allows for the storage of Yang energy and blood. When the blood is rich in Yang energy, the complexion naturally becomes rosy, and the overall body becomes stronger, more energetic, and makes you look several years younger.