In recent years, more and more people have joined the "staying up late army", and "viral" watching dramas and playing games has become a daily life for some young people. With the promotion of various short videos and shopping apps, a wave of liver protection pills has emerged. So is it really useful to take liver protection pills while staying up late? March 18th is National Love Liver Day. A reporter from China News Network interviewed Hu Yanmei, Deputy Chief Physician of the Infectious Disease Department at Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region People's Hospital, to answer this question.
Hu Yanmei introduced that the best time for liver repair is from 1 to 3 pm at night. During sleep, all cells, including liver cells, begin to self repair, which can increase the liver's blood flow by 40% and provide more blood, oxygen, and nutrients. So, staying up late can be quite harmful to the liver. We urge everyone to avoid staying up late as much as possible. It is recommended to start preparing for sleep at 10 pm every night, try to fall asleep before 11 pm, and ensure at least 8 hours of sleep.
So is it really useful to take liver protection pills while staying up late? Will taking liver protection tablets have any side effects? Hu Yanmei said that whether it is liver protecting drugs or liver protecting tablets, from the mechanism of action, these drugs will not have a preventive effect. At present, there are various types and complex ingredients of liver protection tablets on the market. If not used in a standardized manner, it may lead to secondary liver damage during consumption.
In 2019, experts from the Chinese Society of Traditional Chinese Medicine released the "Expert Consensus on Clinical Application of Hugan Pian", which clearly pointed out the indications, intervention timing, and medication course of Hugan Pian.
How should the public properly protect their liver? Hu Yanmei suggests that the public should not blindly take large amounts of liver protective drugs and tablets. They should improve their diet, drink less alcohol, maintain a regular lifestyle, and stay up late less; Regularly go to the hospital for liver function examinations every year. Once liver function abnormalities occur, medication should be used reasonably under the guidance of a doctor in a timely manner.
