Top 4 habits that 'destroy' the liver the fastest in cold weather, staying up late is at the bottom

Staying up late is a bad habit that 'destroys' the liver very quickly, especially in the cold season when the immune system is weakened. However, there are many other liver-damaging behaviors that many people do in the cold season without knowing it.

The human immune system works more effectively in warmer temperatures. Therefore, in winter, with cold weather, the immune system also decreases, making the body's organs more susceptible to weakening and disease, including the liver.

Meanwhile, many people are unintentionally, even subjectively, intentionally doing many behaviors that 'destroy' the liver. Among them, staying up late - one of the bad habits that harm the liver that many people know about - is only at the bottom of the list of 4 habits that 'destroy' the liver in the cold season below:

1. Drink lots of beer and wine to keep warm and nourished in the cold season.

Drinking too much alcohol is a familiar but never old cause of many liver diseases. In particular, many people have the habit of drinking alcohol in the cold season as a way to warm the body. It is not uncommon for people to soak medicinal wines and drink them as a tonic, helping to strengthen the immune system in the cold season to prevent diseases.

However, the warming effect of alcohol is only a temporary feeling, and you will feel even colder afterwards. Because it dilates peripheral blood vessels, increases blood flow to the skin and muscles, and stimulates the nerves, making you temporarily forget the cold. Meanwhile, the tendency to drink a lot of alcohol in the winter is very harmful to health, especially the liver.

When drinking alcohol, alcohol is quickly absorbed into the blood through the lining of the stomach and intestines. Only 10% of the alcohol is excreted through sweat, breath, and urine; the remaining 90% goes straight through the liver, causing severe liver poisoning. Medicinal alcohol and alcohol soaked in plants and animals overload the liver due to metabolism, causing it to weaken and become sick quickly if consumed without moderation. If not controlled, it will develop into alcoholic hepatitis, alcoholic cirrhosis, and in the long term, will naturally turn into liver cancer.

2. Taking medicine indiscriminately because cold weather makes you more susceptible to minor illnesses

As mentioned, the cold season with low temperatures weakens the immune system and we are more susceptible to illness. Especially seasonal diseases, diseases related to bacteria and viruses. Too cold weather can also cause other disorders, headaches, joint pain, mood swings, poor appetite, etc.

At this time, many people will take medicine indiscriminately. Specifically, they take medicine just when they are a little tired or uncomfortable. They do not consult a pharmacist/doctor but take medicine out of habit or emotion. Or because they want to recover faster, they overdose on medicine, mix many types of medicine. There are also people who want to be healthier and abuse supplements and functional foods. All of these things are 'destroying' the liver.

Because the liver is the body's detoxification organ, the liver participates in the process of metabolizing most drugs, then excreting them through bile or urine. Drug abuse causes the liver to work too hard and weaken. Then, when the liver is weakened, its function of metabolizing, detoxifying and excreting drugs is also affected. The accumulation of drugs over time without being metabolized and detoxified causes drug poisoning and liver damage, leading to serious illness.

3. Lazy to drink water and less active due to cold weather

It is undeniable that most of us drink less water and exercise less in the cold season. These are also bad habits that make the liver suffer, weaken and quickly get sick.

Most of us tend to be lazy to drink water and exercise less in the cold season. (Illustration photo).

The reason is that water plays an important role in removing waste from the body, preventing the accumulation of toxins and protecting the liver from damage. Drinking water regularly helps thin the blood, making it easier for the liver to filter and remove toxins. Meanwhile, low temperatures make the blood viscous and more difficult to circulate. Therefore, if you do not drink enough water in winter, the liver will have difficulty functioning effectively, even becoming disordered and weakened.

In addition, the cold season leads to reduced activity time, slowing down metabolism, reducing the ability to control blood sugar, regulate blood pressure and digest fat, which can lead to liver damage. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) can be caused by lack of exercise or lack of physical activity.

4. Staying up late more often due to "short days, long nights"

The cold season has longer nights than the day, so many people tend to stay up late. Many people also like the feeling of being covered with a warm blanket and immersed in their own world with books and technological devices in the cold winter. However, no matter what season it is, staying up late is very harmful to health, especially the liver. Moreover, staying up late in winter is even more harmful to the liver because the immune system is already weakened, the liver is easily damaged and needs more sleep to recover.

According to health experts, the endocrine and exocrine functions of the liver will perform best when the body is in a deep sleep state. The most important working hours of the liver and gallbladder are from 11pm to 3am. Therefore, if we stay up late and sleep after 11pm, it will change the biological clock, disrupt its function, and increase the burden on the liver due to increased oxidation reactions that produce many toxic intermediates and activate toxic kupffer cells.

The time from 11pm to 3am is needed for a deep sleep to keep the liver healthy, whether it is cold or hot. (Illustration photo).

At the same time, the liver is the storage organ that regulates blood functions. If the body is at rest, when the blood demand of the organs decreases, the amount of blood is returned to the liver. When exercise, study, work increases, the need for blood increases, the amount of blood accumulated in the liver circulates more to meet the needs of the body.

These things, if prolonged, cause the liver to lose function, weaken, and suffer from many diseases such as hepatitis, fatty liver, liver cancer, etc.