According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the liver is most active between 11pm and 3am - the time when the body falls into deep sleep. At that time, the liver metabolizes toxins, breaks down fat and cleans the blood through the cytochrome P450 enzyme system.
If you stay up late or sleep poorly, this cycle is interrupted, causing toxins to stay longer in the blood and liver cells.
A study in the Journal of Hepatology (2024) showed that people who sleep less than 6 hours a night are at higher risk of hyperlipidemia (ALT, AST) than 32% and a fatty liver rate of 45% higher than the group who sleep 7-8 hours.
Good sleep not only helps the liver rest but also regulates the hormone cortisol and insulin, two factors that directly affect the fat accumulation in the liver.
Research by the European Liverpool Research Society shows that after 4 weeks of adjusting fixed sleep hours (before 11pm) and ensuring 7-8 hours/day, liver enzymes ALT decreased by 14%, while reducing blood triglyceride levels by 18%.
This mechanism is explained by the process of deep sleep helping liver cells increase glutathione synthesis - an endogenous antioxidant that can neutralize free radicals and protect liver cell membranes from damage.
When sleep disorders are disrupted, the ability to eliminate toxins such as ammonia, bilirubin and oxidants is impaired, causing the liver to work harder to balance the inside of the lips.
According to the Mayo Clinic, deep sleep is the stage when the body secretes growth hormone (GH) - a factor that stimulates tissue regeneration and repairs liver cell damage. When there is a lack of sleep, the decrease in GH levels weakens the ability to regenerate the liver, easily leading to fibrosis or impaired liver function.
A clinical trial published in Sleep Medicine Reviews showed that after 6 weeks of applying the habit of getting enough sleep, people with high liver enzymes had a significant improvement in ALT (-11%) and increased the ability to recover liver tissue (through ultrasound for liver elasticity).
Experts emphasize that just maintaining the habit of sleeping on time and avoiding blue light before bed can significantly improve liver function.
A deep, punctual sleep helps the liver detoxify more effectively than any food or herb.
