Have you ever had the experience of not sleeping well the night before and being ...... the next day?
Not too good !
Poor complexion, dizziness, stomach upset, organ confusion...... It's just that I haven't slept well, why are people so uncomfortable?
According to a study published in Molecular Cell, if you don't sleep well, the DNA damage of nerve cells in the body will not be repaired, and over time, it may cause serious consequences such as unresponsiveness and memory loss.
图源：Molecular Cell
DNA is very fragile and really easy to damage
DNA in the human body is responsible for encoding genes that allow living organisms to survive normally. Although the DNA double helix structure in our body is very stable, it is very fragile.
In our daily lives, many factors contribute to DNA damage. For example, ultraviolet rays in sunlight, harmful substances in cigarettes, X-rays, etc.
In addition to external damage, the human body is also undergoing changes all the time, and these changes can lead to DNA damage. For example, free radicals in the body can cause damage to DNA, and water and reactive oxygen species can also react with DNA.
That is, as long as you are alive, your DNA is damaged.
Studies have shown that in the average adult, the DNA of each cell is damaged at least 10,000 times a day. DNA damage occurs throughout the body, from the surface of the skin to the subcutaneous tissue, from the brain, to various organs.
DNA damage can have serious consequences if left unrepaired. Damage in a short period of time may lead to abnormal cell function or cell death.
Long-term accumulation of DNA damage can cause a series of abnormal changes in the body. Because chromosome telomeres are constantly being consumed in the process of replication, the integrity of DNA replication will gradually weaken, which may lead to cell aging, which is the manifestation of aging in the human body.
The DNA double helix in humans is in a state of self-replication all the time. So, once the DNA is damaged and not repaired in time, after replication, we get a new DNA that is also damaged. And this damaged DNA has a high chance of causing the cell to transform into a cancer cell.
In addition, damage to neuronal DNA in the brain can also lead to impaired cognitive function. That is, if you didn't sleep well the day before, the whole person will be groggy the next day, and if you haven't slept well for a long time, you may become forgetful.
That...... Is there any way to repair DNA damage?
There really is.
Sleep is the best time for the body to repair its DNA
First, the damaged DNA can be sensed by a protein called Parp1.
The Parp1 protein is a perceptron and monitor of DNA damage that senses multiple types of DNA damage and signals the proteins that repair DNA damage to their respective jobs to start working. The Parp1 protein acts like a commander, spotting a problem and sending out tasks for minions to solve.
How is DNA repaired in the body? This starts with the structure of DNA.
The DNA strand is composed of base pairs, adenine deoxyribonucleotide (A) and thymine deoxyribonucleotide (T), and guanine deoxyribonucleotide (G) and cytosine deoxyribonucleotide (C).
When DNA is being replicated, there may be base pairing errors, in which case simply replace the wrong nucleotides with pairs.
When humans are exposed to some harmful environments, such as tobacco smoke, the bases in the body may be damaged, and the damaged nucleotides need to be removed and replaced with healthy ones.
When humans are overexposed to ultraviolet light, two adjacent base pairs of nucleotides may stick together because they are "sunburned".
This repair process is more complicated, requiring the removal of about 24 nucleotides around the two "sun-burned" nucleotides and replacing them with new ones.
When you're exposed to strong radiation, your DNA can be cut off.
Stronger rays are X-rays, gamma rays, etc. However, the amount of radiation that we do on a daily basis is medical and does not cause large-scale DNA breakage, so there is no need to worry too much about the means of examination.
In general, DNA strand breaks are very serious things, and even a single strand break can cause cell death.
There are two ways to repair DNA strand breaks, one is to use the other as a template and replicate it.
The other is more brutal, directly fusing the two ends of the break together. However, the accuracy of the DNA repaired in this way is low, after all, the repair protein has to be created out of nothing, and it will conjure a piece of DNA for you out of thin air.
Restoration is a very difficult job and cannot be done in a few minutes.
In the human body, repair proteins work hard all the time, day and night.
Recent animal studies have found that Parp1 protein expression levels are much higher during nighttime sleep than during daytime. Indicates that the DNA repair process is more active during sleep. At the same time, increasing the expression of Parp1 protein can prolong the sleep duration of the animal, which in turn allows the DNA to be repaired more time, and the repair will be more complete.
In other words, when you're sleeping, repair proteins can repair DNA better.
Researchers have found in animal experiments that when you sleep less than 4 hours, repair cells in the body are almost unable to repair DNA damage. When you get 6 hours of good sleep, you can better repair the DNA damage. The whole DNA repair process takes 8~9 hours.
So, it's only when you get enough sleep that you wake up feeling refreshed. The 2~3 hours you wake up every day is the time when you have the highest proportion of healthy DNA in your body that day.
If you have time to sleep a little longer or go to bed a little earlier, go to bed quickly, or your DNA will be dead and wounded all over the place.
If you don't get enough sleep, DNA damage can accumulate, which can lead to a range of symptoms, including not only lack of energy during the day, but also more serious consequences:
Neuronal DNA damage leads to memory loss;
DNA damage in the cells of the digestive system leads to abnormal metabolism;
Reproductive system DNA damage leading to reproductive system problems;
DNA damage to heart cells leads to diseases of the cardiovascular system......
However, with enough sleep, most short-term DNA damage can be repaired, but long-term DNA damage accumulation is difficult to reverse. When DNA damage reaches a certain level, cells begin a death process or turn into cancer cells.
So, whenever you're holding your phone in the middle of the night with red eyes and reluctant to fall asleep, think about the DNA that is being damaged in your body, think about the cells that are dying if they are not repaired well, and think about the repair proteins that are working overtime for you day and night.
Starting tonight, put down your phone in advance, and when sleepiness hits, get a good night's sleep~
From Dr. Lilac