Can people with gallstones stay up late?
Oct 30, 2025
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Wang Lei
Introduction
In general, people with gallstones should not stay up late, as sleep deprivation may worsen the condition or trigger discomfort, which is unfavorable for disease control. Therefore, maintaining a regular sleep schedule and avoiding late nights are important aspects of care after being diagnosed with gallstones. Patients should ensure adequate sleep and, at the same time, follow a low-fat diet, adhere to medical advice, and undergo regular check-ups or treatment as prescribed, in order to better manage the condition and reduce the risk of complications.
In general, people with gallstones should not stay up late, as sleep deprivation can worsen the condition or trigger discomfort, which is detrimental to disease management. The specific reasons are as follows:
Staying up late affects the physical condition of patients with gallstones in multiple ways and increases the risk of symptom flare-ups. First, sleep deprivation disrupts the body's biological clock and interferes with the liver's rhythmic secretion of bile. Since gallstone formation is closely related to imbalances in bile composition and poor bile drainage, disrupted bile excretion caused by staying up late may exacerbate bile stasis. This not only could enlarge existing stones but also promote the formation of new ones.
Second, lack of sleep weakens the immune system. The biliary mucosa in patients with gallstones is relatively fragile, and when immunity decreases, intestinal bacteria are more likely to travel backward into the biliary tract, leading to infectious complications such as cholecystitis or cholangitis. These infections may cause symptoms including abdominal pain, fever, and nausea, and in severe cases, may even result in biliary obstruction.
In addition, during periods of sleep deprivation, the body remains in a state of stress, causing changes in hormone levels that may induce spasms of the smooth muscles in the gallbladder, directly triggering biliary colic. This type of pain is often severe, significantly impairing the patient’s quality of life and sometimes requiring emergency medical treatment.
Therefore, maintaining regular作息 (daily routines) and avoiding staying up late are important aspects of care for individuals with gallstones. Patients should ensure adequate sleep and complement this with a low-fat diet, along with regular follow-up examinations or treatments as directed by their physicians, in order to better manage the condition and reduce the risk of complications.
