After the excitement of reunions fades, many Koreans report fatigue during the Lunar New Year holiday due to long travel and extensive family rituals. For office workers chronically short on sleep, the break may seem like the perfect chance to catch up all at once. But experts warn that binge sleeping can actually harm health.
Koreans’ sleep patterns are already concerning. The average daily sleep time is 7 hours and 41 minutes — more than 40 minutes shorter than the OECD average of 8 hours and 22 minutes. Frequent overtime work, after-hours socializing, intense competition and smartphone use late into the night are major disruptors of restful sleep. Hwang Kyung-jin, a professor of neurology at Kyung Hee University Hospital, said, “During sleep, memory consolidation, immune system regulation and removal of brain waste occur. If you face the next day without these processes, concentration declines and reaction speed slows.”
Even after several sleepless days, daily functioning may seem intact because of the body’s ability to endure. Hwang said, “Adrenaline and stress hormones activate an ‘emergency mode’ that forces the body to cope. Even if no immediate problem appears, accumulated damage from sleep deprivation can surface all at once.” Chronic lack of sleep weakens brain centers that regulate emotion, potentially leading to depression and anxiety disorders. Studies also suggest disrupted immunity may raise cancer risk.
So how should people repay accumulated “sleep debt” during the holiday? Simply sleeping longer is not the answer. Irregular schedules — going to bed and waking much later than usual — can disrupt circadian rhythms and trigger severe fatigue once the break ends.
To prevent this, Hwang recommends following a “two-hour rule.” Even when sleeping more than usual, wake-up time should not be more than two hours later than normal. For example, someone who usually wakes at 7 a.m. should aim to rise before 9 a.m. during the holiday. Naps should also be kept under 30 minutes so they do not interfere with nighttime sleep.
She added, “The most important habit for improving sleep quality is maintaining consistent bedtimes and waking times. A stable sleep pattern stabilizes secretion of melatonin, the hormone that induces sleep, helping keep circadian rhythms in optimal condition.”
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.
Source: Korea Times News
