Insomnia Cases Surge โคin Korea, Linked to Increased Health Risks
Seoul,โฃ south Korea – A growing number of South Koreans are โbattling persistent insomnia, with new data revealing โa significant rise in cases and a concerning link โคto serious health complications, including cardiovascular disease and depression.
The surge in sleep disorders comes as many struggled through unusuallyโข warm summer nights, but experts say the problem โextends far beyond seasonal discomfort. Last year alone, insomnia โคdiagnoses in Korea increased by โ17%โ over four years, impacting individuals โacross all age โขgroups and raising alarms among medical professionals. The consequences of chronic โsleep deprivation are far-reaching,โ extending โbeyond daytime fatigue to possibly โlife-threatening conditions.
A woman in her 40s, who has experienced insomnia for over a decade, described periods were she whent โคdaysโ without sleep, leading to digestive issues andโข a generalโ decline in health. “Ifโข you are too tired, you โdon’t sleep,” she shared.โ “As I lacked sleep, there was another problem. ItS a โhazy day all day long, so it’s โhard to have a โhard time, and even health has begun to be threatened.If you eatโ rice,โฃ you go to the bathroom and โvomiting started.”
Medical experts point to a combinationโ of factors driving the increase, including stress, โirregular sleep schedules, and lifestyle choices like caffeine and alcohol consumption. Dietary habits also play a role, with spicy foods raisingโ gastrointestinal temperatureโฃ and fatty foods potentially causing acid โฃreflux, both โฃdisruptingโฃ sleep.
The health risks associated withโข prolongedโ insomnia are significant. Studies show insomnia patients have an 8.1 times higher mortality โคrate from cardiovascular disease compared to those without sleep disorders. Moreover,โ individuals sleeping less than five hours a night face a 3.7โ times โgreater risk of developing depression.
“It also adversely affects physical health, mental health and cognitive health,” explains Professor Kang Seung-geol of the Department of Psychiatry at Gachon University Gil Hospital. “There may beโฃ suchโ problems that are less memory or concentration.”
To combat the growing trend, experts emphasize the importance ofโ establishing healthy sleep habits.โค Maximizing daytime sunlight exposure helps regulate the body’s biological clockโ and promotes serotonin production, which converts to melatonin – a โhormone crucial for sleep. Conversely, exposure to blue light emitted โfrom electronic devices suppresses melatonin secretion, making it vitalโ to disconnect from smartphones andโข other screens at least two hours beforeโ bedtime. Maintaining proper spinal alignment โคduring sleep,โ by sleeping on one’s back,โฃ is also recommended to improve sleep quality.