[KoK! Health] Catching Up on 'Lost Sleep' During Holidays... What Matters More Is Regular Sleep Patterns

During holidays and weekends, many people plan to sleep for a long time to make up for the sleep they missed. However, experts advise caution, as sleeping to compensate for 'sleep debt' can actually disrupt sleep patterns and cause fatigue.

Sleep rhythm refers to the sleep pattern closely related to the human biological clock. Our bodies naturally maintain a circadian rhythm of 24 hours a day. If this sleep pattern is broken, such as sleeping during the day or reversing day and night, even sleeping for a long time can make you feel more tired.

Especially during holidays, if the increased sleep time disrupts the existing sleep-wake rhythm, it can lead to decreased motivation, reduced concentration, and impaired learning. If this situation persists, the circadian rhythm can be damaged, potentially causing insomnia or various metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. In fact, according to the prospective cohort study "Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)" conducted in the United States, individuals with irregular sleep patterns had a 30% higher incidence of metabolic syndrome and up to twice the incidence of cardiovascular disease compared to the control group. The UK Biobank prospective cohort study also showed that the mortality rate of people with regular sleep patterns decreased by 20-48% compared to those with irregular patterns.

Professor Sunwoo Junsang of the Department of Neurology at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital explained, “It is common to sleep a lot on weekends or holidays as a countermeasure for chronic sleep deprivation, which is called 'weekend catch-up sleep.' Weekend catch-up sleep does not completely eliminate the harmful effects of chronic sleep deprivation on health but has some mitigating effects.” However, he emphasized, “Weekend catch-up sleep is only a temporary measure. In the long term, it is ideal to get enough sleep during weekdays to maintain health.”

Professor Cho Sungjun of the Department of Psychiatry at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital also advised, “Once sleep time is disrupted, it is difficult to fix immediately. At this time, it is more effective to regulate wake-up times rather than trying to regain rhythm by adjusting bedtime.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.