Han, a 35-year-old resident of Gangdong-gu, Seoul, has been struggling with sleepless nights for the past three years. In her battle against insomnia, she has tried everything from cleaning her bedding to drinking tea and doing light exercise before bed. Recently, after hearing that looking at her phone before sleep is not good, she purchased a "phone jail." Because she kept reaching for her phone, she now locks it away before even getting into bed, completely blocking access.

Kim, a 29-year-old officer working in Seoul, has also been suffering from insomnia caused by stress for the past year. He has tried buying pillows and blankets said to help with deep sleep, eating candies that aid sleep, and using sleep-inducing sprays in his efforts to combat insomnia. When these methods fail, he sometimes resorts to taking antihistamines, but occasionally even this does not work, and he ends up staying awake all night before heading to work.

As the number of Koreans unable to sleep due to stress and work fatigue increases, the Sleeponomics (Sleep+Economics) market is growing. Sleeponomics is a compound word of sleep and economics, referring to the overall market related to sleep.

According to the global market research firm SearchAndMarkets on the 24th, the domestic Sleeponomics market size surpassed 3 trillion won four years ago. The firm also projected that the global Sleeponomics market will reach 153 trillion won in five years.

This is not surprising, as the "2024 Korean Sleep Status Report" released by the Korean Society of Sleep Research shows that the number of patients receiving treatment for sleep disorders or insomnia increased by 140%, from 278,000 in 2010 to 678,000 in 2024. The average sleep time for Koreans is 6 hours and 58 minutes, which is 18% less than the average among OECD member countries. In terms of sleep, Korea falls far short of advanced nations.

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As more people experience sleep deprivation and sleep disorders, a variety of sleep-promoting products such as beds, pillows, and supplements have emerged. Sleep technology is also advancing, with smartwatches and rings now collecting biometric data as a representative example. There is also music designed to help induce sleep.

With the growth of the Sleeponomics market, some hospitals have begun developing and prescribing applications to help patients achieve better sleep. These are so-called insomnia treatment apps. Patients with insomnia can install these apps, which include sleep-inducing programs, and experience improvements in their sleep by following the program. Lee Junhee, a professor of psychiatry at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, said, "Since last year, we have been prescribing digital therapeutics, which are apps that help improve sleep habits, and there have been patients who have seen positive effects by diligently following the program."

Experts say that in order to improve insomnia and sleep disorders, it is more important to change one's environment and lifestyle habits before resorting to medication. Lee Ara, a professor of psychiatry at Kyung Hee Medical Center, said, "In treating insomnia, sleep hygiene education should come before medication," adding, "Correcting bad habits or sleep environments that cause insomnia is the most important, and if that does not work, then medication should be tailored to each individual's sleep pattern."