Ji-Eun began having trouble sleeping when her office hours became so strenuous that she couldn’t relax anymore.
Typically, she worked from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and on the busiest days, the 29-year-old public relations agent he used to stay in the office until three in the morning.
Her boss would often call her in the middle of the night, asking for tasks that needed to be done immediately.
“It was almost like I had forgotten how to relax,” she says.
At the Dream Sleep Clinic, located in Seoul’s glitzy Gangnam district, Dr. Ji-hyeon Lee, a sleep psychiatrist, says she often treats clients who take up to 20 sleeping pills per night.
“Usually it takes time to fall asleep, but South Koreans want to fall asleep very quickly and so they take medication,” he explains to the BBC.
Sleep medication addiction is a national epidemic. There are no official statistics, but an estimated 100,000 Koreans are addicted to sleeping pills.
When they still can’t sleep, they often turn to alcohol in addition to medication, with dangerous consequences.
”People sleepwalk. They go to the refrigerator and eat a lot of things unconsciously, even raw food,” says Lee. “There have been cases of car accidents in downtown Seoul caused by a sleepwalking patient.”
Dr. Lee is used to receiving in her office chronic insomniacs who suffer from what is known as hyperactivation (which produces brain activation and prevents us from sleeping well).
Some of his patients tell him that they haven’t slept more than a few hours a night for decades.
“They cry, but they still have a thread of hope (when they come to the consultation). It is a very sad situation,” says the psychologist.
Overworked, stressed and sleepy
South Korea is one of the most sleep deprived nations in the world. It also has the highest suicide rate among developed nations, the highest consumption of hard liquor, and a large number of people taking antidepressants.
There are historical reasons that explain these statistics.
In just a few decades, the country has gone from being one of the poorest countries in the world to one of the most technologically advanced nations in the world.
In addition, through its growing influence on pop culture, it wields considerable “soft power” (in English, soft power – a term used in international relations to describe the ability to influence actions or interests through cultural and ideological means).
Nations with a similar track record, like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, could tap into their natural resources, but Korea doesn’t have that hidden wealth.
It transformed itself through the sheer dedication of a population driven by a collective nationalism that pushed them to work harder and faster.
One result is that your people are overworked, stressed, and sleep deprived.
Now, an entire industry has grown up around catering to those who cannot sleep; the sleep industry is estimated to be worth $2.5 billion in 2019.
a flourishing industry
In Seoul, department stores are dedicated to sleep products, from the perfect sheets to the optimal pillow, while pharmacies offer shelves full of herbal remedies and sleep tonics.
And then there are technological approaches to insomnia. Just over two years ago, Daniel Tudor launched a meditation app, Kokkiri, aimed at helping stressed-out young Koreans.
Although South Korea is historically a Buddhist country, young people think that meditation is a pastime for older people, not something that an office worker in Seoul could do. Daniel says that he had to re-import and repackage meditation as a Western idea for young Koreans to find it attractive.
More traditional institutions are also getting in on the action.
Hyerang Sunim is a Buddhist monk who helps organize retreats at a temple outside Seoul where sleep-deprived people can meditate and absorb Buddhist teachings.
In the past, these types of mini-breaks were reserved for retirees who wanted teaching and prayer. Now the participants tend to be younger Koreans of working age.
But these same Buddhist temples have also been criticized for profiting from these kinds of retreats.
“Of course there are concerns…but I think the benefits outweigh them,” says Hyerang Sunim.
”Traditionally, it was rare to see young people come and seek Buddhist teachings. And (now) they’re getting a lot out of their interactions with the temple stay.”
The need for fundamental change
Lee Hye-ri, who attended one such Buddhist retreat when the pressure at her job became intolerable, says she has learned to take responsibility for her stress.
”Everything starts with me; all my problems start from me. That’s what I’ve learned here,” explains the young woman.
But framing the solution to stress and sleep deprivation as something to be dealt with on an individual level can be problematic.
Those who believe the problem is caused by an unreasonable work culture and social pressures have criticized this individualistic approach, saying it amounts to blaming the victims.
These critics say that meditation or relaxation is a patchwork, and that real solutions can only emerge through fundamental changes in society.
Ji-Eun ended up so sleep deprived and stressed that she decided to quit her job.
She now works much more reasonable hours as a freelancer and, due to the pandemic, is able to work from home. She has also sought professional help at Dr. Lee’s sleep clinic to manage her insomnia.
“What’s the point of working so hard now that we’ve made it to the top as a country?” says Ji-Eun. “We should be able to relax.”
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BBC-NEWS-SRC: https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-internacional-61024198, IMPORTING DATE: 2022-04-17 11:10:05
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