[관련기사=세계 수면의 날 특별기획, 치매‧심뇌혈관 질환과도 관련된 '수면'…"건강에 꼭 필요한 수면" 강조]

[Special Project] Hosted by the Korean Sleep Research Society & Korean Neurological Association 「Symposium on World Sleep Day 2023」
 
"Sleep has a great impact on the physical, mental, and cognitive functions for our body even if we miss it only one day. Sleep is linked to all the functions of our body from head to toe and we could sustain our healthy life with just a bit of effort." Prof. Ki-Young JUNG, president of Korean Sleep Research Society, has stressed the importance of sleep through his greeting at Symposium on World Sleep Day 2023. 

Prof. Jin-Seon Jeon, department of neurology at Hallym University Gangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, presented the study on the trends of sleep for Koreans conducted by Prof. Yoon-hyeok Chang, department of neurology at Seoul National University Hospital.

The average amount of sleep for Koreans in 2019 was 7 hours and 15 minutes as the most current data. Therefore, it increased by 35 minutes approximately compared to 2004 according to the study. The average bedtime in 2019 was 11:45 pm, and the average wake-up time was 7:08 am.

In particular, less than half of the people slept more than 8 hours in 2004, but more than 50% of the people sleep more than 8 hours since 2009.

Prof. Jeon has pointed out as follows. "The amount of sleep for Koreans has slightly increased for the last 15 years. But most of the increase is reflected only in the increase in sleep time on weekends and the bedtime on weekdays is 11:45 pm which is late. Therefore, it's necessary to advance bedtime during the week in order to secure adequate sleeping hours. The campaign and system to advance bedtime are necessary."  

Prof. Hyeri Park, department of neurology at Ilsan Paik Hospital, emphasized the connection between sleep and brain health which is essential for the brain health of the elderly.

She explained that one typical function of sleep is memory storage and the importance of sleep against dementia. It is shown that sleeping after studying or learning improves memory according to various research results. This is because the hippocampus, the center of memory, is activated during sleep.

"Sleeping plays a central role in preventing dementia. A follow-up study was conducted over 25 years on 8,000 elderly people, and the risk of developing dementia gradually increased with the decreased sleep time based on those who slept an average of 7 hours. In particular, those who slept less than 6 hours had a risk of developing dementia more than 30% compared to those who slept well." Prof. Park said.

She has advised that avoiding naps, alcohol, and TV or smartphone in bed, Instead getting into the routine of exercising during the day and sleeping only in bed at night.

by Woon Jo