Instability in daily life and depression: The impact of sleep variance between weekday and weekend in South Korean workers

Abstract

South Korean workers have problems getting optimal sleep because they work excessively, and this affects their sleep duration and quality. To compensate for their lack of sleep on weekdays, South Korean workers have a different lifestyle on weekends, which is reflected by the terms ‘Hot Friday’ and ‘Monday Sickness’. However, an irregular lifestyle may be a risk factor for poor health even if insufficient sleep during weekdays is supplemented by sleep on the weekend. The objective of this study was to analyse the association between depressive mood and sleep duration variance on weekdays and weekends among South Korean workers. Data from the 2016 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys were used. Linear regression analysis was performed to determine the association between variance in sleep duration and the Patient Health Questionnaire‐9 (PHQ‐9) score. Additional sub‐group analyses were performed to evaluate associations between variance in sleep duration and sex, marital status and perceived health status. The average sleep duration was 419.44 min on weekdays and 463.29 min on weekends. The average sleep duration on weekends was 11.73% longer than on weekdays. There was a positive association between variance in sleep and PHQ‐9 score (per 1% increased, β = 0.002, p = .0074), and variance in sleep duration affected health regardless of the direction of the change (positive: increased sleep or negative: decreased sleep). Further, sub‐group analyses showed that variances in sleep duration are associated with increased PHQ‐9 scores in females and in individuals who were single or who had problems in their marriage. Our findings suggest that there is a relationship between variance in sleep duration and depressive symptoms among South Korean workers. Thus, healthcare professionals should suggest alternatives for optimal sleep duration and sleep methods to ensure the psychiatric health of workers.

Association Between Sleep Pattern and Depression in South Korean Adults: Sleep Duration and Sleep Inconsistency Between Weekdays and Weekends

“…This result concurred with previous ndings that indicated that both short and long sleep durations increased the risk of depression among adults who participated in seven prospective studies [24]. Short sleep durations seem to negatively affect one's depressive state by increasing daytime tiredness [27], which predicts the risk of depression [25]. Daytime tiredness, which includes sleepiness and fatigue, increases negative events and negative emotional states that predispose individuals to depression [26].…”

“…This indicates that both excessive sleeping time and irregular weekend-centered sleeping patterns increase the risk of depression. Although the variation of sleep duration on weekdays and weekends was associated with depressive symptoms in South Korean workers, the direction of this association has not been clari ed before [27]. In contrast, we found that sleeping more on weekends was associated with a lower risk of depression in women who slept less than 5.9 hours per day on average.…”

Does Delaying Time in Cancer Treatment Affect Mortality? A Retrospective Cohort Study of Korean Lung and Gastric Cancer Patients

“…In fact, studies show that the number of surgeries performed for lung cancer has increased in large cities where tertiary hospitals are located [25]. In particular, 60% of lung cancer surgeries were conducted in tertiary hospitals located in the capital area and most patients were receiving radiation therapy in Seoul [25,27]. In terms of healthcare resources, well-equipped medical equipment and physician volume can lead to better patient outcomes [28], which in turn can affect mortality rates.…”

Effects of Region, Epidemic Stage, and Demographic Characteristics on Sleep Quality and Mental Disturbances among Health Care Workers during COVID-19 Outbreak

“…Previous study found that Service members and veterans who had higher PTSD, depression and anxiety scores were those who had relatively bad or very bad sleep quality (39). A study among South Korean workers found that the variance in weekday and weekend sleep duration are highly associated with PHQ-9 score which indicated depression (40). A recent research suggested that poor sleep quality and social support lead to anxiety, stress and self-e cacy problems among HCWs in China dealing with COVID-19 during early stages of the outbreak (41), which is consistent with our study.…”