Soccer Lag

The game has ended but the sleeping rhythm of those who woke up early to cheer for Korea’s game against France at 4:00 a.m. has already been tempered. Fatigue starts to draw in, but how should one spend the remaining hours of June 19? Everybody knows that they need sleep, but with World Cup matches being played everyday, sleep is the first thing we sacrifice.

The situation will not be much different on June 24, when Korea plays against the Swiss at 4:00 a.m. There are more than a few soccer enthusiasts who will wake up in the middle of the night to watch games where world-famous players play. The World Cup is in its middle stages with about half of it left. Let’s look at healthy sleeping methods for those who cannot get enough sleep.

In cases of being tired because one woke up three to fours hours earlier than usual in order to watch a match that starts at 4:00 a.m., even though one slept earlier, he or she doesn’t feel that they have slept sufficiently. They are also worried because they will probably feel drowsy during the day.

When drowsy, light exercising will overcome tiredness. Drinking beverages high in sugar such as juices or consuming fruits will also help recovering from fatigue. In the morning hours, drinking caffeine-packed coffee might help waking up but one should avoid drinking coffee in the afternoon.

Eulji Hospital Neuropsychiatry Sleep Center Professor Shin Hong-bum said, “Drinking two or three cups of coffee does not mean that its stimulating effects will be twofold or threefold. As a matter of fact, it might lead to a vicious cycle where one is tired but can’t sleep well at night, and then feels its aftermath the following day.”

It is fine to go to bed at an earlier time, but one should not take a long nap the next day because it breaks the sleep rhythm.

The greatest problem is when one does not sleep at all. Lack of sleep lowers immunity and the brain will not function as it should. People who drive should avoid it and use public transportation. That is because they might drive half-awake, but also because their judgment and attention levels drop significantly.

Seoul Samsung Medical Center Neurology Professor Hong Seung-bong advised, “Reflex levels after staying up all night fall to the same level as when being completely inebriated with a blood alcohol level of 0.19 percent. In particular, those who have lots of work in the morning or work in the construction sector should avoid demanding tasks.” If there is too much work that cannot be left unattended, it is recommended to keep awake by drinking coffee while taking the sun for about five minutes.

The afternoon hour between 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. is the biological period that the body feels most drowsy. Hence one should avoid driving or manipulating machines in this period. Instead, try to have just a little catnap in these hours.

World Cup matches start at 10:00 p.m. and continue to 1:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. Soccer fans that haven’t missed a single match have undergone continuous lack of sleep. Nevertheless, it is quite difficult to restore a broken sleep rhythm back to normal. It is easy to delay a biological rhythm, but difficult to restore it.

In order to maintain the biological clock, it is most important to wake up at a habitual time, even when one has slept later than normal. Then one should go outside and have some sun exposure. Furthermore, one should keep lights lower when watching World Cup games at night on TV, so melatonin is secreted naturally, which will aid sleep rhythms. Consuming alcohol to fall asleep might be helpful at first. However, sleeping under the influence of alcohol does not provide good quality sleep, so one will awaken at night and it might also become a habit, which is worrisome.

Jin-Han Lee likeday@donga.com