Gogatsubyo and the impact it has on sleep

If you've been feeling unusually exhausted, unmotivated, or just a bit off since Golden Week ended, you're definitely not alone. I recently came across an article on Japanese sleep information site Kaimin Land about "May blues," or gogatsubyo, which is a term I actually first learned about right here on City-Cost!

According to the Kaimin Land survey, more than half of workers here in Japan experienced some kind of physical or mental slump after the holidays, with sleep appearing to be a major reason why.

The survey was conducted among 200 working adults across Japan, and it found that almost 98% of people who reported feeling unwell after Golden Week were also dealing with sleep-related problems. 

I think for a lot of us, that probably sounds pretty familiar, since Golden Week has a habit of completely throwing routines out the window. Late nights, sleeping in, domestic travel, or simply enjoying time off are all easy ways to disrupt your normal sleep cycle. According to the survey, around 43% of respondents said their sleep schedule became noticeably later during the holiday break (I am guilty of this myself!), while others said their routines became inconsistent from day to day.

The most common complaints after the holidays included shallow sleep, difficulty falling asleep, daytime sleepiness, and still feeling tired even after a full night's sleep. About 30% said the exhaustion hit immediately on the first workday after the break ended.

One of the more interesting findings was that sleep experts believe gogatsubyo may have less to do with motivation and more to do with what they describe as "social jet lag." Even shifting your sleep schedule by a few hours can disrupt your body clock enough to impact concentration, mood, and energy levels!

Their advice on how to fix sleep issues is actually nice and simple. Instead of forcing yourself to sleep earlier, focus on waking up at your usual weekday time and getting some sunlight in the morning.