Sleeponomics booms in Korea

It is well known that South Koreans work more and sleep less than their international counterparts.
Against this backdrop, people in Korea have been looking for ways to catch a snooze in the least amount of time.
Our Seo Eun-kyung has the full story.

On a workday, during lunch hour, Mr. Choi visits a cafe near his company.
But this is not an ordinary cafe. Located in the heart of Yeouido, Seoul's major finance district, this cafe offers visitors the opportunity to get a shuteye.
With about 6 to 12 U.S dollars an hour, people can catch a snooze with either a recliner or a massage chair or watch TV alone.

"I come here to take a quick nap when I work overtime at night. I feel more refreshed from resting in a private space than from putting my head down on the office desk and sleeping. "

"Office workers in their 20s and 30s are my major customers."

The cafe registered more than 5 thousand visitors last month alone, a fivefold increase from a year earlier.

Lack of sleep and stressful schedules have prompted more Koreans, especially young people, to search out ways to take a power nap. They find a short block of time in the day to get some much needed shuteye.

For those who wish to explore an unusual but allegedly powerful form of napping, the hyperbaric oxygen chamber has been a popular choice.

The chamber offers higher concentrations of oxygen, which boosts concentration and reduces fatigue.
This cafe welcomed 300 visitors when it opened in May 2017, but by December last year, the number skyrocketed to 2,000 a month.

Amid the growing popularity of power naps, a new word has been coined, sleeponomics, meaning that people pay money for sleeping.

"The market size of sleeponomics in Korea has jumped to over 4 billion U.S dollars from 1-point-7 billion dollars in 2016. "

The expert added that as more and more people learn about the health benefits of short naps, the market is expected to continue growing and diversifying.
Seo Eun-kyung, Arirang News.