"Healthy Beauty? Actually Was Overworking Her Body"…Seol In-a Tormented by 'Insomnia'

tvN 'Museosonyodan' Insomnia Confession
"Not a Godsaengler, but Overworking Body to Sleep Well"

Actress Seol In-ah confessed that she has been suffering from insomnia for a long time.

On the 7th, during the first broadcast of tvN's 'Musoe Sonyeodan' (Iron Girls), Seol In-ah said, "I really can't sleep," and added, "I took sleeping pills for about five years." She continued, "I was angry thinking, 'Why do I have to take sleeping pills to sleep?'" She explained, "I wondered if it was because I wasn't tired enough, so I kept myself busier and pushed my body to the limit. As a result, I got labeled as living a 'Gat-saeng' (a diligent life that serves as a good example). It’s a healthy image, but in reality, I wasn’t healthy. I actually moved more to sleep better."

Actress Seol In-ah confessed to suffering from insomnia, revealing that she had been taking sleeping pills for five years. [Image source=tvN 'Musoe Sonyeodan' capture]

She revealed that taking sleeping pills made it hard to concentrate during filming, so she has been trying to quit since last year. She added, "After quitting sleeping pills, I stayed up all night for 3 to 4 days, which lowered my immunity. Because of the weakened immunity, I ended up visiting a university hospital and taking 24 skin medicine pills a day."

Through 'Musoe Sonyeodan,' Seol In-ah, along with Jin Seo-yeon, Uee, Park Joo-hyun, and others, challenges a triathlon consisting of 1.5 km swimming, 40 km cycling, and 10 km running. She stated that she appeared on this program because she wanted to become healthier through this opportunity. 'Musoe Sonyeodan' airs every Saturday at 5:50 PM.

The number of insomnia patients is increasing every year. According to statistics from the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service, the number of patients visiting hospitals for insomnia was 510,326 in 2017 and has increased by about 7-8% annually, surpassing 830,000 last year. Difficulty falling asleep despite fatigue (sleep onset insomnia), repeatedly waking up during sleep (sleep maintenance insomnia), and waking up early and being unable to fall back asleep (early awakening insomnia) all fall under insomnia.

Insomnia is not just about not being able to sleep; it can cause various diseases such as obesity, depression, anxiety, and cardiovascular diseases, so proper treatment is essential. To prevent insomnia, it helps to ▲ wake up at the same time every day regardless of sleep duration ▲ avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol ▲ take a warm bath an hour before bedtime ▲ avoid using digital devices like smartphones in bed.

Care should be taken not to indiscriminately take over-the-counter sleep aids or prescribed sleeping pills, as they can worsen insomnia. Also, since insomnia can be caused by symptoms or specific diseases that interfere with sleep, it is necessary to identify the cause properly through tests such as polysomnography before receiving treatment rather than simply taking sleeping pills. Diseases that can interfere with sleep include depression, anxiety disorders, pain, nocturia, sleep apnea, and restless legs syndrome.