70% of Office Workers Experience 'Heavy and Sluggish Body' After Golden Week. Is Excessive Drinking During Holidays the Cause? A Doctor's Self-Care Habits to Prevent Illness.
Shizenshokken Co., Ltd. announced survey results on post-Golden Week discomfort. Approximately 70% of office workers aged 20-50 experience symptoms such as a 'heavy and sluggish body' after Golden Week, with excessive drinking during the holidays identified as a potential cause.
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- 📰 Published: May 7, 2026 at 21:00
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Shizenshokken Co., Ltd. (Location: Bungotakada City, Oita Prefecture; Representative: Kohei Sasaki) conducted a survey targeting ① office workers aged 20-50 who drink alcohol at least once a week, and ② internal medicine physicians and gastroenterologists, on "The Reality of May Sickness After Golden Week and Visceral Fatigue Due to Drinking Habits During Consecutive Holidays."
Many people may be planning to drink outside or enjoy alcohol at home during Golden Week.
However, the consequences of how Golden Week is spent often manifest clearly in the body after the holidays.
As alcohol lovers, how should we approach alcohol to avoid suffering from the heaviness and sluggishness after Golden Week, or conditions like "May sickness"?
Therefore, Shizenshokken Co., Ltd. (https://www.sizenshokken.co.jp/) conducted this survey targeting ① office workers aged 20-50 who drink alcohol at least once a week, and ② internal medicine physicians and gastroenterologists, on "The Reality of May Sickness After Golden Week and Visceral Fatigue Due to Drinking Habits During Consecutive Holidays."
Survey Outline: Survey on "The Reality of May Sickness After Golden Week and Visceral Fatigue Due to Drinking Habits During Consecutive Holidays."
[Survey Period] April 22 (Wed) - April 23 (Thu), 2026
[Survey Method] Internet survey by PRIZMA (https://www.prizma-link.com/press)
[Number of Respondents] 1,009 people (① 503 people / ② 506 people)
[Survey Targets] Monitors who, at the time of survey response, answered ① office workers aged 20-50 who drink alcohol at least once a week / ② internal medicine physicians and gastroenterologists.
[Survey Source] Shizenshokken Co., Ltd. (https://www.sizenshokken.co.jp/)
[Monitor Provider] Sacrisa
*The content of this survey is solely an introduction to the results of a questionnaire targeting physicians, and does not prove efficacy or effects.
The full version is here.
Approximately 70% of office workers experience discomfort after Golden Week! Is the cause "alcohol and food" during the holidays?
First, we asked office workers aged 20-50 who drink alcohol at least once a week about their alcohol consumption during the Golden Week period.
When asked "How often do you want to drink alcohol during this year's Golden Week period?", the results were as follows:
"Every day (40.2%)"
"4-6 days (27.4%)"
"2-3 days (26.6%)"
"1 day (3.8%)"
"0 days (no plans to drink) (2.0%)"
More than 90% of respondents indicated that they plan to enjoy alcohol multiple times during the Golden Week period. In particular, approximately 40% answered "every day," suggesting that many people had planned to enjoy alcohol daily during this year's long holiday. The sense of liberation unique to long holidays and increased time spent relaxing at home are thought to be driving up the frequency of drinking.
So, how does the daily alcohol consumption change, not just the frequency?
When asked "How does your daily alcohol consumption during a typical Golden Week period compare to your usual alcohol consumption?", the results were as follows:
"Much more (13.7%)"
"Slightly more (33.4%)"
"No change (49.1%)"
"Slightly less (2.4%)"
"Much less (1.4%)"
While many answered "no change," it became clear that about half of the respondents tend to increase their alcohol consumption compared to usual. The reality that not only the frequency but also the daily amount of drinking tends to increase during consecutive holidays became apparent. In addition to the high frequency of "wanting to drink every day" in the previous question, concerns arise about increased liver burden due to increased daily intake.
How do these holiday spending habits affect physical condition after Golden Week?
When asked "Have you ever experienced discomfort after Golden Week, such as decreased motivation for work or a 'heavy/sluggish body'?", the results were as follows:
"Often (26.8%)"
"Sometimes (43.7%)"
"Rarely (22.1%)"
"Never (7.4%)"
It became clear that approximately 70% of respondents experience some kind of discomfort after Golden Week. In addition to the difficulty of returning to daily work, disruptions in lifestyle rhythms during the holidays are thought to simultaneously manifest as decreased motivation and physical fatigue.
So, what specific discomforts do most people feel? We asked those who answered "yes" to experiencing physical discomfort after Golden Week.
When asked "What kind of discomfort did you experience?", "easily tired, cannot recover from fatigue (52.4%)" was the most common, followed by "heavy/sluggish body (36.6%)" and "difficulty waking up in the morning (35.2%)".
In addition to physical fatigue such as "easily tired" and "heavy body," more than 30% answered "difficulty waking up in the morning." Irregular lifestyles and continuous drinking during the holidays are thought to be the cause of physical issues.
Many people may be planning to drink outside or enjoy alcohol at home during Golden Week.
However, the consequences of how Golden Week is spent often manifest clearly in the body after the holidays.
As alcohol lovers, how should we approach alcohol to avoid suffering from the heaviness and sluggishness after Golden Week, or conditions like "May sickness"?
Therefore, Shizenshokken Co., Ltd. (https://www.sizenshokken.co.jp/) conducted this survey targeting ① office workers aged 20-50 who drink alcohol at least once a week, and ② internal medicine physicians and gastroenterologists, on "The Reality of May Sickness After Golden Week and Visceral Fatigue Due to Drinking Habits During Consecutive Holidays."
Survey Outline: Survey on "The Reality of May Sickness After Golden Week and Visceral Fatigue Due to Drinking Habits During Consecutive Holidays."
[Survey Period] April 22 (Wed) - April 23 (Thu), 2026
[Survey Method] Internet survey by PRIZMA (https://www.prizma-link.com/press)
[Number of Respondents] 1,009 people (① 503 people / ② 506 people)
[Survey Targets] Monitors who, at the time of survey response, answered ① office workers aged 20-50 who drink alcohol at least once a week / ② internal medicine physicians and gastroenterologists.
[Survey Source] Shizenshokken Co., Ltd. (https://www.sizenshokken.co.jp/)
[Monitor Provider] Sacrisa
*The content of this survey is solely an introduction to the results of a questionnaire targeting physicians, and does not prove efficacy or effects.
The full version is here.
Approximately 70% of office workers experience discomfort after Golden Week! Is the cause "alcohol and food" during the holidays?
First, we asked office workers aged 20-50 who drink alcohol at least once a week about their alcohol consumption during the Golden Week period.
When asked "How often do you want to drink alcohol during this year's Golden Week period?", the results were as follows:
"Every day (40.2%)"
"4-6 days (27.4%)"
"2-3 days (26.6%)"
"1 day (3.8%)"
"0 days (no plans to drink) (2.0%)"
More than 90% of respondents indicated that they plan to enjoy alcohol multiple times during the Golden Week period. In particular, approximately 40% answered "every day," suggesting that many people had planned to enjoy alcohol daily during this year's long holiday. The sense of liberation unique to long holidays and increased time spent relaxing at home are thought to be driving up the frequency of drinking.
So, how does the daily alcohol consumption change, not just the frequency?
When asked "How does your daily alcohol consumption during a typical Golden Week period compare to your usual alcohol consumption?", the results were as follows:
"Much more (13.7%)"
"Slightly more (33.4%)"
"No change (49.1%)"
"Slightly less (2.4%)"
"Much less (1.4%)"
While many answered "no change," it became clear that about half of the respondents tend to increase their alcohol consumption compared to usual. The reality that not only the frequency but also the daily amount of drinking tends to increase during consecutive holidays became apparent. In addition to the high frequency of "wanting to drink every day" in the previous question, concerns arise about increased liver burden due to increased daily intake.
How do these holiday spending habits affect physical condition after Golden Week?
When asked "Have you ever experienced discomfort after Golden Week, such as decreased motivation for work or a 'heavy/sluggish body'?", the results were as follows:
"Often (26.8%)"
"Sometimes (43.7%)"
"Rarely (22.1%)"
"Never (7.4%)"
It became clear that approximately 70% of respondents experience some kind of discomfort after Golden Week. In addition to the difficulty of returning to daily work, disruptions in lifestyle rhythms during the holidays are thought to simultaneously manifest as decreased motivation and physical fatigue.
So, what specific discomforts do most people feel? We asked those who answered "yes" to experiencing physical discomfort after Golden Week.
When asked "What kind of discomfort did you experience?", "easily tired, cannot recover from fatigue (52.4%)" was the most common, followed by "heavy/sluggish body (36.6%)" and "difficulty waking up in the morning (35.2%)".
In addition to physical fatigue such as "easily tired" and "heavy body," more than 30% answered "difficulty waking up in the morning." Irregular lifestyles and continuous drinking during the holidays are thought to be the cause of physical issues.