More Than Half of Japanese Sleep Less Than Recommended Hours

More than half of children in Japan are not meeting government-recommended sleeping hours, according to a recent study by Sooryeon Kim reported for Mainichi Shimbun.

The government's "Sleep Guideline for Health Promotion," revised in February, recommends nine to 12 hours of sleep for elementary school children and eight to 10 hours for junior high and high school students.

Researchers say this is the first time that objective data has been used to determine this.

The researchers from Japan's largest comprehensive research institution, Riken, and the University of Tokyo announced the findings on March 18. They measured the sleeping conditions of approximately 7,700 elementary, junior high, and high school students using equipment.

The group's "Children's Sleep Checkup" project began in September 2022. Participants were asked to wear a device shaped like a wristwatch for one week to measure the length, quality, and rhythm of their sleep.

The researchers analyzed data from some 7,700 children from a total of 68 schools nationwide that had participated in the study by January of this year.

The government's "Sleep Guideline for Health Promotion," revised in February, recommends nine to 12 hours of sleep for elementary school children and eight to 10 hours for junior high and high school students.

In contrast, the average sleep duration found in the survey was 7.90 hours for sixth graders, 7.09 hours for third-year junior high students, and 6.45 hours for third-year students in high school, all of which did not reach the lower limit of the recommended sleep duration.

About 30% of high school students slept less than six hours.

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