Ready, set, snooze: Sleep-deprived Japanese compete for best-rested
“In diligent, exhausted Japan, self-described elite "competitive sleepers" vied to lie down, relax and nap the fastest and deepest in a contest organised by a mattress company. The Tokyo competition, du…”
The Tokyo competition, dubbed "Matt Race", saw dozens of participants fitted with sleep-tracking devices sprawl on comfy mattresses to slumber for up to 90 minutes on Monday, competing for the top prize of over two million yen ($14,000).
"Japan is often described as a country suffering from sleep deprivation, and people here are very diligent," Riichiro Nakama, creative director at organiser Koala Sleep Japan, the mattress company. Inside a dimly lit room, participants slept with monitors attached to their heads, some cradling stuffed toys in their beds.
"By turning it into an event like this, I think we can get people to sleep together, raise interest in sleep," Nakama said.
"Stay connected with Aman-e-Pakistan for ongoing live reporting and verified investigative updates."
OECD data showed in 2021 that Japanese people slept an average of seven hours 24 minutes a day — the least of all OECD nations within the group — with experts citing long working and commuting hours and a busy nightlife economy as among contributing factors. "It was over in an instant.
I almost wish I could have slept a little longer," participant Chisato Honda, 32,. "It was a happy competition," he added. The winner was chosen based on how quickly and soundly they slept.
"I want to live on my own, so I think I'll use the money for the moving costs," said Suimii, the contest winner who only gave her nickname. "I also want a bed like a princess's, so I think I'll buy that bed.
"
Continue Reading: More in Business
Swipe or click arrows to explore Business desk coverage
