Brain Sleep Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Atsushi Hirota; hereinafter "Brain Sleep"), in collaboration with Nippon Shuppan Hanbai Inc. (hereinafter "Nippan"), East Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation/NTT DX Partners Corporation (hereinafter "NTT East Group"), and Nippon Television Holdings, Inc. (hereinafter "Nippon TV HD"), conducted a study (hereinafter "this study") on the effects of putting children to sleep on their sleep.Based on the results of this study, an audio-only picture book service called "Oyasumi Shoten Mimimin" (hereinafter "Mimimin"), which aims to solve the challenges of putting children to sleep through a combination of sleep science, audio technology, and content, will be launched on Sunday, December 1, 2024. Background of this Initiative Brain Sleep is dedicated to solving Japan's sleep issues, as Japan has the shortest sleep duration among OECD member countries. We achieve this by developing products based on sleep medicine, disseminating accurate sleep information, and supporting the acquisition of reliable evidence related to sleep."Mimimin," an audio content service, was developed as a new experiential value to alleviate the burden on parents when putting children to sleep. This service supports children's sleep with audio tailored for lullabies, featuring child-friendly works with hypnotic effects. This study was conducted in collaboration with Nippan, NTT East Group, and Nippon TV HD to quantitatively clarify the effects of "Mimimin" on putting children to sleep. Study Overview and Results This study was conducted using the following method to investigate the effects of listening to "Mimimin" before bedtime on children's sleep.[Study Overview]Participants: 21 healthy boys and girls aged 2-6 (10 of whom regularly had bedtime stories read to them*1)Test Method: A crossover study comparing sleep when listening to "Mimimin" audio and "general bedtime story" audio for three days each before bedtime, using the same material*2.Measurement Items: Actigraph for objective indicators, and the OSA Sleep Inventory (MA version)*3 completed by parents for subjective indicators.*1: 15 children who regularly had bedtime stories read to them three or more days a week, with valid data from 10.*2: "Mother Goose" translated by Hakushu Kitahara*3: A sleep evaluation method that statistically scales the feeling of sleep on a given day.[Study Results]It was suggested that the time it takes to fall asleep was shortened when listening to the "Mimimin" audio.In this study, actigraph results showed a tendency for the time it takes to fall asleep to be shortened by approximately 7 minutes when listening to the "Mimimin" audio among children who regularly had bedtime stories read to them. This suggests that replacing "general bedtime stories" with "Mimimin" can have a positive effect on children's sleep.[Study Discussion]It was confirmed that listening to the "Mimimin" audio before bedtime tends to shorten the time it takes to fall asleep compared to "general bedtime story" audio. In a preliminary study conducted prior to this one, brainwaves of children listening to each audio source were measured, and it was found that alpha waves (brainwaves dominant during relaxation) appeared more frequently when listening to the "Mimimin" audio. This suggests that the "Mimimin" audio itself induced a relaxed state in children and had a hypnotic effect, leading to the results of this study. Brain Sleep believes that "Mimimin" can be a valuable aid for parents who face challenges in putting their children to sleep. Audio-Only Picture Book "Oyasumi Shoten Mimimin" "Oyasumi Shoten Mimimin" is an audio content service that supports parents in putting their children to sleep by providing audio stories for families to listen to before bedtime. To ensure that bedtime reading becomes a rich time for parents and children to share values, carefully selected children's stories suitable for bedtime are delivered with audio patterns specifically designed for hypnotic effects, offering a comforting "reading and sleeping" experience.① Adoption of a "bedtime reading" method by reading specialistsThe content distributed on "Oyasumi Shoten Mimimin" quantifies the five elements of voice (intensity, intonation, pitch, pause, and timbre) and records audio using a sleep induction method with optimal recitation patterns to promote children's sleep. Specialists in bedtime reading, including Sachie Sugami, a former Nippon TV announcer and picture book specialist who is active in many reading activities, participate in the recitation. In the development phase, a preliminary study on the effect on sleep for preschoolers confirmed that children with a habit of bedtime reading experienced a reduction of approximately 7 minutes in sleep onset time.② Carefully selected picture books perfect for before bedtimeThe distributed content features carefully selected picture books with stories suitable for the time parents and children spend together before bedtime. The first set of content to be distributed consists of four works: two works with the theme of "children's adventure," "Tebukuro o Kai ni" (Nankichi Niimi) and "Oka no Ie" (Miekichi Suzuki), and two works with the theme of "a warm place," "Yoru" (Yumeji Takehisa) and "Umi no Hanashi" (Bochou Yamamura). We will continue to add two new works each week, delivering the beautiful sounds and rhythms of classical Japanese masterpieces, while also offering works that resonate with the feelings of parents and children hoping for a healthy future, and that allow them to welcome tomorrow with warm hearts. The audio content development is supported by "Studio Otobank," the audio content planning and production business of Otobank Inc. (President and CEO: Yuya Kubota), and will be distributed on "audiobook.jp," an audiobook distribution service operated by the same company. Joint Verification Partners Nippon Shuppan Hanbai Inc.Nippon Shuppan Hanbai is a publishing distribution (wholesaling) company that has built Japan's publishing distribution infrastructure through the distribution of books and magazines since its establishment in 1949.In recent years, in addition to handling the distribution of stationery and miscellaneous goods, the company has also been involved in the development of original stationery and miscellaneous goods and the production of cultural places. Through various goods and services connected to books, the company continues to deliver value by adapting to various changes as a company and as a distribution channel, in order to enrich the hearts of all people.Official website: https://www.nippan.co.jp/ East Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation / NTT DX Partners CorporationSleep Tech Business Overview:We are developing a sleep-focused business support service for companies and local governments, which includes collecting and verifying sleep data, utilizing it for product development, and providing sleep quality diagnosis and improvement services, all aimed at promoting corporate activities and people's health.Official website: https://www.ntt-east.co.jp/Sleep Tech Business: https://business.ntt-east.co.jp/content/sleeptech/Sleep community "ZAKONE": https://zakone.jp/ Nippon Television Holdings, Inc. R&D Co-creation LabLaunched in 2023, the year Nippon Television celebrated its 70th anniversary. This co-creation framework aims to create new experiential value for the next era and build a "future where everyone is excited" by addressing various societal challenges together with you.The NTV Co-creation Lab is active in five co-creation themes: "Entertainment experience in the near future in town and at home," "Contribution to future society and future generations," and "Space," and is looking for partner companies.Official website: https://lab.ntv.co.jp/
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