Brain Sleep Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Kosuke Michibata; hereinafter "Brain Sleep") conducted its "Sleep Deviation Score®" survey for 2022, following those in 2020 and 2021. The survey targeted 10,000 people across all 47 prefectures of Japan (allocated by gender, age, and prefecture). The Sleep Deviation Score is a comprehensive scoring method that includes items directly assessing sleep conditions such as sleep habits and sleep debt, as well as productivity, stress levels, and the risk of sleep apnea syndrome (SAS). Moving forward, we will utilize these survey results to conduct various activities aimed at further improving sleep in Japan. Sleep Deviation Score® Survey Results Page: https://brain-sleep.com/sleep-deviation/research2022/ Survey Results Summary Brain Sleep Co., Ltd. has developed the "Sleep Deviation Score®" from various measures of sleep, aiming to understand the actual sleep conditions of Japanese people and expand into health management services for employees of companies. This year, we conducted the 2022 Sleep Deviation Score measurement and identified new characteristics of Japanese sleep in the following five areas: 1. Changes in average sleep duration and sleep debt in Japan 2. Changes in sleep awareness due to the COVID-19 pandemic 3. Utilization rate and expenditure on sleep tech 4. Misconceptions about short sleepers 5. Sleep medication usage rate and specialist clinic visitation rate Comment from Seiji Nishino / Brain Sleep Chief Research Advisor, Author of "The Stanford Way to the Best Sleep" Perhaps due to the prolonged impact of the new coronavirus infection, this year's survey results suggest that sleep duration has increased, and sleep debt also shows a slight improvement. People who reported increased awareness of sleep tended to have higher sleep deviation scores, but surprisingly, their sleep duration tended to be shorter. It is possible that individuals with high sleep awareness are more mindful of improving their sleep quality. It is interesting that sleep app usage is higher among younger generations, while gadgets are used more by older individuals, yet nearly half of the population is unaware of their existence. Depending on the definition of a short sleeper, 23.4% considering themselves short sleepers seems quite high. Could this be influenced by aspiration? Another point of concern in the survey is the high rate of sleep medication use among young people. While over-the-counter options may be included, sleep medication is merely symptomatic treatment. Therefore, I recommend adopting healthy lifestyle habits that promote good sleep before resorting to sleep medication. 1. Changes in Average Sleep Duration and Sleep Debt in Japan: Two consecutive years of increase, with sleep debt also showing improvement. Brain Sleep's 2020 survey reported an average sleep duration in Japan of 6 hours and 27 minutes, which increased to 6 hours and 43 minutes in the 2021 survey. This year's survey shows the average sleep duration in Japan as 6 hours and 48 minutes, marking a second consecutive year of increased sleep duration. Furthermore, a notable point is the annual increase in the number of people who reported no difference in sleep duration between weekdays and holidays. Even among those who reported a difference in sleep duration, the difference in sleep duration on holidays compared to weekdays decreased from +1 hour 14 minutes in last year's survey to +1 hour 9 minutes this year, a reduction of 5 minutes. This suggests a decreasing tendency to compensate for accumulated sleep debt on weekdays by sleeping in on holidays, indicating a reduction in sleep debt in Japan. Brain Sleep has been conducting similar surveys for three years since its establishment in 2019, and during this period, it has been found that not only has sleep duration in Japan continued to increase, but sleep debt has also shown an improving trend. However, the average sleep duration in OECD member countries is 8 hours and 25 minutes, and Japanese sleep still remains at one of the lowest levels globally, indicating room for further improvement. Brain Sleep intends to continue its activities to improve sleep in Japan in the future. 2. Changes in Sleep Awareness Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic The spread of the new coronavirus has continued to significantly change people's lives since last year. This year, in particular, new lifestyles have begun to take root, likely leading to increased awareness of disease prevention and health. Sleep plays a very important role in maintaining health. Amidst these changes, people's awareness of sleep has also shifted. In this year's survey, 19.0% of all Japanese people responded that their awareness of sleep increased due to the spread of the coronavirus, while 2.8% responded that it decreased. Those whose sleep awareness increased slept 7 minutes less than those whose awareness decreased, but their sleep deviation score was 3.8 points higher. It is possible that people with increased sleep awareness improved their sleep quality by enhancing their bedroom environment and reviewing behaviors detrimental to sleep. * A t-test was conducted on the sleep duration and sleep deviation scores of two groups: those whose sleep awareness increased and those whose sleep awareness decreased. While no significant difference was confirmed for sleep duration (p=0.48), a significant difference was confirmed for sleep deviation score (p<0.01). 3. Sleep Tech Utilization Rate and Spending: Despite a booming market, utilization remains at 5.6% for apps and 4.3% for gadgets. The global sleep tech market is experiencing rapid growth, and in Japan, it is also seeing a surge in interest due to increasing attention to the healthcare industry. However, this survey found that only 5.6% of the 10,000 respondents use apps to improve sleep quality, and only 4.3% use gadgets. This indicates that the penetration of sleep tech among the general public is not yet widespread. Looking at age groups, the highest app usage rate was among men and women in their 20s. For gadgets, however, the highest usage rate was among men and women aged 60 and over. Furthermore, the average monthly expenditure for users was 601 yen for apps and 1,134 yen for gadgets. The proportion of people who expressed interest in incorporating apps or gadgets to improve their sleep quality in the future was 15.4% of the total, indicating that the sleep tech market in Japan has significant room for further growth. 4. Misconceptions about short sleepers: 23% claim to be short sleepers, when they should be less than 1%?! A short sleeper is someone who can function well with about 4 hours of sleep or less without feeling drowsy during the day and without any long-term physical or mental impairment. Most short sleepers are rare individuals with a genetic predisposition for short sleep, and it is not possible to become a short sleeper through training. In Japanese statistics, approximately 1% of the total population is said to sleep less than 4 hours on average. In this survey, 23.4% of respondents identified themselves as short sleepers. The average sleep duration for those who identified themselves as short sleepers was 6 hours and 15 minutes, which is more than 30 minutes less than the average sleep duration for all of Japan, and their sleep deviation score was also low. On the other hand, this is about two hours longer than the average sleep duration of individuals generally considered short sleepers. This suggests that even those who identify as short sleepers might actually be overexerting themselves, indicating a need for caution. 5. Sleep Medication Usage Rate and Specialist Clinic Visitation Rate: Highest usage rate among men in their 20s at 15.7% This year's survey revealed an overall sleep medication usage rate of 10.7%, an increase of 1% from last year's results. While usage was higher among women in their 50s and 60s, men in their 20s showed the highest usage rate overall, with 15.7% of men in their 20s using sleep medication. Among those who take sleep medication, 34.1% reported visiting a clinic. The remaining 65.9% may be self-medicating with over-the-counter drugs, as revealed by this survey. Self-medication with sleep aids can cause side effects such as memory and consciousness impairment, and dizziness. Extreme caution should be exercised when taking sleep medication, and those who have sleep problems are recommended to visit a sleep clinic. Sleep Deviation Score® Survey Results Page https://brain-sleep.com/sleep-deviation/research2022/ Brain Sleep can provide various information regarding this survey. ※When utilizing the contents of this survey, please be sure to cite the source as "Sleep Deviation Score® by Brain Sleep." What is the Sleep Deviation Score®? When evaluating sleep, attention is often focused solely on simple quantitative data such as sleep duration. However, Brain Sleep believes it is important to evaluate sleep from a more multi-faceted and comprehensive perspective. Therefore, we created a set of questions that quantitatively assess subjective sleep evaluation from a broad perspective, including self-reported symptoms and sleep habits. Furthermore, by quantifying this as a "deviation score" familiar to Japanese people, we built a system that allows us to understand the relative sleep state within the entire Japanese population. This is the "Sleep Deviation Score®." Currently, with NTT East as an innovation partner, we are developing "Sleep Deviation Score for Biz," a health management service for corporations. This service visualizes employee "sleep" and "engagement" with the company, and by comparing it with national sleep deviation scores, it allows companies to identify hidden issues that might not be apparent internally, thereby improving presenteeism. 【Survey Overview】 Survey method: Web survey Target regions: Nationwide Target demographics: Men and women Sample size: n=10,000ss Survey period: January 2022 ※For comparisons of sleep deviation scores and other scores between groups, a t-test was performed. For comparisons of percentages, a χ2 (chi-squared) test was performed on the frequency of occurrence. A significance level of less than 5% was determined to be a statistically significant difference and noted. ※Some subjects and survey items differed from last year's survey.
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