Brain Sleep Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Kosuke Michibata; hereinafter referred to as "Brain Sleep") and ASICS Corporation (Headquarters: Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture; Representative Director, President and COO: Yasuhito Hirota; hereinafter referred to as "ASICS") jointly conducted a clinical trial to investigate the effect of exercise in a hypoxic environment on sleep quality. The trial was overseen by Brain Sleep and the ASICS Institute of Sport Science, and was conducted over four weeks with 19 subjects at "ASICS Sports Complex TOKYO BAY" (operated by ASICS Sports Complex Corporation), an urban hypoxic training facility managed by ASICS. In the first week, sleep conditions such as total sleep time (time spent asleep), sleep latency (time taken to fall asleep after getting into bed), and number of awakenings during sleep (number of times awakened during sleep) were measured under conditions where subjects did not exercise during the day. In the second week, subjects were divided into two groups of 10 and 9 people. One group exercised lightly (20-30 minutes on a cycling machine) three days a week in a normoxic environment, while the other group exercised in a hypoxic environment, and their sleep conditions were measured. The third week was a washout period with no exercise, and in the final fourth week, the environmental conditions were switched and the same exercise was performed, and sleep conditions were measured. The clinical trial results showed no significant difference in total sleep time or total time in bed (time spent in bed) depending on whether or not exercise was performed during the day. On the other hand, sleep latency, which indicates the speed of falling asleep, was significantly shortened, and both awakening time during sleep and number of awakenings during sleep, which hinder deep sleep, were significantly reduced, leading to an improvement in sleep efficiency (the proportion of time spent asleep while in bed). These results indicate that exercise improves sleep quality. Furthermore, when exercise was performed in a hypoxic environment during the day, sleep quality indicators such as sleep efficiency, awakening time during sleep, and number of awakenings during sleep tended to be higher compared to a normoxic environment. In particular, although there was no significant difference in the number of awakenings during sleep between no exercise and exercise in a normoxic environment, a significant difference was observed when comparing no exercise with exercise in a hypoxic environment. This suggests that deeper sleep is achieved when exercising in a hypoxic environment. It is known that sleep at high altitudes or in other hypoxic conditions can worsen sleep quality, including sleep-disordered breathing. In this case, it is possible that exercising in hypoxia during the day led to acclimatization to hypoxia, which in turn improved the quality of nocturnal sleep in a normoxic environment. The results of this study confirmed that light exercise can improve sleep quality. The study also suggested the possibility that the hypoxic environment itself affects sleep quality. Both companies plan to continue research on the effects of a hypoxic environment on sleep, aiming to elucidate the mechanisms behind these results. <Experiment Schedule> <Effect of Exercise and Exercise in Normoxic/Hypoxic Environments on Sleep Quality> <Explanation of Sleep-Related Terms> What is "ASICS Sports Complex TOKYO BAY" (Toyosu, Koto-ku, Tokyo)? An urban hypoxic training facility that grand opened in Toyosu, Koto-ku, Tokyo in November 2019. It features two types of pools, 25m and 50m, a training room equipped with various training machines, and studios offering programs such as yoga and Pilates, allowing for various types of training to be performed in a hypoxic environment. In addition, by providing training menus based on unique appropriate exercise intensity values (guidelines) derived from joint research with Ritsumeikan University, it supports effective hypoxic training. Facility Name: ASICS Sports Complex TOKYO BAY Location: D Tower Toyosu 2F/3F, 6-4-20 Toyosu, Koto-ku, Tokyo Phone Number: 03-5547-4558 Business Hours: Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri: 7:00-22:00 (Last entry 21:15), Sat, Sun, Holidays: 8:00-18:00 (Last entry 17:15) *Due to the state of emergency, weekday business hours are currently changed to 8:00 PM (scheduled until March 7). Membership Fee: Regular Member: 22,000 yen/month (tax included) and others *A separate admission fee of 33,000 yen (tax included) is required. Facility Area: Approx. 5,000 square meters (approx. 1,500 tsubo) Closed: Tuesdays ASICS Sports Complex Official Website https://sports-complex.asics.com/ Online Talk Event on Hypoxia x Sleep Research On Wednesday, March 10, an online talk event will be held to report on the results of this research, discuss the relationship between hypoxic training and sleep, and explore new possibilities for various expected benefits of incorporating hypoxic training. Event Name: Can Exercise Change Sleep Quality? Date and Time: Wednesday, March 10, 18:00-19:00 Speakers: Professor Seiji Nishino (Founder and Chief Research Advisor, Brain Sleep Co., Ltd. / Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Stanford University School of Medicine / Director, Stanford University Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology Laboratory) Professor Kazunari Goto (Professor, Faculty of Sport and Health Science, Ritsumeikan University) Ms. Etsuko Kanegae (Representative Director, Radiance Co., Ltd. / Miss International Japan 2010, 4th place at World Competition) Capacity: First 300 applicants (pre-registration required) Participation Fee: Free Venue: Online (Zoom Webinar) Please check the website below for event details and application. https://sports-complex.asics.com/news/2021/0301-1.html
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