A new health management service that visualizes "sleep"
A new health management service that visualizes "sleep"
Awareness and Reality of Children's Sleep Issues
Children's sleep duration in Japan is the shortest in the world, and this issue is becoming more serious year by year. However, we believe this fact is not widely known, so we conducted a survey on awareness of sleep issues. The results showed that 68.7% of respondents were unaware that Japanese children's sleep duration is the shortest in the world, while only 5% reported knowing the facts in detail.
《Survey Results》
Only 5% are aware of the fact that "Japanese children have the shortest sleep duration in the world."
We also surveyed the recommended sleep duration※1 and actual sleep duration for children by age. The recommended sleep duration is 10-13 hours for 3-5 year olds and 9-11 hours for 6-9 year olds.
It was found that the actual sleep duration of Japanese children was insufficient for most age groups compared to the recommended sleep duration.
※1 Based on National Sleep Foundation 2015. Calculated using average values in the figure.
※2 Calculated excluding individuals who did not provide appropriate answers regarding sleep duration.
The results of this survey suggest that parents in Japan do not have accurate information about their children's sleep. As Brain Sleep, we will continue our awareness campaign by actively disseminating the importance of ensuring children's sleep duration, aiming to provide parents with opportunities to gain correct information about their children's sleep.
Parental Sleep Debt and Children's Sleep Debt
This survey reaffirmed that children's sleep duration can be strongly influenced by their parents. It was found that the proportion of children with sleep debt was clearly larger when parents had sleep debt.
Due to diverse and changing work styles, differences in sleep duration between weekdays and holidays are becoming more common. This suggests that it is even more important for children's sleep that parents live a consistent rhythm every day.
《Survey Results》
Does parental sleep debt※3 affect children's sleep debt?!
※3 Accumulation of small sleep deficits each day. Also referred to as "sleep debt."
Relationship between Children's Physical Ailments and Sleep Habits
When examining the relationship between the frequency of children's physical ailments and their sleep habits score※4, it was found that the higher the frequency of physical ailments, the significantly higher the sleep habits score (a higher score indicates more disrupted sleep habits).
The importance of sleep for maintaining health is widely known, not just for children, but these results strongly suggest a close link between sleep and health.
Disrupted physical condition and sleep habits may lead to a decrease in immunity, which is also related to COVID-19 infection. Therefore, it means that to improve children's health, it is necessary to raise awareness of sleep more than ever before.
《Survey Results》
All physical ailment symptoms found to be affected by sleep habits!
※4 Children's sleep habits score is independently scored by Brain Sleep based on CSHQ (Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire). A higher score indicates disrupted sleep habits in children. In all evaluated items, it was found that the more disrupted the sleep habits, the more frequently the symptoms appeared.
Potential for Children's Sleep Disorders and their Relationship with Emotions and Problematic Behavior※5
It was found that children who tend to exhibit behaviors indicative of sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) or restless legs syndrome (RLS), which are relatively common sleep disorders in children, have significantly higher emotional and behavioral problem scores compared to children who do not. It can be said that these sleep disorders may lead to a decrease in the quality of children's sleep, which in turn manifests as problematic behavior.
《Survey Results》
If emotional instability or problematic behaviors are frequently observed, consider the possibility of a sleep disorder.
※5 Children's emotions and problematic behaviors are independently scored by Brain Sleep based on the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire. A higher score indicates more problems in children's emotions and behavior. Statistical significance was determined by t-test with p<0.01.
Survey Overview
Survey method: web survey / Target area: nationwide / Target conditions: male and female / Sample size: n=5,774ss / Survey period: July 2021
※For comparisons between groups, t-tests, one-way ANOVA, or chi-squared tests were performed, and a significance level of 5% or less was determined to be a statistically significant difference and described.
It has been reported for some time that the sleep duration of both adults and children in Japan is the shortest in the world. Additionally, it has been reported that children with nighttime sleep problems often experience strong daytime sleepiness, irritability, a tendency to lose their temper, inability to stay seated in class, and difficulty understanding what teachers say, which are similar to symptoms of what is known as "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)." They also show decreased motivation, fatigue, and physical symptoms. This large-scale survey revealed that Japanese children's sleep duration is more than two hours shorter than the recommended sleep duration for their age, and the more disrupted their sleep habits, the higher the frequency of school or kindergarten absences, and physical symptoms such as headaches, including colds. Furthermore, children in households where adults did not get enough sleep showed a pronounced tendency for insufficient sleep.
Children are the treasures of the future. I hope that adults will understand the importance of children's sleep, share the importance of sleep within the family according to the child's developmental stage, and work together as a family on sleep education to protect the mental and physical health of children.