A New Health Management Service that Visualizes "Sleep"
A New Health Management Service that Visualizes "Sleep"
Changes in Japan's Average Sleep Duration and Sleep Debt
Since its establishment in 2019, Brain Sleep has continuously tracked changes in average sleep duration in Japan for three years. During this period, not only has Japan's sleep duration 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 Japan's sleep remains at the lowest level in the world, with room for improvement. Brain Sleep intends to continue its activities to improve sleep in Japan.
《Survey Results》
Average sleep duration increased for two consecutive years, and sleep debt also showed an improving trend.
* A t-test was conducted for the comparison of sleep duration. A significant difference was confirmed with p<0.01 for both the comparison between 2020 and 2021, and 2021 and 2022. A chi-square test was conducted for the comparison of the frequency ratio of sleep debt, and a significant difference was confirmed with p<0.01.
Changes in Sleep Awareness due to the Spread of COVID-19
The spread of the new coronavirus has continued from last year, significantly changing people's lives. Especially this year, as new lifestyle habits began to take root, awareness of disease prevention and health may have increased. Sleep plays a very important role in maintaining health. Amidst this, there have been changes in people's awareness of sleep.
《Survey Results》
Sleep awareness tends to increase due to the spread of COVID-19.
Differences in sleep trends depending on awareness.
* A t-test was conducted for sleep duration and sleep deviation score between two groups: those whose sleep awareness increased and those whose sleep awareness decreased. For sleep duration, p=0.48, indicating no significant difference. For sleep deviation score, p<0.01, indicating a significant difference.
Sleep Tech Usage Rate and Spending
Generally, "sleep tech" refers to products and services that utilize technology to monitor, analyze, and improve sleep. The global sleep tech market has seen rapid growth recently, and attention to the healthcare industry is also increasing in Japan. This survey revealed the current state of Japan's sleep tech market in numbers.
《Survey Results》
Despite a growing market, app usage is limited to 4.3% and gadgets to 5.6%.
Misconception of Short Sleepers
A short sleeper is someone who sleeps for about 4 hours or less and does not feel drowsy during the day, nor experiences any long-term physical or mental impairments. Most short sleepers are rare individuals with a genetic predisposition for short sleep, and one cannot become a short sleeper through training. While Japanese statistics state that approximately 1% of the population sleeps less than 4 hours on average, the survey revealed an unexpected truth.
《Survey Results》
23% of people identified as short sleepers, though they should be less than 1%?!
* A t-test was conducted for sleep deviation score and sleep duration between two groups: those who identified as short sleepers and those who did not. A significant difference was confirmed with p<0.01 for both.
Sleep Medication Usage Rate and Outpatient Visit Rate to Specialized Clinics
Ideally, sleep conditions should be regulated by improving lifestyle habits and sleep environment. However, depending on the symptoms, some individuals may need the help of sleep medication. Brain Sleep compared this year's data with last year's to investigate the actual situation of sleep medication use.
《Survey Results》
The highest usage rate for men was 11.6% for those in their 20s.
* A chi-square test was performed on the distribution of sleep medication use between 2021 and 2022, with p=0.02, indicating a significant difference. A chi-square test was performed on the distribution of sleep medication use for men in their 20s versus other age groups in 2022, with p<0.01, indicating a significant difference.
【Survey Overview】
Survey Method: Web survey
Target Region: Nationwide
Target Audience Conditions: Men and women
Sample Size: n=10,000ss
Survey Period: January 2022
* For comparisons of sleep deviation scores and scores between groups, t-tests were conducted. For percentage comparisons of frequencies, χ2 (chi-square) tests were conducted. A significance level of p<0.05 was considered statistically significant and reported.
* The survey was conducted with some changes in target participants and survey items compared to last year.
【Company Profile】
Company Name: Brain Sleep Co., Ltd.
Perhaps due to the prolonged impact of the new coronavirus infection, this year's survey results show that sleep duration has increased, and sleep debt seems to be slightly improving. While people with a heightened awareness of sleep tended to have higher sleep deviation scores, their sleep duration was actually shorter. It's possible that those highly conscious of sleep are paying close attention to improving their sleep quality. The fact that sleep app usage is higher among the younger generation, while gadgets are more popular among the elderly, is an interesting trend, but nearly half of the population is unaware of their existence.
Depending on the definition of a short sleeper, it's quite a high number, 23.4%, who identify as short sleepers. Could this perhaps be wishful thinking? Another concerning point from the survey is the high rate of sleep medication use among young people. While over-the-counter options seem to be included, sleep medication is ultimately a symptomatic treatment. Therefore, I recommend adopting good lifestyle habits for sleep before resorting to sleep medication.