A study by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare revealed that 37.5 percent of men and 40.6 percent of women across the country sleep less than 6 hours a day on average.
In the draft recommendation report announced this week, the Ministry recommended that adults sleep at least 6 hours a night to improve sleep duration and quality.
“ALARMING”
In the report in question, sleep durations are described as “alarming” and the recommended sleep duration varies according to age groups.
Accordingly, 11-14 hours of sleep is recommended for 1-2 year olds, 10-13 hours of sleep for 3-5 year olds, 9-12 hours of sleep for primary school students, and 8-10 hours of sleep for high school and higher education students.
The Ministry will finalize the report, which was shared with the public within the week, by the end of the year.
In the OECD’s 2021 research, it was revealed that people across Japan slept an average of 7 hours and 22 minutes.
This rate was the shortest sleep duration among 33 countries.
Experts argue that 6-8 hours of sleep a day is ideal for adults, as those who sleep 7 hours a day are less likely to suffer from depression, cancer, and heart palpitations.
