Ready, set, snooze: Sleep-deprived Japanese compete for best-rested

In diligent, exhausted Japan, self-described elite “competitive sleepers” gathered in Tokyo to lie down, relax and nap as quickly and deeply as possible in a contest organised by a mattress company.
The competition, dubbed “Matt Race”, saw dozens of participants fitted with sleep-tracking devices as they stretched out on comfortable mattresses for up to 90 minutes on Monday. Competitors were assessed on how quickly and soundly they fell asleep, with the winner receiving a top prize of more than two million yen ($14,000).
“Japan is often described as a country suffering from sleep deprivation, and people here are very diligent”, said Riichiro Nakama, a creative director who supervised the planning of the competition.
Inside a dimly lit room, participants attempted to fall asleep while wearing monitoring devices attached to their heads. Some embraced stuffed toys as they settled into their beds, creating a scene that combined the seriousness of a competition with the comfort of bedtime.
“By turning it into an event like this, I think we can get people to sleep together, raise interest in sleep”, Nakama said.
The contest also highlighted Japan’s wider struggle with insufficient rest. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) data from 2021 showed that Japanese people slept an average of seven hours and 24 minutes daily, the shortest duration among the organisation’s member countries.
Experts have cited long working hours, lengthy commutes and a busy nightlife economy as contributing factors to the country’s sleep deprivation. Against this backdrop, the unusual competition sought to draw attention to the importance of rest while offering participants an opportunity to enjoy a nap without the pressures of everyday life.
“It was over in an instant. I almost wish I could have slept a little longer”, participant Chisato Honda, 32, said.
The winner, who was identified only by her nickname, Suimii, said she already had plans for her prize money.
“I want to live on my own, so I think I’ll use the money for the moving costs”, she said.
Beyond the prize money, the event offered a playful reminder that sleep is an essential part of wellbeing, even in a society widely associated with hard work and demanding schedules. — AFP