A mattress company in Japan has organised a sleeping contest for the country’s sleep-deprived citizens, with the participant who slept the fastest and deepest declared the winner. The contest was held in a country where working hours are said to range between 180 and 200 hours a week.
Dubbed “Matt Race”, the competition took place in Tokyo on Monday. Dozens of participants, including self-described elite “competitive sleepers”, attempted to sleep for 90 minutes. They came to relax, nap and win the prize of two million yen (Rs 12 lakh).
Each participant was fitted with a sleep-tracking device and slept on a comfortable mattress for the duration of the event. The large room was set up for rest, with dimmed lights, and some participants were seen clutching their stuffed toys.
Monitors attached to the participants’ heads measured how quickly they fell asleep and how deep their sleep was.
Riichiro Nakama, creative director at organiser Koala Sleep Japan, the mattress company, said, “Japan is often described as a country suffering from sleep deprivation, and people here are very diligent.”
He added, “By turning it into an event like this, I think we can get people to sleep together, raise interest in sleep.”
Japanese people get less sleep
Data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for 2021 showed that people in Japan slept the least among its 38 member nations, averaging seven hours 24 minutes a day. Long working hours, long commutes and an economy that depends on a busy nightlife are cited as reasons behind the shorter sleep.
The competition was won by Suimii, who said he would use the prize money for moving costs. “I also want a bed like a princess’s, so I think I’ll buy that bed,” he said.