March 18th is considered to be the "day of sleep" in spring.
A group such as the University of Tokyo, which is conducting a large-scale project to examine the actual state of children's sleep using wristwatch-shaped wearable devices, has released an interim report showing that all grades, from elementary school to high school, are not getting enough sleep. I found that there is a trend.
This project, which is being carried out by a group led by Professor Yasumi Ueda of the University of Tokyo, asks children from elementary school to high school to wear a wristwatch-shaped wearable device for a week to closely examine their sleeping hours and sleep rhythms. The goal is to collect data on approximately 20,000 people.
As an interim report, the group has compiled the results of the approximately 7,700 people nationwide who have gathered so far.
From elementary school to high school students, sleep time decreases as the grade increases
According to the results, the average amount of sleep
for 6th grade elementary school students is 7.9 hours (474.4 minutes)
, 7.1 hours (425.9 minutes) for 3rd year junior
high school students, and 6.5 hours (387.4 minutes)
for 3rd year high school students. The higher the level of sleep, the slower the time it took to fall asleep and the shorter the duration of sleep.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's ``Sleep Guide'' recommends 9 to 12 hours of sleep for elementary school students and 8 to 10 hours for middle school and high school students, but children in all grades were falling short of this.
“Social jet lag” that disrupts your sleep rhythm on weekdays and holidays
Furthermore, children with a condition called ``social jet lag,'' in which their sleep rhythms are disrupted due to shifts in their bedtimes between weekdays and holidays, tend to increase as children get older, with nearly 20% of children in their third year of middle school to third year of high school. That means it was more than two hours off.
According to the group, when ``social jet lag'' becomes severe, it can have an impact on students' lives and health, such as making them sleepy during class or having difficulty concentrating.
Professor Yasumi Ueda of the University of Tokyo said
, ``Sleep deprivation risks having a negative impact on health and learning, so I want people to make sure they get enough sleep, such as by refraining from using smartphones at night.''
85 junior high school students wear devices that measure their sleep time
At Hikone City Nishi Junior High School in Shiga Prefecture, which is cooperating with the project, 85 first- and second-year students who requested the program are wearing wristwatch-type devices that measure their sleep time.
2nd year junior high school boy
: ``I participated because I wanted to improve my soccer performance.Before I used the device, I went to bed around midnight, but now I go to bed at 10pm.I wake up refreshed in the morning. My life has changed because I was able to concentrate on the fourth period of class, which used to make me sleepy."
2nd year junior high school girl
: ``I used to go to bed at 1 a.m., so I decided to participate because I felt like my sleep time was short.I started cutting down on the time I spend using my smartphone so that I could go to bed by midnight.Every day is different. I also noticed that I was sleeping or taking naps at certain times, so I want to be more creative with how I use my time in the future."
An independent survey conducted by the school prior to this project found that more than half of the students did not have a set time to go to bed or wake up, and did not get the recommended 8 to 10 hours of sleep. about it.
Hikone City Nishi Junior High School Principal Yuki Misako: ``Some
students say they want to sleep in the nurse's room or doze off during class, and some students tend to be late or absent due to lack of sleep. , and lessons start late, so junior high school students tend to have less time to sleep.I would like to work with families to make improvements, but I don't know how to do this in today's society. The current situation is that we can't find it."
Elementary school working on “better sleep”
As sleep deprivation among children becomes a problem, one elementary school is working to encourage children to think about better ways to sleep.
Since October last year, Sato Gakuen Elementary School in Kita Ward, Saitama City has been conducting a comprehensive study on their own sleep using sleep measuring devices for 78 fourth-grade students, with the cooperation of a major telecommunications company. We are doing a lot of learning.
Children themselves analyze data and think about sleep improvement
This device is worn near the waist when sleeping and records changes in sleep time, depth of sleep, posture while sleeping, etc. In class, children analyze the data themselves. , I've been thinking about how I can improve my sleep.
According to schools and other sources, the average amount of sleep each month has gradually increased since the initiative began, and in January it was more than 40 minutes longer than at the beginning, as it has helped children recognize the importance of sleep. That means it was.
Ideas to improve your sleep quality
In addition, the children came up with various ideas to improve the quality of their sleep, such as having the scent of flowers in their bedrooms to help them relax and using light-colored wallpaper. An initiative to darken the room at a planetarium facility so that people can take naps during lunch breaks has been implemented three times so far.
4th grade female child
: ``I thought sleep didn't matter because it was just sleeping, but by changing the way I sleep, I can enjoy the next day, so I've reconsidered the importance of sleep.'' Ta".
Masanori Onoda, Principal of Sato Gakuen Elementary School
: ``I believe that the success of the children was that they were able to find their own sleep problems and come up with ways to solve them.We want them to be able to find their own way of sleeping that suits them. I want you to be.”