Otani Relying on the “Power of Sleep” to Help Japanese Sleep the Least

Even sleeping too much increases the risk of death…!　Is Ohtani OK?

As of June 10, Shohei Ohtani had hit 17 home runs and won 5 games, and his pitching and hitting seem to be on a roll. While it is normal for a pitcher to take 4-5 days off after pitching as a starter, Ohtani has been playing as a hitter even when he is not starting. Otani values sleep above all else. He sleeps at least 8 hours a night, and sometimes 12 hours on weekends.

Otani says, “The more you sleep, the better you sleep,

But that would be for Otani. According to a study conducted in the U.S., the lowest risk of death is reported in people who sleep around 7 hours, and the risk of death is increased in those who sleep less or more than 7 hours.

This is according to Dr. Hiroki Matsui of Brain Sleep, who conducts a variety of studies on sleep. Even too much sleep increases the risk of death!　Is Otani OK?

In Ohtani’s case, we can imagine that his daily physical demands are extremely heavy. The amount of sleep he needs is probably 8 to 12 hours.

The amount of sleep varies from person to person and from age to age. Babies sleep about 16 hours daily, and 10-12 hours when they are in elementary school. In their 30s and 40s, it is more like 6 to 8 hours.

If you wake up refreshed in the morning and do not feel sleepy during the day, you are getting the amount of sleep you need. 6 hours of sleep is not a problem.

The most important role of sleep is to rest the body and brain. During sleep, many hormones work to renew cells and produce amino acids that activate bodily functions. Thanks to this, muscles and bones become stronger and metabolism is normalized. Sleep is very important to improve performance during the day.”

Sleep is the same as throwing away your health in the future.

If you feel unrefreshed or that you are not getting enough sleep no matter how much you sleep, you may have a sleep disorder. One of them is apnea. This is a condition in which a person stops breathing while sleeping, resulting in poor sleep quality.

If you suspect you have the disease, you should consult a specialist.”

Chronic sleep deprivation, of course, also affects the body and mind.

When sleep is suppressed, the secretion of a hormone called leptin, which is secreted by fat cells and suppresses appetite, is reduced, while ghrelin, a hormone that increases appetite, is increased. It is also reported that sleep-deprived people have higher BMI values, i.e., they are fatter.

Sleep also helps regulate the autonomic nervous system, and lack of sleep can lead to headaches, fatigue, irritability, stiff shoulders, sensitivity to cold, and other ailments caused by autonomic nervous system disorders.

That’s not all.

Numerous studies have also shown an increased risk of lifestyle-related diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes, myocardial infarction and stroke, and a weakened immune system.

In addition, during sleep, waste products accumulated in the brain are removed, but experiments on mice showed that when sleep was restricted, “amyloid beta,” one of the causative agents of Alzheimer’s disease, was more likely to accumulate. It seems that lack of sleep also puts people at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Neglecting sleep is the same as throwing away one’s future health.

Sleep deprivation on weekends is ineffective… The most important 90 minutes of sleep is the first 90 minutes after falling asleep.

However, even if you want to get a good night’s sleep, you may be too busy to get the amount of sleep you want. Is it okay to sleep in on weekends if you don’t get enough sleep during the week?

A Stanford University study on how much sleep is needed to get rid of sleep deprivation found that people who usually get 40 minutes of sleep deprivation had to be in bed for 14 hours every day for three weeks to get rid of it. In other words, it is impossible for someone who wants to get 7 hours of sleep on a daily basis to sleep only 6 hours and try to make up for it on the weekends.

So what can we do about it?

First, you need to improve the quality of your sleep; even six and a half hours of good quality sleep will do more good than eight hours of poor quality sleep.”

Especially important is the first 90 minutes. If you are able to sleep deeply during this period, you will be able to regulate your sleep rhythm and improve the function of your autonomic nervous system and hormones.

The key factors for this are “light” and “body temperature. Strong light interferes with the secretion of melatonin, a hormone that promotes sleep. Looking at strong light until just before going to bed activates the brain and makes it difficult to fall asleep.

It is important to raise the body temperature once and then lower it. For this purpose, taking a bath 90 minutes before going to bed is effective.

If you create your own bedtime routine, such as taking a bath 90 minutes before going to sleep, using indirect lighting one hour before, and not looking at your phone 30 minutes before, your body will easily get ready for bed if you repeat the same routine every day.

If he still feels sleepy during the day, he takes a 30-minute nap after lunch. That alone will help a lot with sleep deprivation, he says.

A good night’s sleep improves daytime performance not only for athletes,” he says. It is the same for businessmen. The rest of the time spent on work, housework, and pleasure time tends to be spent on sleep, but it is important to get the right amount of sleep first.

Otani once turned down an invitation to eat at Nutobar’s because he wanted to sleep.

According to an OECD survey, Japanese people sleep the least amount of time in the world. It seems that the key to staying physically and mentally healthy now and in the future is to follow his example and consider a schedule that prioritizes sleep.

Brain Sleep was founded in 2019. With its knowledge based on sleep medicine and the latest technology, the company offers a full range of sleep-specific solutions, including product development for comfortable sleep and consulting services for companies and clinics.