Adults should aim for at least 6 hours | Sleep Guide 2023 for Health Promotion

On December 21, 2023, a study group of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare compiled the “Sleep Guidelines for Health Promotion 2023.” For adults, it recommends securing at least 6 hours of sleep as a general guideline is recommended.

Divided by life stage

One feature of these guidelines is that the recommendations are divided by life stage: adults, children, and older adults. Because the sleep people need changes with age, the guidelines do not group every generation under a single number.

The idea of “restfulness from sleep”

Another feature is that the guidelines do not look only at the length of time. They explain that the sense that sleep has provided rest and recovery, known as restfulness from sleep, is also important to improve. The guidelines then list the following points as reference information.

• Do not bring smartphones or tablets into the bedroom
• Keep the bedroom as dark as possible
• Avoid late-night snacks immediately before bed
• Avoid drinking alcohol to fall asleep

In international comparison

In an OECD survey conducted in 2021, the average sleep duration among member countries was 8 hours and 28 minutes, while Japan ranked last among member countries at 7 hours and 22 minutes. According to the 2019 National Health and Nutrition Survey, the proportion of people whose average daily sleep duration was under 6 hours was 37.5% for men and 40.6% for women.

The figure of 6 hours is not a lower limit that can safely be cut down to, but a guideline for the amount of sleep people should try to secure. And even when the amount of time is sufficient, a person may still not feel rested. That is why the guidelines use these two axes.

For how to spend the evening, see Gently switching off for the night is also available.

Reference: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare; OECD

※This article introduces statistics and system information published by public institutions and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any specific disease. If you have health concerns, please consult a medical institution.

—The Value Village Editorial Team