Japanese Sleeping Habits

Hiroko-  

“Most of the time, especially, I think now Japan was going through a very economically hard time. And so many people, I believe, had to prioritize work over sleep.”

Anna- 

In Japan, it is common for people to be seen sleeping in public places. In Japanese there is a word that explains this: inemuri. Inemuri is the concept of ‘being present while asleep’. Some people may describe it as a precise state of unintentional napping. In Japan, sleeping on the job can be a sign of good work ethic. It can show that an employee had been staying up late the night before and putting in the extra hours to get their job done.  

To gain some insight into life in Japan and inemuri, I spoke to Professor of Japanese at Guilford College, Hiroko Hirakawa. Hiroko lived in Japan as a young woman and worked until she moved to the United States in the 1980s. 

Hiroko-  

“That's one of the reasons why I left there, because it was too much and the salary was very meager. And when I was working for other types of jobs, it was basically nine to five and then beyond five, I can do whatever I want to do. So, the salary was also very meager. And in Tokyo at that time, in the middle of eighties it was very expensive. One of the most expensive cities in the world at the time”

Anna- 

I asked Hiroko if she had experienced inemuri and what she knew about the concept, here is what she had to say.

Hiroko-

 “The first thing it came to mind was people in commuter train, because I heard that the visitors from overseas, the first thing that they noticed and then get surprised is the fact that when you get into a train, especially the morning commute train or evening commute into a subway, the vast majority of people are asleep….”

 “When I was in Japan, I thought that it's a universal phenomenon. And wherever you go, whether it is in Japan or overseas, if you go to a train and commute, you fall asleep naturally.”

Anna- 

In a New York Times article published in 2016 about inemuri, journalist Bryant Rousseau writes that in Japan, “napping in the office is often seen as a subtle sign of diligence: You must be working yourself to exhaustion.” I was curious to get Hiroko’s point of view on this, so I asked her: Is inemuri tolerated or is it something that is frowned upon by the majority of people who live and work in Japan?  

Hiroko- 

“Definitely some people look at them negatively, but not harshly judged, more like a sympathetic look”

Anna-

Typically, in the United States if any of us fell asleep on the job it could cause serious repercussions. It would not lead to praise or a “sympathetic look”. In fact, in most workplaces, it is a fireable offense. 

Sleeping on the job or in public in the United States might be considered lazy and inappropriate, but it is such a common problem in Japan that people have come to expect it and accept it— and that is bad news for sleep hygiene. Consequences of poor sleep are high and sleeping on the job is one result. Inadequate sleep affects people at individual, organizational, and societal levels. 

I am sure you can relate to what it is like to not get enough sleep. It is waking up feeling unrefreshed, groggy, and even more tired than when you first plopped down on your bed and shut your eyes….

One study published in PubMed by Kristen L. Knutson shows how a lack of sleep is directly linked to “increased risk of chronic cardiometabolic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension.” Sleeping allows the body to restore itself. It helps the human body remain in a state of homeostasis. It would be ideal if workers in Japan could get the sleep needed to stay healthy and safe. However, there is, a cultural component to this public health issue that is difficult to untangle. Akiko Yoshida, in her article No chance for romance: Corporate culture, gendered work, and increased singlehood in Japan, notes “how normative and taken for granted it is for men to work overtime.” It is often the case that employees are viewed more as cogs in a corporate machine, and despite the fact that sufficient sleep might improve their overall productivity, their individual needs for things like sleep are not prioritized in the same way as the number of hours they work. But what’s complicated is that Japanese employers are not malicious—they don’t wish their employees harm—but the difference in priorities can ultimately lead to sleep deprivation.

Both employees and employers can be affected by inadequate sleep. One study published in 2019 explains how long work hours in Japan have serious effects on “job performance, decision-making, and safety.” The study aimed to show how employees in Japan work longer hours than those in western countries. These long work hours were measured to more than 51 hours per week within a specific industry. 

The workers who have to drive long distances into the night and work against their circadian rhythms are suggested to be at a high risk of fatigue and injury. In the same study, it was discovered that those working nighttime shifts and who had irregular work patterns were at a high risk of fatigue and injury as well. When are these workers getting their rest? 

***Lullaby Music*** 

Anna-

What can we learn from all of this? I wonder if workers in Japan could prioritize getting more sleep at night and sleep hygiene education. However, it is comforting to know that people in Japan may be more tolerant of people who may be experiencing sleep related fatigue or who may be practicing inemuri. Prioritizing sleep is important and I can conclude that no one society is getting it perfectly. But we can learn why sleep is something we should all prioritize because it will help us become healthier people. 

This podcast was produced by Anna Brown for the Spring 2021 Global Health class at Guilford College.