A Japanese man in his 40s claims to have lived a very happy life for more than a decade after gaining superhuman abilities that allow him to function energetically on just 30 minutes of sleep a night. But a sleep expert finds his claims hard to believe and warns that continued sleep deprivation could lead to death.
Daisuke Hori (40), a businessman and head of a household living in Shibuya, Tokyo, said in a recent interview with the British daily newspaper The Independent that he had not slept more than 30 minutes a day for the past 15 years.
The father of an eight-year-old says he doesn’t miss out on anything in life because of lack of sleep. His daily schedule is filled with a variety of activities, including work, housework, exercise, and surfing. He also manages investments, plays musical instruments, and takes care of his children and pets.
“I work out 13 times a week, work 10 hours a day and never have a day off,” Daisuke told The Independent. “My schedule varies greatly from day to day, but one thing never changes: 30 minutes of sleep.”
He runs a mechanical design business and admits that his extreme lifestyle may not be suitable for everyone. Most doctors and scientists recommend seven to nine hours of sleep a night.
But he says even short sleep periods can make a big difference for people who are able to live healthy lives.
“My goals of freedom of movement, freedom of health, loving people around me, enough time, and the ability to try anything have already been achieved,” he says. “I truly believe that no one is happier than I am. I found this happiness after sleeping less. If more people could live without worrying about sleep, I think the world would be a more peaceful place.”
He is also passionate about bodybuilding, and goes to the gym twice a day, working out for up to 90 minutes at a time. He frequently posts shirtless photos of himself on his Instagram account, showing off his training results. He recently competed in the ‘Best Body Japan’ competition, which showcases the body types he has built through exercise.
He said he trained his wife to reduce her sleep time from seven hours a day to two, and that his son, who had been sleeping for three hours a day since birth, now sleeps four to five hours.
Inspired by the “short sleepers” who can function on just four hours of sleep a night, he embarked on a seven-year journey of adapting his body and mind to increasingly shorter sleep periods at the age of 25. Now, after years of training, he claims to be able to do more in a day than most people do in a week, and to have more energy.
He teaches others how to reduce their sleep time based on his own experience, and he claims that with training under the guidance of experts, it is possible to live a normal life with only 3 to 4 hours of sleep in 6 months. According to him, he has helped 2,100 to 2,200 people change their lifestyles through short and deep sleep.
“Sleep is like a muscle, so it is important to train it in stages. Think of sleep as similar to studying or training. Sleep is also a physical activity, so if you follow the rules, you can sleep shorter.”
Daisuke’s secret to maintaining a state of alertness is basically to not do the same activity for a long time. “Don’t do the same task for a long time, don’t maintain the same posture for a long time, and don’t use the same part of the brain for a long time. In other words, it’s important to change things up regularly.”
He maintains a low-carb diet and is careful about his blood sugar levels, as rapid spikes in blood sugar can cause drowsiness or lethargy.
A reality program on Yomiuri TV followed his daily life for three days and observed that he was indeed full of energy even though he only slept for 26 minutes a day.
Medical experts have warned of the dangers of sleeping less than six hours a day.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, adults ages 18 to 64 should aim for seven to nine hours of sleep per night. Adults ages 65 and older need seven to eight hours of sleep.
It is not a problem if your sleep time differs by an hour or two from the recommended time, but if you deviate too much from the recommended time, it can cause various health problems such as weakened immunity, high blood pressure, and depression, he points out.
Sleep medicine expert Dr. Nancy Foldberry-Shafer told The Independent that sleep is vital for every organ in the body, including the brain, and helps restore nutrients, eliminate toxins and recharge for the next day.
Dr. Thomas Kilkenny, director of the Lifespan Medicine Research Institute at Northwell Staten Island University Hospital in New York, raised fundamental questions about Daisuke’s claims.
“It’s very hard to believe that this guy only sleeps 90 minutes a day. It seems impossible,” Kilkenny told the New York Post. “While we don’t know exactly why we sleep, we do know that sleep deprivation has extremely negative effects on our minds and bodies.”
Experts explain that sleeping less than six hours can lead to weight gain, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, or depression.
“If sleep deprivation continues, it will lead to death. Sleep deprivation is prohibited as a form of torture under the Geneva Convention. Human beings cannot function properly without adequate sleep,” said Kilkenny. “I doubt that this man’s story is accurate. And it will not help him live longer.”
2024-09-09 13:45:37