Pokémon Sleep data reveals Japan gets the least amount of rest

Pokémon’s popular sleep tracking app, “Pokémon Sleep”, has helped provide an insight into global sleeping patterns.

A recently published study, released in conjunction with World Sleep Day on Friday, has revealed that individuals residing in Japan, on average, obtain the least amount of sleep when compared to other nations included in the survey, though they exhibit the most consistent sleep patterns.

According to data provided by Pokemon Sleep, a widely used sleep-tracking application launched in 2023, users in Japan average 7 hours and 1 minute of sleep during weekdays and 7 hours and 28 minutes of sleep during weekends.

Pokémon Sleep is a popular sleep tracking app that seeks to integrate the fun of Pokémon into everyday life

This average sleep duration is the lowest among the approximately 17 million users from seven countries encompassed within the study, namely the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Canada, and Japan.

The overall average sleep duration across these countries is 7 hours and 39 minutes on weekdays and 8 hours and 6 minutes on weekends. The data was gathered between July 2023 and October 2024.

Despite having the lowest overall sleep duration, individuals in Japan demonstrated the smallest difference between weekday and weekend sleep durations, suggesting a lower prevalence of social jet lag, a phenomenon akin to jet lag that arises from inconsistent sleep schedules throughout the week.

Societal and work pressures likely contribute to Japan’s lack of sleep

Sleep expert Masashi Yanagisawa explains in the report that social jet lag can be observed when there is a delay of more than one hour in the mid-sleep time, which is the midpoint between sleep onset and waking time. This delay can lead to daytime fatigue similar to that experienced with actual jet lag.

Pokémon Sleep’s resident expert Dr. Masashi Yanagisawa compiled a report based on data gathered by the app

The study found that more than one in four people globally experience social jet lag. However, data indicates that this phenomenon is least common in Japan, with only 16.5% of users experiencing a mid-sleep time delay of over one hour, compared to the global average of 26.1%.

“Social jetlag”, most common in those between 16 and 19, can mimic the effects of actual jetlag

In Japan, mid-sleep time delay was most prevalent among the younger generation, particularly individuals aged between 16 and 19.

Another study conducted by the global medical equipment company ResMed, also timed to coincide with World Sleep Day, similarly found that Japanese people had the lowest average sleep time, at 6.56 hours. Approximately 30,000 individuals across 13 countries participated in this December study, which ranked Japan last in average sleep time for the third consecutive year.

Around one-third of the respondents reported experiencing difficulty falling asleep on three or more days per week, with stress and anxiety being the most frequently cited factors.

Japanese people, closely followed by people from China, were most likely to attribute their sleep disruption to mental health conditions.

Source: Pokemon Sleep