Japanese entrepreneur claims to have thrived on just 30 minutes of sleep a day for 12 years

Daisuke Hori, a 40-year-old entrepreneur from Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, has maintained a sleep schedule of just 30 minutes per day for the last 12 years in a quest to "double" his lifespan. Hori asserts that his body and mind have adapted to this minimal sleep, allowing him to work more efficiently.

Typically, experts recommend 6-8 hours of sleep per night to support optimal health, with inadequate sleep often leading to mood disturbances and impaired daily functioning. This amount of sleep is known to improve mood, cognitive abilities, and overall well-being. However, Hori's unconventional sleep routine contradicts this standard. His unique approach and its claimed benefits were highlighted by the South China Morning Post.

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Hori stated, "As long as you exercise or drink coffee an hour before eating, you can stave off drowsiness." He believes that high-quality sleep is more important for maintaining focus, especially for individuals who require sustained concentration in their work. According to him, doctors and firefighters benefit from high-quality sleep despite having shorter rest periods. "People who require sustained concentration in their work benefit more from high-quality sleep than from long sleep. For example, doctors and firefighters have shorter rest periods but maintain high efficiency," he explained.

To examine Hori's claims, Japan's Yomiuri TV followed him closely for three days on a reality show titled Will You Go With Me? The show captured an instance where Hori slept for just 26 minutes, woke up energised, had breakfast, went to work, and even hit the gym.

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In addition to his unique sleep routine, Mr. Hori founded the Japan Short Sleepers Training Association in 2016, where he teaches classes on sleep and health. To date, he has trained over 2,100 students to become ultra-short sleepers.

Hori's case is not the only unusual one related to sleep. An 80-year-old Vietnamese man named Thai Ngoc claims to have not slept for over 60 years. Mr. Ngoc says that after contracting a fever in 1962, he lost the ability to sleep, and despite various therapies and sleeping pills, his insomnia remains unchanged.