Does 'Waking Up Early' Corner Children? 'Don't Wake a Sleeping Child: The Serious Reality of the Early Rising Myth' to be Released on April 10

NHK Publishing will release a new book by Dr. Akiyoshi Shimura on April 10, warning from a medical perspective that the 'early rising myth' can negatively impact children's intellectual development and health.
新製品NQ 75/100出典:PR Times

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  • 📰 Published: April 3, 2026 at 19:30
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Is the "early rising" habit, often considered healthy, actually causing serious harm to children's intellectual development and their physical and mental well-being!? Warnings and prescriptions from the latest medical science. "Don't Wake a Sleeping Child: The Serious Reality of the 'Early Rising Myth'" will be published by NHK Publishing on April 10th.

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"Waking up early" has long been believed to be a healthy lifestyle habit. However, in reality, far from having health benefits, forcing children to wake up early is a definitive cause of sleep deprivation, potentially having a severe impact on the academic ability and physical and mental health of adolescents. The underlying reason for this is the "biological clock" unique to puberty. Why can't children fall asleep early at night and wake up early in the morning? What is being lost by forcing them to "wake up early"?

In this book, the author, who has conducted sleep research at Stanford University and is currently a guest professor at the Department of Sleep Medicine at Tokyo Medical University, dismantles the deep-rooted "early rising myth" and clarifies its specific risks based on the latest global research. This book provides methods to protect children's intelligence and health through sleep and to maximize their potential.

[Box Extract]
"Children's bodies are different from adults' bodies. However, the rhythm of society is determined by adults, and children's biological characteristics are rarely considered. On the contrary, society is designed in a way that even hinders their healthy growth. In addition, the typical daily rhythm in Japan is significantly disadvantageous even for 'night owl' adults.

What has become clear as many medical scientists, including myself, continue our research is the fact that the social common sense we take for granted—the 'early rising myth'—is depriving children of their sleep time and negatively affecting their intellectual formation and physical and mental health.

Given this situation, how can we protect children's futures through sleep? I have compiled my own answers to that question in this book."
(From the "Introduction" of this book)

Read the full "Introduction" specially available on NHK Publishing Digital Magazine!

■ Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Japanese children's sleep time is among the lowest in the world
Chapter 2: The deep relationship between "sleep" and intelligence you should know
Chapter 3: The unreasonableness of "early to bed, early to rise" from a medical perspective
Chapter 4: The "circadian rhythm" holds the key to sleep
Chapter 5: "Inability to wake up in the morning" as an illness
Chapter 6: How can we get children to sleep earlier?
Chapter 7: Creating a society that protects children's sleep

■ Author
Akiyoshi Shimura
Medical Doctor. Guest Professor, Department of Sleep Medicine, Tokyo Medical University. Served at Juntendo University Hospital, Medical Corporation Juzan-kai, Guest Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Tokyo Medical University (Sleep Health Research Unit Leader), and Guest Researcher of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. He has also been a guest researcher at the National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, and the US National Institute...