Is the "early rising" habit, often thought to be a healthy lifestyle choice, having a profound impact on children's intellectual development and physical/mental health?! A warning and prescription from the latest medical science. "Let Sleeping Children Lie: The Serious Reality of the 'Early Rising Myth'" will be released by NHK Publishing on April 10.

"Early rising" has long been believed to be a healthy habit. However, the reality is that waking up early has very few health benefits; rather, it is a definitive cause of sleep deprivation, potentially causing serious harm to the academic performance and physical/mental health of adolescents. The underlying reason for this is the "biological clock" specific 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 into "early rising"?

In this book, the author—a physician who has conducted sleep research at Stanford University and is currently a guest professor of sleep medicine at Tokyo Medical University—deconstructs the deep-rooted "early rising myth" and clarifies its specific risks based on the latest global research. This book offers methods to protect children's intelligence and health through sleep, drawing out their maximum potential.

"Children's bodies are different from adults' bodies. However, the rhythm of society is dictated by adults, and the biological characteristics of children are scarcely taken into consideration. On the contrary, society is designed in a way that hinders their healthy growth. Moreover, the typical daily rhythm in Japan is also severely disadvantageous for 'night owl' adults.

What has become clear as many medical researchers, myself included, continue our studies is the fact that the social norm we assume to be 'common sense'—the 'early rising myth'—is severely depriving children of their sleep time and negatively affecting their intellectual formation and overall health.

Under such circumstances, how can we protect the future of our children through sleep? I have compiled my own answer to that question in this single volume." (Excerpt from the book's "Introduction")

The book's "Introduction" is available in full for free on the NHK Publishing Digital Magazine!

Table of Contents Chapter 1: Japanese Children's Sleep Time is at the Lowest Level in the World Chapter 2: The Deep Relationship Between "Sleep" and Intelligence You Need to Know Chapter 3: The Unreasonableness of "Early to Bed, Early to Rise" Considered Medically 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 Early? Chapter 7: Creating a Society That Protects Children's Sleep

Author Akiyoshi Shimura Physician. Guest Professor at the Department of Sleep Medicine, Tokyo Medical University. Served at Juntendo University Hospital, Medical Corporation Juzukai, and as a Guest Associate Professor at Tokyo Medical University's Department of Psychiatry (Sleep Health Research Unit Leader), and Guest Researcher at Stanford University's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences before his current position. He also serves as a Guest Researcher at the National Institute of Neuroscience, a Guest Researcher at the National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, an Editorial Board Member for Sleep Health by the US National Sleep Foundation, Chief R&D Physician at Kodomomirai Co., Ltd., and a Board Member of the Rhythm and Sleep Disorder Patient Association (R&S). His publications include "Children's Sleep Guidebook: Understanding Sleep Development and Sleep Disorders" (co-authored, Asakura Publishing).

Product Information NHK Publishing Shinsho 759 "Let Sleeping Children Lie: The Serious Reality of the 'Early Rising Myth'" Author: Akiyoshi Shimura Release Date: April 10, 2026 ISBN: 978-4-14-088759-2 Price: 1,023 JPY (tax included) Shinsho format, 200 pages E-commerce Site: https://www.nhk-book.co.jp/detail/000000887592026.html Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4140887591

FACT BOX

  • Source: PR TIMES
  • Category: News