Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's 0‑3‑Hour Sleep Claim Draws Expert Health Warning

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi disclosed that she sleeps only three hours or less each night. Neurologist Luigi Ferini Strambi, head of the Sleep Medicine Center at San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, called the statement a “deeply misguided message,” warning that chronic sleep deprivation raises the risk of heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, stroke, dementia and certain cancers, and can impair concentration, memory and decision‑making. Strambi noted that Japan already faces high rates of karōshi – death from overwork – and that promoting extremely short sleep could send a dangerous signal to the public. He recommended adults, including those over 65, aim for roughly seven hours of quality sleep per night.