A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm A Martínez.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
And I'm Michel Martin with a topic near and dear to our hearts here at MORNING EDITION. I'm talking about sleep. Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi says since taking office in October of last year, she gets zero to three hours of sleep a night. Her post on social media has been viewed more than 36 million times, touching off debates about work-life balance and the amount of sleep we need. So let's ask an expert. Dr. Sara Benjamin is the medical director at the Johns Hopkins Sleep Disorders Center. Good morning, Dr. Benjamin.
SARA BENJAMIN: Good morning.
MARTIN: Good. I hope I didn't interfere with your sleep.
BENJAMIN: No. I'm doing OK.
MARTIN: OK.
BENJAMIN: I'm usually up at this time.
MARTIN: OK. OK. Is it possible to function on zero to three hours a night, as Japan's prime minister says she does?
BENJAMIN: I would hope that zero to three would be very rare. And if that's really the - I don't think that's really the average. Even people who are really genetically short sleepers probably get four to six hours of sleep.
MARTIN: What's the minimum amount of sleep that most adults need to function? And I mean by function, I don't mean just, like, stand there and exist in a zombie-like state. I mean, to actually function optimally.
BENJAMIN: For optimal functioning, most adults need about seven hours of sleep.
MARTIN: So if you don't get that much sleep, does it affect not just how you feel, but how you behave? Could it impair your judgment, for example? Asking for a friend. Asking for a friend. OK.
BENJAMIN: Right, right, right. Well, I mean, obviously, you don't have to have that much sleep every single night. But over time, you're going to do your best if you are able to get closer to the seven hours of sleep. And, you know, there's variations. Obviously, there's some people who are shorter sleepers. And some people are longer sleepers. There are some people who really need nine-plus hours of sleep to be at their best. So there's a lot of individual variation, even for adults.
MARTIN: Yeah. Some people track their sleep on phones or apps or, like, those rings that some people wear. What does science say about using tech to improve sleep? Does that work?
BENJAMIN: So it's one tool. We usually call it, like, the quantified self, though, if it gets, you know, too extreme. I think it's really more important to go on how you feel. But if using that tool is helpful for you, and you can track yourself rather than comparing yourself to others, it could be a tool you can use, along with how you're feeling to decide, you know, if this is the best sleep for you.
MARTIN: OK. So what's your No. 1 tip to help us sleep more and better?
BENJAMIN: No. 1 tip is hard. I think, though, when people talk about getting up - sorry - going to sleep around the same time, I think, really, it's more important to get up closer to the same time, to listen to your body as far as when you're tired and try to wind down and have time to wind down before going to sleep. And then just getting up consistently around the same time is going to help strengthen that.
MARTIN: So I need to keep getting up at 2 in the morning for the rest of my life? You're kind of bumming me out here, Doc. Sorry (laughter).
BENJAMIN: Right. You'll adapt...
MARTIN: OK.
BENJAMIN: ...As your needs change. Right, right. But, I mean, obviously, this is what you need to do right now for your job. So it's a different situation than most people.
MARTIN: OK. And before we let you go, what's your word on naps?
BENJAMIN: So short naps can be helpful. It's good to set a clock, set a timer so that you can sleep 15, 20 minutes for a nap. That can be helpful. And if you're sleep deprived, if your regular schedule doesn't allow the full sleep, then it probably is a good idea to take that nap.
MARTIN: Oh, whew. You hear that? I'm going to take a nap later. OK. That's Dr. Sara Benjamin, medical director at the Johns Hopkins Sleep Disorders Center. Thank you so much.
BENJAMIN: Thank you.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I'M ONLY SLEEPING")
THE BEATLES: (Singing) Please, don't wake me. No, don't... Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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