Japan is often described as a country suffering from sleep deprivation, and now they’re putting that moniker to the test. Self-described elite competitive sleepers recently vied to lie down, relax, and nap the fastest and deepest in a contest organized by a mattress company. The Tokyo competition, dubbed “Matt Race”, saw dozens of participants fitted with sleep tracking devices sprawl on comfortable mattresses to sleep for up to 90 minutes, competing for a top prize of over ¥2 million ($14,000). Inside a dimly lit room, participants slept with monitors attached to their heads, some cradling stuffed toys in their beds. Contestants ranged broadly from their 20s to their 50s, with both men and women taking part. The winner was chosen based on how quickly and soundly they slept. This year’s winner was a woman who goes by the nickname “Suimii,” who plans to use the prize money for moving costs and to buy a princess bed.
