A man has claimed that he has slept just 30 minutes a night for the past 12 years so he could "double his life expectancy".
According to health experts, adults need around seven to nine hours of sleep a night for the body to be completely rested.
Not getting enough sleep can weaken your immune system, lead to weight gain, and increase your risk of certain cancers and diabetes, per Healthline.
However, one man named Daisuke Hori, from Japan, opposes this as he claims he has trained his mind and body to function on as little sleep as possible.
A lover of art, music, and reading, Hori - from Hyogo prefecture - struggled to fit everything into a normal 24-hour day, as reported by the South China Morning Post.
Eventually, the 40-year-old entrepreneur and fitness model found a shortcut to solving his problem which was getting less sleep, and implemented it into his lifestyle.
He now claims that this change, which started more than a decade ago, has boosted his work efficiency immensely as well as his life expectancy.
After waking up from a 30-45-minute sleep, Hori relies on drinking caffeine and being active to stay alert throughout his day. “As long as you do sports or drink coffee an hour before eating, you can stave off drowsiness,” he said.
The married father-of-one explained that his technique is based on quality over quantity of sleep. “People who need sustained focus in their work benefit more from high-quality sleep than long sleep. For instance, doctors and firefighters have shorter rest periods but maintain high efficiency,” he added.
Hori opened up about his lifestyle on a Japanese reality show called 'Will You Go With Me?' which showed viewers a typical day in his life after he woke up from sleeping for just 26 minutes.
He also founded the Japan Short Sleepers Training Association in 2016 and has reportedly taught over 2,100 people to become ultra-short sleepers.
According to the South China Morning Post, one of his students told Yomiuri TV that she cut her sleep from eight hours daily to just 90 minutes, and has kept her skin and mental health in “great condition".
Many online users have been left divided by the man's extreme sleep style and have shared their thoughts. “He is a true master of time management. I also want to learn how to sleep less and work more efficiently,” one person praised, as cited in the SCMP.
Meanwhile, a second user blasted: “This is overdrawing one’s life in advance! Even if the brain can stay awake, the heart won’t be able to handle it."
Dr. Thomas Kilkenny, director of the Institute of Sleep Medicine at Northwell Staten Island University Hospital, has slammed Hori's technique, arguing: “I find it very hard to believe that this gentleman only sleeps 90 minutes daily. This seems to be impossible,” per The New York Post.
“No one knows exactly why we sleep but it is well understood that sleep deprivation causes extreme negative effects on the mind and body," added.
Kilkenny contended that "continued lack of sleep will cause death," adding: "Sleep deprivation is banned by the Geneva Convention as a form of torture. A human cannot function correctly without the proper amount of sleep.
“I doubt this gentleman’s story is accurate and it definitely is not going to increase his life expectancy," he concluded.
So it goes without saying - don't try this at home.
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