A Japanese father and bodybuilder claims he is a “true master” and has “doubled” his life expectancy by only sleeping half an hour per night for a dozen years.
Daisuke Hori, 40, says he has trained his body and mind to function normally and not feel tired as he targets 30 to 45 minutes of sleep each night.
Hori relies on remaining active and drinking caffeine to keep awake and alert throughout his 23.5-hour day.
“As long as you do sports or drink coffee an hour before eating, you can stave off drowsiness,” he said, per the South China Morning Post.
Hori, who lives in the Hyogo prefecture northwest of Osaka, began cutting back on his daily sleep 12 years ago to gain more active hours per day.
Hori’s 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 explained.
Hori, an entrepreneur, recently competed in the “Best Body Japan” competition, which features men and women boasting the ideal athletic physique.
A typical day for the married father of one was captured by Japan’s Yomiuri TV show “Will You Go With Me?” The reality program showcased Hori’s life over three days of filming.
In one day, Hori slept for 26 minutes, waking up naturally, refreshed and full of energy, according to SCMP.
He ate breakfast and headed to work, while he also recorded a workout.
Hori founded the Japan Short Sleepers Training Association in 2016. He reportedly has taught over 2,100 people to become ultra-short sleepers.
But Dr. Thomas Kilkenny, director of the Institute of Sleep Medicine at Northwell Staten Island University Hospital, has doubts about Hori’s claims.
“I find it very hard to believe that this gentleman only sleeps 90 minutes daily. This seems to be impossible,” Kilkenny told The 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.”
Experts recommend adults get seven to nine hours of sleep a night. Less than six hours may lead to weight gain, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke or depression.
“Continued lack of sleep will cause death. Sleep deprivation is banned by the Geneva convention as a form of torture. A human cannot function correctly without the proper amount of sleep,” Kilkenny continued. “I doubt this gentleman’s story is accurate and it definitely is not going to increase his life expectancy.”
Hori’s extreme sleep style has divided the internet, as some critics praised the fitness model’s dedication while others are concerned about his well-being.
“He is a true master of time management. I also want to learn how to sleep less and work more efficiently,” one person wrote, according to the SCMP.
“This is overdrawing one’s life in advance! Even if the brain can stay awake, the heart won’t be able to handle it,” another added.
Hori is the latest in a line of entrepreneurs in a battle against Father Time.
Bryan Johnson, 47, said he spends around $2 million a year to bio-hack his body into regaining its youth.
In 2023, the software developer claimed that he has the heart of a 37-year-old, the skin of a 28-year-old, and the lung capacity and fitness of an 18-year-old.
Johnson’s routine includes a 5 a.m. wakeup time, a one-hour exercise regimen, four to five hours of “concentrated thought,” 111 supplements, a 2,250-calorie vegan diet, blood transfusions and daily health tests, as well as a rigid bedtime routine where he’s hooked up to a machine that counts his nighttime erections.
Escort exposes ‘scary’ sex trend emerging among young people: ‘a shock’
She was 16 years old at the time.
Cortez told news.com.au that it was “unexpected” and the shock of the situation meant that she didn’t know how to respond.
“It did come as a shock and I wasn’t sure how to react,” she said.
At the time, sex was new to her. She didn’t have the experience, nor did she have the confidence to know how to assert her boundaries.
“Keep in mind this was over a decade ago when consent was not a topic of conversation like it is today. Had he asked me beforehand if I’d let him choke me, I’d probably have said no,” she said.
Placing your hands around someone’s throat during intercourse might sound extreme, but it has become increasingly common.
A survey conducted by the University of Melbourne Law School and the University of Queensland found that more than half of young Australians are engaging in choking during sex.
The problem with this growing trend is that it is dangerous and can have severe consequences.
“Placing pressure on the neck is not safe. Only a small amount of pressure can cause serious harm, and potentially death,” Professor Heather Douglas told news.com.au.
“Particularly concerning is that this behavior can lead to brain injury, and the more often people engage in strangulation, the more likely brain injury is. Often, people will be unaware of this.”
Cortez is now 28 and, while when she was a teenager she didn’t consent to the act of choking, it has become a big part of her sex life now.
The Sydney local now works as a sex worker, which by design means she’s having more sex than the average person, and she’s noticed that choking seems to be a very common sexual act.
“It wasn’t until I was older and more sexually experienced that I learned that choking is a common kink and a form of submissive and sensory play,” she said.
Even now, despite the growing conversation around consent, Cortez has still run into situations in her line of work where men seem to think they don’t need to ask permission to engage in this kind of act.
Cortez said she’d never “condone anything non-consensual,” but she’s aware that it has become very mainstream.
“When I was younger, a lot of guys had started doing it, which I think definitely came from seeing it in porn. Choking during porn is very, very common and is becoming increasingly more common,” she said.
The 28-year-old thinks porn has helped normalize choking, but people need to remember that porn is a “fantasy.”
“Just like movies, porn stars are trained professionals working in controlled environments where many things are all agreed upon beforehand. Even porn actors discuss dos and don’ts before a scene,” she said.
“Sex outside of porn should be no different. It’s all about communication.”
Cortez said people need to understand that choking isn’t for everyone and it shouldn’t ever be assumed that someone would be into it.
“It needs to be understood that this particular kink can be scary and should not be done without asking,” she said.
“Something [like] choking may even bring up past trauma for some people. So this definitely needs to be kept in mind.”
