Fell asleep in Japan and won 14 thousand dollars

An unusual competition was held in Japan where participants could win 2.22 million yen—nearly 14 thousand dollars—just by sleeping.

Organized in Tokyo on October 5, the "Matt Race by Koala" competition featured participants competing against each other by sleeping for 90 minutes. They rested while lying on mattresses equipped with special sleep-tracking devices.

To determine the winner, not only who fell asleep first was taken into account, but also the depth and quality of sleep, the speed of falling asleep, and the stability of sleep. The contest consisted of three stages, with about 20 participants competing in each.

A participant competing under the alias Suimii recorded the highest result and claimed the grand prize. She stated that she plans to spend the prize money on moving expenses and also buy a new bed resembling a "princess bed."

However, the purpose of the competition was not just to distribute money. Through this unusual event, the organizers wanted to draw attention to the problem of sleep deprivation in Japan. According to OECD data, in 2021 Japan had the shortest average sleep duration among the 33 member countries of the organization.