Vol. 13: There is only one question about sleep on the health checkup questionnaire.

Many of you likely undergo a health checkup every year. When filling out the questionnaire, do you remember how many questions there were?

The standard questionnaire for specific health checkups (FY2024 version) consists of 22 items in total. Among them, there are multiple questions related to diet and lifestyle habits, such as "Do you eat quickly?", "Do you eat dinner within two hours of going to bed at least three times a week?", and "Do you skip breakfast at least three times a week?". Regarding exercise, there are questions like "Do you walk or engage in equivalent physical activity for at least one hour a day in your daily life?" and "Do you walk faster than others of the same age and gender?"

So, what about sleep?

"Are you getting enough rest through sleep?"—that is all.

With this single question, chronic sleep deprivation, sleep apnea syndrome (SAS), and circadian rhythm disorders all slip through the cracks. There are no questions at all about how many hours you sleep, the quality of your sleep, whether you feel strong sleepiness during the day, or whether anyone has pointed out that you snore.

Looking at the target indicators for Health Japan 21 (Third Term), three items have been set in the sleep and rest field: "increase in the number of people who get enough rest through sleep," "increase in the number of people who are able to secure sufficient sleep time," and "decrease in the number of workers working 60 hours or more per week." The government also recognizes the importance of sleep and has added "securing sleep time" as a new goal starting from the third term. However, when it comes to whether this is actually being incorporated into the interview process at actual health checkup sites, there is still a long way to go.

As a doctor at a health checkup center, I feel a sense of discomfort with this reality every day. At a minimum, simply incorporating questions like "How many hours do you sleep?", "Do you feel strong sleepiness during the day?", "Has anyone pointed out that you snore?", and "Do you go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time every day?" into the routine should allow us to catch risks that have been overlooked.

The design of a questionnaire is a reflection of what the medical side considers important. Sleep can be intervened in. Treatment methods have also been established. Before waiting for institutional reform, there is something you can do today—try talking to your doctor about your sleep condition.

Reference:
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare "Standard Health Checkup and Health Guidance Program (FY2024 version) Attachments 3 & 4 Standard Questionnaire" https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/0000194155_00004.html
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare "Health Japan 21 (Third Term) List of Goals" https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/kenkou_iryou/kenkou/kenkounippon21_00006.html

*The content of this note article is the author's personal view. It has no relation to the views of the medical institution to which the author belongs. While I have paid close attention to the accuracy of the content, I would appreciate it if you could point out any inappropriate content should it exist.

#Sleep/SAS #HealthCheckup #Questionnaire #SleepGuidance