The effects of short naps and exercise on the sleep quality and mental health of elderly people was investigated. 'Interventions' by short naps after lunch and exercise of moderate intensity in the evening were carried out for 4 weeks. After the 'intervention', awake time after sleep onset decreased significantly and sleep efficiency increased significantly, demonstrating that sleep quality had improved. Also, the frequency of nodding in the evening decreased significantly. These results demonstrate that proper awakening maintenance in the evening was effective in improving sleep quality. After the 'intervention', mental health and volition and physical health had also improved with improving sleep quality.

A survey was made of the sleep and lifestyle activity patterns of 3754 students from 14 different junior high schools on Okinawa Island. The survey showed that bedtimes became progressively and significantly later as students ascended to higher grades, resulting in adolescent sleep debt. The later adolescents retired to sleep, there appeared significantly greater numbers suffering from insufficient sleep, who found difficulty in waking up, who arose later in the mornings, and who failed to eat breakfast. The study indicated that along with later bedtimes, staying up late resulted in deterioration of sleep health, poor dietary habits and feeling ill, contributing to sleepiness during class.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of short nap and exercise on the sleep quality of elderly people who reported difficulty in sleeping. 'Interventions' such as short nap after lunch and moderate-intensity exercise in the evening were carried out for 4 weeks. After the 'interventions', wake time after sleep onset significantly decreased and sleep efficiency significantly increased, which showed that sleep quality was improved. The frequency of nodding in the evening significantly decreased. These results demonstrated that the proper awakening maintenance in the evening was effective in improving sleep quality. After the 'intervention', mental health was also improved with improving sleep quality.

Freeze-dried flowers of the Akinowasuregusa (Hemerocallis fulva L. var. sempewirona M. Hotta), a Hemerocallis genus of the lily family, were fed to C57BL strain mice. The slow wave sleep and paradoxical sleep of the Hemerocallis-treated group increased during the dark period. The differences between the control group and the Hemerocallis-treated group were significant ( P < 0.05). The Hemerocallis feeding did not cause a change in sleep time during the light period. As a result, there was no significant change in the sleep-time percentage over a 24-h period.

A total of 788 people (aged from 60 to 93 years) living in the Okinawa prefecture, renowned for the long life expectancy of its citizens, were randomly chosen as subjects. A questionnaire based on lifestyle and sleep-health was distributed. Following this, subjects were chosen in groups of nine from the good sleep-health group and then from the poor sleep-health group based on the results of the survey; their physical activities were then recorded using actigraphs for 1 week. This study suggested that lifestyle, such as exercise, walking and short naps, occupies an important position in the maintenance and improvement of sleep-health. It also verified the reliability of the sleep-health risk index and the questionnaire.