JNKA conducted a recognition survey on “Stress among Business people”

～Monday is the most stressful day of the week～

For Thrombosis Prevention Month (January 20 – February 19), JNKA conducted a survey of 800 women and men in their 20s to 50s across Japan on the actual state of stress, which is also a cause of thrombosis.

～The main results of the survey were as follows～
・Almost all business people (98.1%) feel stressed on a daily basis!
・Stress Monday! Monday is the most stressful day of the week!
・Stress is becoming more apparent in our society! The most stressful time of is working hour, and the second was when you wake up from sleep!
・Stress makes people feel depressed even on their days off! About 60% of the respondents suffer from “the Sazae-san syndrome” which means “Sunday night blues”!

The survey revealed that most business people (98.1%) are stressed in some ways on a daily basis. Monday is the most stressful day of the week (61.1%) compared to other days of the week, with the highest percentage of respondents (53.6%) feeling stress on working hours, and following as when they wake up from sleep (36.3%). Furthermore, about 60% (63.1%) of the respondents felt depressed on Sunday night with thinking about the next day’s work, called as “Sazae-san syndrome” or “Sunday night blues”.
Stress makes it easier for blood clots to form, which can cause thrombosis such as cerebral or myocardial infarction. Cerebrovascular disease and heart disease are the second leading causes of death after cancer among Japanese people. By combining these two causes will overtake cancer, the leading cause of death, in Japan.
Furthermore, according to a study (*1) published by a group of the Osaka Acute Coronary Insufficiency Study (OACIS), which has one of the world’s largest myocardial infarction databases and is an authority on myocardial infarction research, the incidence of myocardial infarction is higher on Mondays among employed people. Especially among men, the incidence on Mondays is 30% higher than other days.

Relating with the data from the survey, “Most people feel most stressed on Mondays,” it is important to note that Monday during this cold season have a high risk of thrombosis which is told as no subjective symptoms.

※1 Kinjo K, et al.; Osaka Acute Coronary Insufficiency Study (OACIS) Group. Variation during the week in the incidence of acute myocardial infarction: increased risk for Japanese women on Saturdays. Heart. 2003; 89: 398-403.

＜Survey Results Summary＞

“Almost All Business People Feel Stress on a Daily Basis!

Ｑ. Do you feel stress in your daily life?
Almost all respondents (98.1%) answered “Yes” to the question; “Do you feel stress in your daily life?”

---

“Stress Monday!? The most stressful day of the week is Monday!”

Ｑ. When is the most stressful day of the week?

About 60% (61.1%) of the respondents answered “Monday” to the question; “Which day of the week do you feel most stressed?”. Compared to other days of the week which all received as less than 10% of the responses, it can be said that Monday is the most stressful day of the week. The most common reasons were “it hasn’t switched to work mode physically and mentally after the weekend”, “All employees have morning assembly on Monday”, and “Morning meetings are long on Monday.

---

“Stressful Society Revealed!? The most stressful time is at work!”

Ｑ. During which time of the day do you feel most stressed?

The results on the question, “During which time of the day do you feel most stressed?”, about the half (53.6%) of the respondents answered during working hours, followed by about 40% (36.8%) of after waking up from sleep. It can be seen that many people are stressed by their work and relationships at work, which can be stressful on going to work from the morning.

---

Stress and Depression on a Holiday! About 60% have the Sazae-san syndrome (Sunday night blues)!

Ｑ. When you watch TV on Sunday night, do you feel depressed thinking about the work from the next day?

The result on the question, “When you watch TV on Sunday night, do you ever feel depressed thinking about the work from the next day?”, more than 60% (63.1%) answered “Yes”. It has turned out that many people suffer from “Sazae-san Syndrome”, which they feel stressed thinking about the start of another week from the next day.

【Survey Summary】
■Survey area: Nationwide
■Survey method: Web-based quantitative survey using an Internet panel
■Survey period: December 18th-19th, 2010
■Sample age: 20s to 50s
■Sample gender: Female and male
■Sample size: 100 people of each sex and generation, 800 people in total
■Sample characteristics: Weekday-working & weekends-off employed people
*When publishing this survey results included in this release, please be sure to clearly state that they are from a survey conducted by “the Japan Nattokinase Association”.

■For inquiries regarding this press release or media coverage, please contact:
Japan Nattokinase Association Bureau;　pr@j-nattokinase.sai-net.work