關於睡眠的10大誤解和迷思

You’d think the human race would have sleep down to a science by now, but many of us are still sleeping poorly (and so we need top 10 guides to getting better sleep). Part of the problem is we have outdated information and beliefs about this all-important health need. Let’s set the facts straight. Here are 10 things you might have been told about sleep but aren’t completely true.
你覺得人類已經對睡眠瞭解得很透徹了，但是仍然有很多人睡不好覺（所以我們需要睡眠十大指南）。一部分問題是，睡眠對我們的健康如此重要，但我們掌握的信息和對它的瞭解已經過時了。來，讓我們把事實弄清楚。下面列舉了你可能聽說過的有關睡眠的十件事，這些都不是完全正確的。

10. More Sleep Is Better for You
10. 睡得越多越好

There could be such a thing as too much sleep. The amount of sleep we need varies by person and also changes as we age. Harvard researchers found that a lot of sleep (9 hours or more) is linked with poor sleep quality. So don’t aim for more sleep—even on the weekends. Aim for better sleep.
睡太多可能會導致睡眠過度。每個人需要的睡眠時間都不一樣，且會隨着年齡增長而變化。哈佛大學研究員發現，睡得過多（9個小時以上）和睡眠質量差有關。所以不要以睡得更久爲目標——即便是在週末，而是要力圖提升睡眠質量。

9. Alcohol Helps You Sleep
9. 酒精有助於入睡

Alcohol, the original nightcap, can help most people fall asleep. However, it also can cause you to wake up more during the night, wrecking your sleep quality. Consider drinking non-alcoholic beer before bed instead.
人們過去常在睡前喝酒，大多數人都會在酒精作用下很快入睡，但是，酒精也會導致你在夜間醒來多次，破壞睡眠質量。考慮一下睡前喝點無酒精的啤酒吧。

8. If You Wake Up in the Middle of the Night, Lie in Bed Until You Eventually Fall Back Asleep
8. 如果半夜醒來，要躺在牀上直到再次睡着

Waking up in the middle of the night is the pits, but it happens to all of us. We all hope to quickly fall back asleep, and so we tend to stay in bed hoping it’ll happen any minute now. If that doesn’t happen, though, within 15 minutes, most experts recommend getting out of bed to do something that occupies our bodies and brains without overstimulating us. Try not to check the clock either.
半夜醒來最糟心了，但我們都會遇到。我們都希望能很快再次入睡，所以我們會躺在牀上期待着分分鐘能睡着。如果，過了15分鐘後還沒有睡着，大多數專家建議我們應該起牀做一些不太刺激的體力活或腦力活。也不要看錶幾點了。

7. Insomniacs Have Difficulty Falling Asleep
7. 失眠患者入睡困難

Insomnia is a complex sleep disorder. Difficulty falling asleep is just one of its four symptoms. The others, according to the National Sleep Foundation are waking up early and not being able to fall back asleep, waking often, and waking up feeling unrefreshed. There are things you can do to alleviate insomnia and other sleep problems. The best treatment for the long-term usually isn’t medication; cognitive behavioral therapy may last longer.
失眠是很複雜的睡眠障礙。難以入睡只是四大症狀之一。根據美國國家睡眠基金會，其它症狀是：醒得過早、醒來以後難以再次入睡、經常中途醒來、醒來之後疲憊無力。你可以採取一些措施減輕失眠和其它睡眠問題。但治療長期失眠的最有效的方法不是藥；認知行爲治療的效果也許會更持久一些。

6. Everyone Should Get 7-8 Hours of Sleep Per Night
6. 每個人每晚都要睡夠七八個小時

Everyone’s sleep needs are different, and the quality of your sleep matters more than how much time you spend asleep. That said, the National Sleep Foundation offers recommendations based on age group, from newborns who need 14-17 hours of sleep each day to adults 18-64 who should get 7-9 hours each day, and older adults who should get 7-8 hours each day. Children generally need more sleep. A Jawbone study found that people who sleep 8-9.5 hours each night report happier moods the next day.
每個人的睡眠需求是不一樣的，你的睡眠質量比睡覺時間長短重要得多。因此，國家睡眠基金會根據不同的年齡段提出建議，新生兒每天需要14-17小時的睡眠，18-64歲的成人每天7-9小時，年齡更大的人每天7-8小時。孩子一般需要更多的睡眠。Jawbone公司的一項研究發現每晚睡8-9.5個小時的人第二天情緒會更好。5. You Feel Sleepy During the Day Because You Didn’t Get Enough Sleep 5. 白天犯困說明沒睡夠

One night of bad sleep—or no sleep—can definitely make you feel awful the next day, but if you’re consistently tired or feel sleepy during the day, sleep might not be the issue. Your diet, stress, or an underlying medical problem could be the cause. Even allergies or the medications you’re taking could zap your energy. Consider your sleep quality, of course, but also look into other possible causes.
一晚上沒睡好，或沒睡，第二天一定會心情不好。但是如果你白天總是疲憊不堪或昏昏欲睡，也許就不是睡眠的問題了。飲食、壓力、潛在的健康問題都可能是原因。即使是過敏或正在服用的藥物都可能擊潰你的能量。當然要關注你的睡眠質量，但也要找找有沒有其它因素。

4. Power Naps Will Make You Feel Refreshed
4. 打個高質量的盹可恢復元氣

Naps are awesome, but they’re not all equally restorative. Depending on how long you nap, you might end up feeling groggy when you wake up. Aim for about 20 minutes if you want a boost in energy and mental alertness.
打盹的作用很神奇，但並不總能讓你恢復活力。這要看你睡了多長時間，也許你醒來還是昏昏沉沉。如果你想變得精力充沛、頭腦清醒，就睡20分鐘吧。

3. You’re Either a Morning Person or a Night Owl (and Morning People Are More Productive)
3. 你要麼是個早起的鳥兒，要麼是個夜貓子（且早起的人效率更高）

Most people think of themselves as either morning “larks” or night owls, but there’s more to sleep cycles than that. People have different energetic times during the day that aren’t necessarily tied to our preference for sleeping late or getting up early. And you know that saying “the early bird gets the worm”? While our society—the workplace and school systems—seem to reward morning people, night owls can be just as productive and creative as their counterparts. In fact, doctors say schools should start later in the day for the health of students, who aren’t getting enough sleep. (I’d be up for later workday start times too.)
大多數人都認爲自己不是早起的鳥兒就是夜貓子，但睡眠週期不只是這些。人們一天之中精力充沛的時間各不相同，與喜歡睡得晚一點或早一點關係並不大。你知道有句俗話叫“早起的鳥兒有蟲吃”嗎？我們的社會——工作單位和學校，似乎都鼓勵早起，但是夜貓子可以像早起的人一樣高效且富有創造力。實際上，醫生說現在的學生睡眠不足，學校應該把上學的時間推遲一點，這樣有益於學生健康。（我覺得也應該把上班的時間推遲一點。）

2. You Can Catch Up on Sleep on Weekends
2. 週末可以補覺

When we lose sleep during the week, we accumulate a kind of sleep “debt.” Think you can pay that debt back by sleeping in on Saturday and/or Sunday? Not so fast. This might actually make you sleepier the next week. Instead of waking up later on the weekends, you’re better off going to sleep earlier or perhaps taking a nap in the afternoon.
如果我們工作日期間沒有睡夠，我們就欠下了睡眠“債”。你想的是週六日多睡一點就可以償債嗎？並不盡然，而且你下週很可能會更睏倦。與其週末睡懶覺，你還不如早點上牀，或者睡個午覺。

1. Snoozing Buys You Sleep Time
1. 小睡會增加睡眠時間

Finally, this might be painful to admit, but snoozing your alarm will only make you feel worse. It doesn’t give you more time to finish sleeping but instead jolts you out of an even deeper part of your sleep cycle after you’ve dozed off between snoozes. And then you’re a zombie for the rest of the day. So stop snoozing and drag yourself out of bed. You’ll have a better day and perhaps sleep better at night.
最後，儘管承認這點可能挺痛苦的，但把鬧鐘設置爲催醒模式，你只會感覺更糟。小睡並不會增加完整的睡眠時間，鬧鐘響了你又睡過去，甚至會睡得更熟，鬧鐘再次響起會嚇你一跳。然後這一天都是遲鈍呆滯的狀態。所以不要再睡了，掙扎着起牀吧。這樣你白天會過得更好，晚上也許還睡得更香。

Vocabulary

insomnia: 失眠
zap: 攻擊；打敗
groggy: 昏昏沉沉的
jolt: 使搖晃；使震驚