睡覺成問題？專家教你如何快速入睡

Why do we wake up during the night- and how can we train ourselves to nod off again?
爲什麼我們夜間會醒，怎樣才能訓練自己再次入睡呢？

Here, writing for HeAlthista, nutritionist and stress expert Charlotte Watts, author of De-Stress Effect, reveals the reasons - and how you can overcome the problem to wake up feeling refreshed...
在這裏，營養學家兼壓力專家、同時也是《緩解壓力的影響》的作者夏洛特•沃茨爲Healthista網站撰文中揭示了原因，以及如何克服這些問題以便醒來時能精神煥發。

HOW YOUR dieT CAN BE TO BLAME
你的飲食要爲此負責

Sudden waking in the night can often be traced back to blood sugar irregularities during the preceding day.
夜間突然驚醒通常是由於前一天血糖不正常造成的。

Nightmares can add to this state and combined with dropping blood sugar levels, waking becomes more likely.
惡夢也會使情況惡化，加之血糖水平下降，就更容易醒來。

4am waking can also be linked to a shift in our metabolic states, when the body moves from a catabolic (building up) phase to heal and renew during the night, to anabolic (breaking down) through exertion in the active daytime.
凌晨4點醒來也與體內新陳代謝變化有關，此時身體正從分解代謝（異化作用）這一夜間自愈更新階段過渡到白天活躍的合成代謝（同化作用）階段。

Stress in the day can unbalance the hormones that make this a smooth transition and also contribute to energy dips around the opposite shift at 4pm, when we shift back into restful catabolic mode to prepare for bed.
白天承受的壓力會破壞維持轉換過程平穩進展荷爾蒙的平衡，也會導致下午4點這個過程逆向進展時能量下降，此時我們轉換到了休息狀態的分解代謝，身體準備入睡。

As many of us aren’t seeing this late afternoon time as the beginning of a natural wind-down to bed, our sleep quality may be affected by keeping up activity and stimulus too late into the evening.
因爲我們很多人不知道，下午稍晚的這個時間正處於身體自然入睡階段，我們睡眠質量會受到持續活動和熬夜的影響。

THE EFFECTS OF SLEEP DEPRIVATION
失眠的影響

Chronic sleep deprivation has shown to increase appetite and decrease satiety, a crucial link to weight gain.
已證實，長期失眠會使食慾增加，降低飽腹感，這是體重增加的關鍵所在。

It has also shown to reduce empathy, meaning on less sleep we make decisions from a more analytical than compassionate place.
失眠也會減少同情心，這意味着睡眠較少時我們做出的決定更理性，而不那麼富有同情心。

Our bodies also heal and repair overnight. But not fully reaching this phase can compromise skin quality, immune health and ability to cope with stress, all adding up to premature ageing and increased risk of chronic disease.
我們的身體在夜間會自愈和修復。但沒有完全到達這一階段就會損害皮膚、免疫系統健康和緩解壓力的能力，所有這些都會導致過早衰老，增加患慢性病的風險。

EAT CARBS, TURKEY AND BANANAS TO NOD OFF
吃碳水化合物、火雞和香蕉來使你入睡

Serotonin is a brain chemical with a central role in sleep cycle regulation.
血清素是一種大腦中的化學物質，在睡眠週期中起着主要作用。

We produce serotonin from an amino acid (protein) called tryptophan. This is found in bananas, figs, milk, lentils, tuna, turkey, wholegrain crackers and yoghurt – basing a light supper around these foods can help to promote sleep.
我們用一種叫色氨酸的氨基酸（蛋白質）製造血清素。它存在於香蕉、無花果、牛奶、小扁豆、金槍魚、火雞、全麥餅乾和酸奶中，以這些食物爲主進食少量晚餐有助於改善睡眠。

Choose complex carbohydrate (plant-based food) sources that release sugars more slowly, such as fruit, oats and other wholegrains, and maintain blood sugar levels throughout the night.
要選擇合成碳水化合物（植物性食物），這樣的食物中糖類釋放慢，比如水果、燕麥和其他全穀物，還能在夜間維持血糖水平。

FORGET ALCOHOL AND PILLS - TAKE MAGNESIUM
不要喝酒吃藥了——要吸收鎂

Alcohol has the illusion of a quick-fix ‘cure’ for sleeplessness.
酒精給人能“快速治療”失眠的錯覺。

We should be able to produce adrenaline(to calm the nervous system )naturally around bed-time, but we need the mineral magnesium to do so and many of us receive too little in our diets (from green leafy vegetables, fish, nuts and seeds) whilst using it up quickly through stress, as it is a relaxant in its own right.
我們睡眠期間能自然分泌腎上腺素（平復神經系統），但我們需要無機物鎂來完成這一過程，我們很多人從食物（綠葉蔬菜、魚、堅果和種子）吸收的鎂太少了，同時緩解壓力時還要快速消耗鎂，因爲它本身就有弛緩作用。

Supplementing as magnesium citrate (300-400mg) with dinner may help support quality sleep.
晚餐搭配檸檬酸鎂補充劑（300-400mg）可以保證睡眠質量。

HOW MODERN LIFE AFFECTS OUR SLEEP
現代生活如何影響睡眠

Ideally our nervous systems need to move from the state that keeps us energised throughout the day to the evening state that allows healing, recovery and sleep.
理想狀態下，我們的神經系統需要從白天的興奮狀態過渡到夜間狀態，其間身體會自愈、恢復和睡眠。

Eating large meals late, having stimulants such as caffeine and sugar and getting overexcited beyond 7pm are not conducive to this idyll of tranquillity.
晚餐過飽過晚，飲食含刺激性食物，如咖啡因和糖，晚上過了7點還過於興奮，以上這些都不益於身體保持平靜。

Let’s face it, modern life sets us up against this tide of good sleep.
我們要承認現代生活使我們遠離良好睡眠。

If your job means you get up earlier than your natural body rhythm, you will need to go to bed earlier. This is not wasted time, it improves the quality of your life when you are awake.
如果你的工作需要早起，起牀時間比你起牀的生物鐘要早，你就需要早點上牀睡覺。這不是浪費時間，而是要提高你清醒時的生活質量。

If you’re waking up with a crick neck or aches or sense you haven’t moved much during the night, you’re possibly sleeping too deeply from over-tiredness. In healthy sleep, our bodies move us around to ensure we don’t hold muscles in the same place for too long periods.
如果你醒來時脖子僵硬或疼痛，或者感覺夜間身體沒怎麼動，你就可能是由於過度疲勞而睡得過沉。健康睡眠中，我們的身體經常移動，以確保我們的肌肉不會長時間保持一個姿勢。

5 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR OVERALL SLEEP HYGIENE
5種方法改善睡眠質量

Consistent bedtimes and length of sleep.
按時睡覺，保證睡眠時間。

Dark bedrooms create better sleep.
臥室暗睡眠質量好。

Write a diary. Write things down to empty your mind.
寫日記，把事情都寫下來以便清空大腦。

Keep the bed for sleeping in only.
牀只用來睡覺。

Wear ear plugs if you are easily disturbed or your partner snores. The wax ones are best.
如果你睡眠輕或者同牀的人打鼾的話就戴個耳塞。蠟制耳塞效果最好。

6 WAYS TO STOP WAKING IN THE NIGHT
6種方法使你夜間不醒

Don’t get up (and if you do, don’t put lots of light on) unless briefly to the toilet and even then, turn as few lights on as possible and go straight back to bed.
不要起來（如果起來了，也不要開太多燈），除非只是上個廁所，甚至去廁所時都要儘量少開燈，方便完直接回牀上。

Turn the alarm clock in your bedroom to face the other way.
把臥室裏的鬧鐘背對着你。

Don’t worry about waking up.
不要擔心醒來。

Remind yourself you’re safe.
提醒自己你是安全的。

Fantasise. Bring to mind a lovely vision, fantasy (any kind) or memory and let your more creative right brain have the reins.
幻想。腦袋裏想着美好的場景，幻想（任何事）或者回憶，讓你更具創造力的右腦佔據主動權。

Listen to something (that isn’t your own thoughts). If you have racing thoughts, listening to audio books or podcasts satisfies the language centres of the brain, providing voices other than your own internally generated ones.
聽點東西（不要傾聽自己的想法）。如果你思緒萬千，就聽聽有聲讀物或播客來滿足大腦的語言中心，給大腦點聲音，而不是隻想着你的心聲。