Can you change your sleep schedule?

翻译人员: Jacky He 校对人员: suya f.

Here we see an early bird and a night owl in their natural habitats.

这是“早鸟”和“夜猫子”， 在它们各自的栖息地。

The early bird rises with the sun, springing out of bed abuzz with energy.

“早鸟”日出而作，充满着活力。

As the day goes on, they slowly get more and more exhausted

随着时间推移，他们越来越疲倦，

until finally crashing around sunset.

直到日落时休息。

Meanwhile, the night owl rises long after the sun,

然而，”夜猫子“在日出 一会儿后才醒过来，

stumbling groggily from their bed.

朦朦胧胧地起床。

After about 30 minutes— or a cup of coffee—

大概 30 分钟后 —— 或是一杯咖啡过后，

they begin to come to life.

他们稍微精神些。

But they don’t really hit their stride until later in the day,

但他们在下半天才达到顶峰，

at which point they comfortably coast past sunset,

轻松地挺过日落，

only heading to bed in the early hours of the morning.

直到凌晨才去休息。

For many, this is a familiar story, and one that’s easy to cast yourself in.

对于许多人来讲，这是一个 普遍的故事，大家都能体会。

But how many people are truly night owls or early birds?

但究竟多少人是夜猫子或者早鸟？

And are our natural sleep schedules predetermined at birth,

我们的自然作息规律， 是与生俱来，

or can we change them?

还是可以改变的？

The truth is there’s a lot of space between these extremes,

其实，绝大多数人

and most people fall somewhere in the middle.

在这两者之间。

These behaviors are determined by our circadian system—

他们的行为由生物钟调控——

which is anchored by a pair of nerve cell clusters

由位于下丘脑前部的

located in the anterior hypothalamus.

一组神经元维护。

These nerve cells respond to light exposure coming in through your eyes

这些神经元很好地感知 眼睛里透来的光，

to track the day-night cycle that dictates your body’s internal clock,

以确定昼夜规律， 维持身体的

or circadian rhythm.

生物钟。

That steady rhythm helps determine the body’s flow of hormones,

这个稳定的规律 决定着身体荷尔蒙的分泌，

with the broader circadian system acting like a conductor

而整个生物钟像是指挥员

that keeps your organs functioning in time with one another.

使得各个器官协调运作。

And a major part of that performance is managing the body’s transitions

这个“表演”的重要环节 是实现身体“清醒”

between being awake and being asleep.

与“熟睡”之间的转换。

Now, your circadian system can't just decide its bedtime and knock you out.

你的生物钟无法确定休息时间， 直接让你进入睡眠。

However, by tracking how much light you typically get

但是，通过记录你清醒时 通常获得的光照量

and when in your waking hours you usually get it,

和时间，

the system can make predictions about when you’re likely to need sleep

这个系统能预测你可能睡觉的时间，

and prepare your body accordingly.

并相应地准备你的身体。

For example, if you consistently go to sleep around 10 pm,

例如，你持续地在晚上十点入睡，

your circadian system will start producing sleep-inducing melatonin

你的生物钟会在大概两小时前

around two hours before then to tell your body it’s time for bed.

产生助眠的褪黑素， 使身体进入睡眠模式。

So if this rhythm is molded by our sleep habits,

那么这个规律既然 依赖我们的作息，

can we change it just by sticking to a strict schedule?

我们能通过持续改变作息调整它吗？

To a degree.

一定程度上，是的。

Everyone’s bodies are unique,

每个人的身体是独一无二的，

so even two people with the same sleep schedule might have different experiences

即便作息规律相同的两人 也许体验不同，

based on their circadian system’s hormonal quirks.

取决于他们生物钟的荷尔蒙水平。

For example, where early birds generally flood with cortisol just before waking up,

例如，早鸟通常在 醒来前皮质醇激增，

night owls often have their cortisol peak roughly 30 minutes after getting up.

夜猫子通常在醒来后 20 分钟， 皮质醇达到峰值。

Hormonal differences like these determine how you experience your circadian rhythm.

这样的荷尔蒙差异 决定着你的生物钟的效果。

And while these factors can shift with age,

虽然这些因素会随年龄而变化，

you’re unlikely to grow out of your body’s preferred sleep schedule.

你身体适应的作息规律大概不会改变。

That said, you can cultivate habits to help or hinder your circadian rhythm.

不过，你能培养习惯， 促进或抑制你的生物钟。

Keeping consistent sleeping hours helps your body accurately predict

维持睡眠小时帮助你的身体决定

when to send out hormones,

释放荷尔蒙的具体时间，

making it easier to stick to your schedule.

更容易成为规律。

Conversely, research in sleep deprived college students

相对的，对睡眠缺乏大学生的研究

has found their unpredictable sleeping habits

发现不稳定的睡眠习惯

weaken their entire circadian system.

弱化他们的整个生物钟。

Compromised circadian rhythms are less effective

不稳定的生物规律

at coordinating organ functioning and can incur health risks

影响器官的协调工作， 会产生健康风险，

like metabolic disorders and vulnerable immune systems.

像代谢紊乱和免疫系统弱化。

But perhaps just as important as sleep hygiene is light hygiene.

但与睡眠习惯 同等重要的是光照习惯。

Getting sufficient contrast between bright daylight and dimmer nighttime light

白天和夜晚亮暗之间的显著差异

is essential for synchronizing your circadian rhythm,

是校准你的生物钟所必不可少的。

and nothing establishes this contrast better than sunlight.

而光照是最好的方式。

Even on overcast days, sunlight is much brighter than standard indoor lighting.

即便在阴天，日光也比 普通室内灯光要强。

So if you're typically awake during the day,

假设你在白天是清醒的，

try getting outside as soon as possible to teach your body

学着来到室外，让你的身体

when to be active and alert.

变得更为积极、敏觉。

It’s difficult to maintain a sleep schedule

维持不符合你身体的作息

that pushes against your body’s preferences.

是很难的。

And even if you succeed for months,

即便你坚持了几个月，

it only takes one bad night to send your circadian system back to baseline.

只要一天未眠， 你的生物钟便回到起点。

But whether you’re an early bird, night owl, or somewhere in between,

但不论你是早鸟，夜猫子， 或是两者之间，

it’s important to remember that as long as you’re consistent,

你得记住，没什么 醒来、睡觉的时间是“错”的，

there’s no wrong time to wake up or go to sleep.

只要你作息稳定。

What matters most is getting enough rest for the day ahead.

最重要的是充足休息，迎接另一天。