What causes insomnia? - Dan Kwartler

翻译人员: Lan (Theresa) Peng 校对人员: Fern Miao

What keeps you up at night?

是什么导致你晚上睡不着？

Pondering deep questions?

思考某些深刻的问题？

Excitement about a big trip?

为旅行感到兴奋？

Or is it stress about unfinished work,

或者是因为各种压力， 来自未完成的工作的、

an upcoming test,

即将来临的考试的、

or a dreaded family gathering?

或是来自可怕的家庭聚会的压力？

For many people, this stress is temporary, as its cause is quickly resolved.

对很多人来说， 这种压力是暂时的， 因为压力来源很快便会消失。

But what if the very thing keeping you awake was stress about losing sleep?

但是， 如果那个导致你失眠的原因 正是害怕失眠的压力呢？

This seemingly unsolvable loop is at the heart of insomnia,

这个看似无法解决的死循环是 失眠的核心，

the world’s most common sleep disorder.

世界上最常见的睡眠问题。

Almost anything can cause the occasional restless night -

几乎任何事情都可以造成 一个不眠之夜：

a snoring partner,

一个打呼噜的同伴，

physical pain,

身体上的疼痛，

or emotional distress.

或者情绪上的困扰。

And extreme sleep deprivation like jetlag can throw off your biological clock,

还有，像极端剥夺睡眠时差, 还可以打乱你的生物钟，

wreaking havoc on your sleep schedule.

破坏你的睡眠时间表。

But in most cases, sleep deprivation is short-term.

但是在大多数的情况下， 睡眠剥夺是暂时的。

Eventually, exhaustion catches up with all of us.

最终，疲劳会打败任何人。

However, some long-term conditions like respiratory disorders,

可是一些长期的症状， 比如呼吸系统疾病，

gastrointestinal problems,

肠胃问题，

and many others can overpower fatigue.

还有很多其他原因， 都给予疲劳打败我们的机会。

And as sleepless nights pile up,

随着不眠之夜越来越多，

the bedroom can start to carry associations of restless nights

卧室开始与那些未眠夜关联起来，

wracked with anxiety.

被焦虑所充斥。

Come bedtime, insomniacs are stressed.

每到睡觉时间， 失眠患者便会感到压力。

So stressed their brains hijack the stress response system,

由于压力太大，患者的大脑开始干涉 人体压力反应系统的运作，

flooding the body with fight-flight-or-freeze chemicals.

在人体产生大量抗击-逃避-或静止的 化学物质。

Cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormones course through the bloodstream,

皮质醇和促肾上腺皮质激素 在血液中流动，

increasing heart rate and blood pressure,

提高心率和血压，

and jolting the body into hyperarousal.

以及刺激身体进入过度清醒的状态。

In this condition, the brain is hunting for potential threats,

在这样的情况下，大脑搜索潜在的威胁，

making it impossible to ignore any slight discomfort or nighttime noise.

让大脑无法忽视任何不适或者噪音，

And when insomniacs finally do fall asleep,

当失眠患者最终睡着了，

the quality of their rest is compromised.

他们的睡眠质量已受到影响。

Our brain’s primary source of energy is cerebral glucose,

我们大脑最主要的能量来源是脑葡萄糖，

and in healthy sleep, our metabolism slows to conserve this glucose for waking hours.

在健康的睡眠中，我们的新陈代谢放缓， 以保存脑葡萄糖供我们清醒时使用。

But PET studies show the adrenaline that prevents sleep for insomniacs

但是，PET (正电子发射断层扫描) 研究显示， 防止失眠患者睡眠的肾上腺素

also speeds up their metabolisms.

同样也加速他们的新陈代谢。

While they sleep, their bodies are working overtime,

当他们睡觉时， 他们的身体还在加班，

burning through the brain’s supply of energy-giving glucose.

消耗脑葡萄糖的能量。

This symptom of poor sleep leaves insomniacs

睡眠不好的症状使得失眠患者

waking in a state of exhaustion, confusion, and stress,

在疲惫，困惑和充满压力的状态下 醒过来，

which starts the process all over again.

这个过程一晚又一晚的重复。

When these cycles of stress and restlessness last several months,

当压力和疲劳的循环持续几个月后，

they’re diagnosed as chronic insomnia.

他们会被诊断为慢性失眠症。

And while insomnia rarely leads to death,

虽然失眠症很少导致死亡，

its chemical mechanisms are similar to anxiety attacks

但它的化学机制与焦虑发作时产生的

found in those experiencing depression and anxiety.

抑郁和焦虑的化学机制很相似。

So suffering from any one of these conditions

所以患上这些症状中的任何一种，

increases your risk of experiencing the other two.

会提高你患上另外两种症状的风险。

Fortunately, there are ways to break the cycle of sleeplessness.

幸好，是有方法可以打破失眠的循环。

Managing the stress that leads to hyperarousal

管理导致高度觉醒的压力，

is one of our best-understood treatments for insomnia,

是我们知道已知的 治疗失眠的方法之一，

and good sleep practices can help rebuild your relationship with bedtime.

而且好的睡眠习惯可以重建 你的睡眠时间。

Make sure your bedroom is dark and comfortably cool

确保你的卧室足够黑暗和凉爽，

to minimize “threats” during hyperarousal.

让高度觉醒中的“危险”达到最小。

Only use your bed for sleeping,

你的床只用来睡觉，

and if you’re restless,

如果你睡不着，

leave the room and tire yourself out with relaxing activities

离开卧室，做一些放松的活动 让自己疲劳，

like reading,

比如阅读，

meditating,

冥想，

or journaling.

或者写日记。

Regulate your metabolism by setting consistent resting and waking times

通过设置一致的休息和清醒时间 调节你的新陈代谢，

to help orient your body’s biological clock.

帮助适应你身体的生物钟。

This clock, or circadian rhythm,

这生物钟，或者生理节奏，

is also sensitive to light,

对灯光也很敏感，

so avoid bright lights at night

所以在晚上要避免亮光，

to help tell your body that it’s time for sleep.

有助告诉你的身体 现在是睡觉时间。

In addition to these practices,

除了这些方法外，

some doctors prescribe medication to aid sleep,

一些医生会开有助睡眠的处方药物，

but there aren’t reliable medications that help in all cases.

但是没有可靠的药物能够 解决所有的问题。

And over-the-counter sleeping pills can be highly addictive,

而且非处方药很容易让人上瘾，

leading to withdrawal that worsens symptoms.

导致依赖药物 使得症状更糟糕。

But before seeking any treatment,

但是在寻求任何治疗方法前，

make sure your sleeplessness is actually due to insomnia.

确保你的失眠 是由失眠症造成的。

Approximately 8% of patients diagnosed with chronic insomnia

大约8%被诊断为慢性失眠的病人，

are actually suffering from a less common genetic problem

实际上患有不常见的遗传问题，

called delayed sleep phase disorder, or DSPD.

被称为延迟睡眠期障碍， 或者DSPD。

People with DSPD have a circadian rhythm significantly longer than 24 hours,

患有延迟睡眠期障碍的病人， 他们的昼夜规律明显长于正常的24小时，

putting their sleeping habits out of sync with traditional sleeping hours.

导致了他们的睡眠习惯与 传统的睡眠时间上的不一致。

So while they have difficulty falling asleep at a typical bedtime,

所以他们在通常的睡觉时间很难入睡，

it’s not due to increased stress.

这不是因为压力的增加。

And given the opportunity,

如果给予他们适合自己的睡眠时间表，

they can sleep comfortably on their own delayed schedule.

他们可以非常舒服地睡觉。

Our sleeping and waking cycle is a delicate balance,

我们的睡眠和清醒的周期 是一个微妙的平衡，

and one that’s vital to maintain for our physical and mental wellbeing.

这个平衡对于维护我们 身心健康非常重要。

For all these reasons,

因为所有的这些原因，

it’s worth putting in some time and effort

值得付出一些时间和努力，

to sustain a stable bedtime routine,

来维持一个稳定的睡眠习惯，

but try not to lose any sleep over it.

并努力减少失眠。