What would happen if you didn’t sleep? - Claudia Aguirre

譯者: ゆい 桜井 審譯者: Christine Fu

In 1965, 17-year-old high school student, Randy Gardner

1965 年

有一位叫蘭迪迦納的 17 歲高中生

stayed awake for 264 hours.

連續 264 小時沒有睡覺

That's 11 days to see how he'd cope without sleep.

我們來看看他是如何度過這 11 天的

On the second day, his eyes stopped focusing.

在第二天，他的視覺模糊不清

Next, he lost the ability to identify objects by touch.

也無法藉由觸覺辨別物體

By day three, Gardner was moody and uncoordinated.

到了第三天，迦納變得喜怒無常

且身體不協調

At the end of the experiment, he was struggling to concentrate,

實驗結束時 他集中精神必須非常費力

had trouble with short-term memory,

短期記憶有問題

became paranoid,

他變得偏執

and started hallucinating.

並且開始出現幻覺

Although Gardner recovered without long-term psychological

雖然迦納後來恢復健康

而且身心沒有受到長期的傷害

or physical damage,

for others, losing shuteye can result in hormonal imbalance,

但對於其他人

失眠可能會導致荷爾蒙分泌失調

illness,

疾病

and, in extreme cases, death.

甚至在最極端的情況下，會死亡

We're only beginning to understand why we sleep to begin with,

我們僅初步了解 為什麼我們非常需要睡眠

but we do know it's essential.

但我們很清楚睡眠是不可或缺的

Adults need seven to eight hours of sleep a night,

成人每晚需要 7 至 8 小時的睡眠

and adolescents need about ten.

而青少年則需要大約 10 小時

We grow sleepy due to signals from our body

我們有睡意

是因為身體發出訊號 告訴大腦我們累了

telling our brain we are tired,

and signals from the environment telling us it's dark outside.

以及從環境得知外面天色昏暗

The rise in sleep-inducing chemicals,

令人欲睡的化學物質逐漸增加

like adenosine and melatonin,

例如腺苷酸和褪黑激素

send us into a light doze that grows deeper,

使我們覺得睏，漸漸入睡

making our breathing and heart rate slow down

使我們的呼吸和心跳速率減慢

and our muscles relax.

以及肌肉放鬆

This non-REM sleep is when DNA is repaired

「快速動眼期」讓 DNA 修復

and our bodies replenish themselves for the day ahead.

我們的身體會重新充電 以迎接新的一天

In the United States,

在美國

it's estimated that 30% of adults and 66% of adolescents

大約有 30％ 的成人 和 66％ 的少年

are regularly sleep-deprived.

經常睡眠不足

This isn't just a minor inconvenience.

這不只是件小事

Staying awake can cause serious bodily harm.

長時間保持清醒 會對人體造成嚴重的傷害

When we lose sleep,

當我們失眠時

learning,

學習

memory,

mood,

記憶

情緒

and reaction time are affected.

和反應時間都會受到影響

Sleeplessness may also cause inflammation,

失眠也可能引起發炎

halluciations,

產生幻覺

high blood pressure,

高血壓

and it's even been linked to diabetes and obesity.

甚至跟糖尿病與肥胖有關

In 2014, a devoted soccer fan died

2014 年

有一位忠實的球迷死亡

after staying awake for 48 hours to watch the World Cup.

因為他連續看了 48 小時的世界盃

While his untimely death was due to a stroke,

使他在年輕時，就無預警的中風死亡

studies show that chronically sleeping fewer than six hours a night

研究顯示

長期睡眠少於 6 小時的人

increases stroke risk by four and half times

相較於穩定睡眠 7 至 8 小時的人 中風機率增加 4.5 倍

compared to those getting a consistent seven to eight hours of shuteye.

For a handful of people on the planet who carry a rare inherited genetic mutation,

全球有極少數人 天生有一種罕見的基因突變

sleeplessness is a daily reality.

失眠是他們的家常便飯

This condition, known as Fatal Familial Insomnia,

這種情況叫做「致命性家族失眠症」

places the body in a nightmarish state of wakefulness,

患者的身體陷於惡夢般的失眠狀態

forbidding it from entering the sanctuary of sleep.

使他們無法入睡

Within months or years,

經年累月下來

this progressively worsening condition leads to dementia and death.

逐漸惡化會導致痴呆與死亡

How can sleep deprivation cause such immense suffering?

「睡眠不足」是如何 造成如此巨大的痛苦呢？

Scientists think the answer lies with the accumulation of waste prducts

科學家認為是因為腦部

in the brain.

不斷累積的廢物

During our waking hours,

我們清醒的時候

our cells are busy using up our day's energy sources,

體內的細胞忙於消耗一日的熱量

which get broken down into various byproducts,

分解成各類的代謝物

including adenosine.

包括腺苷酸

As adenosine builds up,

當腺苷酸逐漸增加

it increases the urge to sleep, also known as sleep pressure.

便會增加人的睡意，又名睡眠壓力

In fact, caffeine works by blocking adenosine's receptor pathways.

事實上

咖啡因會阻斷腺苷酸接收的途徑

Other waste products also build up in the brain,

腦內的其他廢物也會累積起來

and if they're not cleared away, they collectively overload the brain

如果不把它清除 便會成為腦部的負荷

and are thought to lead to the many negative symptoms of sleep deprivation.

我們認為失眠是眾多症狀的元兇

So, what's happening in our brain when we sleep to prevent this?

我們睡眠時，腦部是如何 防止廢物堆積呢？

Scientists found something called the glymphatic system,

科學家發現了「腦部淋巴系統」

a clean-up mechanism that removes this buildup

那是一項清除廢物的機制

and is much more active when we're asleep.

我們入睡時，這個系統特別活躍

It works by using cerebrospinal fluid to flush away toxic byproducts

它利用腦脊液來沖走

累積於腦細胞間的有毒廢物

that accumulate between cells.

Lymphatic vessels, which serve as pathways for immune cells,

做為免疫細胞運作途徑的淋巴管

have recently been discovered in the brain,

最近已發現在大腦中

and they may also play a role in clearing out the brain's daily waste products.

它們可能和清理 腦部的日常廢物有關

While scientists continue exploring the restorative mechanisms behind sleep,

在科學家繼續探索 睡眠修復機制的同時

we can be sure that slipping into slumber is a necessity

我們可以肯定的是

如果我們想要保持健康和理智 足夠的睡眠絕對不能少

if we want to maintain our health and our sanity.