The benefits of a good night's sleep - Shai Marcu

一夜好眠好處無窮 - Shai Marcu

譯者: Charlotte Jin 審譯者: Hao-Wei Chang

It's 4 a.m., and the big test is in eight hours,

現在是凌晨四點， 八小時內將有一場重大考試

followed by a piano recital.

隨後是一場鋼琴獨奏會

You've been studying and playing for days, but you still don't feel ready for either.

儘管已學習和練習了很久， 你仍覺得一項都還沒準備好

So, what can you do?

所以，你該怎麼做呢？

Well, you can drink another cup of coffee

你可以再喝一杯咖啡

and spend the next few hours cramming and practicing,

然後花上數小時死記硬背和練習

but believe it or not,

但是不管你是否相信

you might be better off closing the books, putting away the music,

更有效的辦法是合上書本、暫停練習

and going to sleep.

然後就寢

Sleep occupies nearly a third of our lives,

睡眠約佔人生三分之一的時間

but many of us give surprisingly little attention and care to it.

可令人詫異的是 我們很多人都對睡眠漠不關心

This neglect is often the result of a major misunderstanding.

這種忽視通常來自人們對睡眠的誤解

Sleep isn't lost time,

睡眠不是浪費時間

or just a way to rest when all our important work is done.

不是只是完成重要工作後的休息

Instead, it's a critical function,

相反的，睡眠最主要的功能

during which your body balances and regulates its vital systems,

是維持、調節身體重要系統的平衡

affecting respiration

它可以影響你的呼吸

and regulating everything from circulation to growth and immune response.

以及血液循環、人體生長到免疫反應

That's great, but you can worry about all those things after this test, right?

聽著不錯，可你還是想 等考完試了再來煩惱對吧？

Well, not so fast.

別急呢！

It turns out that sleep is also crucial for your brain,

睡眠對大腦也非常重要

with a fifth of your body's circulatory blood

當你迷迷糊糊快睡著時

being channeled to it as you drift off.

五分之一在體內循環的 血液將會被輸送進大腦

And what goes on in your brain while you sleep

接下來當你睡著時

is an intensely active period of restructuring

你的大腦會進入 非常活躍的重整、再建時期

that's crucial for how our memory works.

這個過程對記憶形成至關重要

At first glance,

乍一看

our ability to remember things doesn't seem very impressive at all.

我們的記憶力似乎一點都不強

19th century psychologist Herman Ebbinghaus

十九世紀的心理學家 斯赫爾曼·艾賓豪斯指出

demonstrated that we normally forget 40% of new material

我們在接收到新事物的 20 分鐘後

within the first twenty minutes,

通常會忘記關於新事物 40％ 的內容

a phenomenon known as the forgetting curve.

這個現象被稱作「遺忘曲線」

But this loss can be prevented through memory consolidation,

記憶鞏固可以預防這些遺失

the process by which information is moved

這個過程中訊息會從 轉瞬即逝的短期記憶

from our fleeting short-term memory to our more durable long-term memory.

轉變成為更持久的長期記憶

This consolidation occurs with the help of a major part of the brain,

記憶鞏固主要發生在

known as the hippocampus.

大腦中被稱為「海馬體」的部分

Its role in long-term memory formation

它在長期記憶成型扮演的角色

was demonstrated in the 1950s by Brenda Milner

是在 50 年代由布蘭達·米爾納在

in her research with a patient known as H.M.

透過對病患 H. M. 的研究中發現

After having his hippocampus removed,

當 H. M. 的海馬體被移除後

H.M.'s ability to form new short-term memories was damaged,

他喪失了形成新短期記憶的能力

but he was able to learn physical tasks through repetition.

但他得以通過重複練習學會肢體活動

Due to the removal of his hippocampus,

由於他的海馬體被移除了

H.M.'s ability to form long-term memories was also damaged.

H. M. 還喪失了形成長期記憶的能力

What this case revealed, among other things,

這個案例研究顯示

was that the hippocampus was specifically involved

只有海馬體

in the consolidation of long-term declarative memory,

明確地與長期陳述記憶的鞏固有關

such as the facts and concepts you need to remember for that test,

這些像是考試時 需要記住的事實和概念

rather than procedural memory,

而不是像你記住 獨鋼琴所需的手指活動

such as the finger movements you need to master for that recital.

那樣的程序記憶

Milner's findings, along with work by Eric Kandel in the 90's,

米爾納的發現與 1990年代埃里克·坎德爾的研究

have given us our current model of how this consolidation process works.

給了我們現行「記憶鞏固」過程的模型

Sensory data is initially transcribed

感知數據最先被轉譯

and temporarily recorded in the neurons as short-term memory.

並暫時記錄在神經元內 形成作為短期記憶

From there, it travels to the hippocampus,

隨後訊息傳送到海馬體

which strengthens and enhances the neurons in that cortical area.

並強化大腦皮層區神經元的聯結

Thanks to the phenomenon of neuroplasticity,

多虧了神經可塑性

new synaptic buds are formed, allowing new connections between neurons,

新的神經突觸得以形成

and strengthening the neural network

加強神經元間的聯絡

where the information will be returned as long-term memory.

這使資訊得以形成長期記憶

So why do we remember some things and not others?

那麼為何我們記得住某些事物 忘記其他事物呢？

Well, there are a few ways to influence

其實有幾種方法可以影響

the extent and effectiveness of memory retention.

記憶存留的範圍和有效程度

For example, memories that are formed in times of heightened feeling,

例如在我們的感覺強烈情緒或壓力時

or even stress,

因為海馬體與情緒的聯繫

will be better recorded due to the hippocampus' link with emotion.

將會更有效的形成記憶

But one of the major factors contributing to memory consolidation is,

但是記憶鞏固的主要因素是

you guessed it,

你猜對了！

a good night's sleep.

正是一夜好眠

Sleep is composed of four stages,

睡眠由四個階段組成

the deepest of which are known as slow-wave sleep

最深層的睡眠稱作「慢波睡眠」

and rapid eye movement.

和「快速眼動睡眠」

EEG machines monitoring people during these stages

腦電圖描記器在監控人類睡眠階段時

have shown electrical impulses

顯示出電脈衝在

moving between the brainstem, hippocampus, thalamus, and cortex,

腦幹、海馬體、丘腦和皮質之間移動

which serve as relay stations of memory formation.

這些部位是記憶形成的中繼站

And the different stages of sleep have been shown to help consolidate

睡眠的不同階段幫助鞏固

different types of memories.

不同類型的記憶

During the non-REM slow-wave sleep,

在非快速眼慢波睡眠的時候

declarative memory is encoded into a temporary store

陳述記憶被編譯進一個短暫的倉庫

in the anterior part of the hippocampus.

這個倉庫位於海馬體前端

Through a continuing dialogue between the cortex and hippocampus,

通過大腦皮質和海馬體的持續對話

it is then repeatedly reactivated,

陳述記憶被反覆地激活

driving its gradual redistribution to long-term storage in the cortex.

推動它逐漸重新分配到 大腦皮質裡長期儲存

REM sleep, on the other hand, with its similarity to waking brain activity,

快速眼動睡眠與清醒時大腦活動相似

is associated with the consolidation of procedural memory.

與鞏固程序記憶有關

So based on the studies,

根據研究結果

going to sleep three hours after memorizing your formulas

背記公式後睡三小時

and one hour after practicing your scales would be the most ideal.

和練琴後睡一小時， 能得到最理想的效果

So hopefully you can see now that skimping on sleep

所以希望你能意識到

not only harms your long-term health,

不睡覺不僅有損你長期健康

but actually makes it less likely

而且還能導致你不太可能記住

that you'll retain all that knowledge and practice from the previous night,

前一晚學的知識和鋼琴練習

all of which just goes to affirm the wisdom of the phrase, "Sleep on it."

這些都證明了那句老話 「先睡一覺，把問題留在第二天解決」

When you think about all the internal restructuring

當你想起所有那些在 你睡著時身體內在重建

and forming of new connections that occurs while you slumber,

和新形成的新神經連結

you could even say that proper sleep

你就能說正確的睡眠

will have you waking up every morning with a new and improved brain,

能讓你每天早晨起床時 有一顆清醒的頭腦

ready to face the challenges ahead.

能直面挑戰