6 tips for better sleep | Sleeping with Science, a TED series

Transcriber: TED Translators admin Reviewer: Ivana Korom

We can all have a bad night of sleep

翻译人员: Hermione wen 校对人员: Yolanda Zhang

我们都可能会睡眠不佳，

and that's perfectly normal,

这很常见。

but how could we try to improve

但我们要如何同时提升

both the quantity and the quality of our sleep?

我们的睡眠时间和质量呢？

[Sleeping with Science]

【科学睡眠】

(Music)

【席梦思让美梦成为可能】 【睡眠的第一堂课】

Here are six scientifically grounded tips

以下是六个具有科学依据的建议，

for better sleep.

能够帮助您提升睡眠质量。

The first tip is regularity.

第一个建议是：规律睡眠。

Go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time.

按时睡觉，按时起床。

Regularity is king,

规律作息是最重要的，

and it will actually anchor your sleep

它能使你的睡眠习惯固定下来，

and improve both the quantity and the quality,

同时提升睡眠的时长与质量，

no matter whether it's the weekday or the weekend

无论是工作日还是周末，

or even if you've had a bad night of sleep.

或者即使你有一天睡得不好。

And the reason is because deep within your brain,

而原因就在于，在你的大脑深处

you actually have a master 24-hour clock.

存在着一个 24 小时的生物钟。

It expects regularity

它需要规律的作息，

and works best under conditions of regularity,

而且在规律的作息下 才能最好地工作，

including the control of your sleep-wake schedule.

这种规律性包括了 对于你睡眠-醒来模式的整体控制。

Many of us use an alarm to wake up

很多人会设置叫醒自己的闹钟，

but very few of us use a to-bed alarm,

但很少人会设置睡眠闹钟，

and that's something that can be helpful.

而那也是非常有帮助的。

The next tip is temperature.

第二个建议：温度。

Keep it cool.

要保持睡眠环境凉爽。

It turns out that your brain and your body

事实证明，你的大脑和身体

need to drop their core temperature by about one degree Celsius

需要降低大约 1 摄氏度，

or around two to three degrees Fahrenheit

或者 2 到 3 华氏度左右的核心温度，

in order to initiate sleep and then to stay asleep.

才能够进入初级睡眠阶段， 而后真正入睡。

And this is the reason that you will always find it easier

这也是为什么你总是觉得

to fall asleep in a room that's too cold than too hot.

在更冷的房间里比 在更热的房间里更容易睡着。

So, the current recommendation

所以当前的建议是，

is to aim for a bedroom temperature

将卧室的温度

of around about 65 degrees Fahrenheit,

设置为华氏 65 度左右的温度，

or a little over 18 degrees Celsius.

或者略微高于 18 摄氏度的温度。

It sounds cold but cold it must be.

听起来是有一点点冷， 但是这是必须的。

The next tip is darkness.

第三个条件：黑暗的环境。

We are a dark-deprived society

我们是一个从黑暗中起源的社会，

and, in fact, we need darkness specifically in the evening

而且事实上，我们也需要黑暗， 尤其是在晚上，

to trigger the release of a hormone called melatonin.

只有黑暗才能引发 褪黑素的释放。

And melatonin helps regulate the healthy timing of our sleep.

褪黑素可以让我们的 健康睡眠时间变得规律。

In the last hour before bed,

在上床前的最后一小时

try to stay away from all of those computer screens

要尽量远离电子屏幕，

包括电脑、平板和手机。

and tablets and phones.

Dim down half the lights in your house.

把家里的灯光调暗一半。

You'd actually be quite surprised

你将非常惊喜地发现，

at how sleepy that can make you feel.

这种昏暗的环境 会让你感到困倦。

If you'd like, you can wear an eye mask

如果你愿意的话，还可以带上眼罩，

or you can have blackout shades

或者拉上遮光的百叶窗，

and that will help best regulate

这些都能够最大程度地帮助你

that critical sleep hormone of melatonin.

调节重要的褪黑素的分泌。

The next tip is walk it out.

第四个建议：下床走走。

Don't stay in bed awake for long periods of time.

如果长时间睡不着， 不要一直呆在床上。

And the general rule of thumb

经验法则告诉我们， 【约 10-15% 的成人

is if you've been trying to fall asleep

如果你一直尝试入睡， 承认患有慢性失眠。】

and it's been 25 minutes or so,

而且已经将近 25 分钟了，

or you've woken up and you can't get back to sleep

或者醒来到再次睡着的时间

after 25 minutes,

超过了 25 分钟，

the recommendation is to get out of bed

那么我的建议是下床走走，

and go and do something different.

找点其他的事情做。

And the reason is because your brain

因为人的大脑

is an incredibly associative device.

是一件难以置信的联想机器。

The brain has learned the association

我们的大脑学会了建立联系，

that the bed is this trigger of wakefulness,

而床就是帮助你醒来的触发器，

and we need to break that association.

所以我们需要打破这种联系。

And by getting out of bed, you can go and do something else.

而通过下床做其他的事情，

Only return to bed when you're sleepy.

只是在你感觉困的时候 再回到床上，

And in that way, gradually,

这样一来，

your brain will relearn the association

你的大脑才会逐渐 重新建立一种联系，

that your bed is this place of sound and consistent sleep.

即床才是能够给你 带来安稳睡眠的地方。

The fifth tip is something that we've actually

关于第五个建议，

我们其实已经 在这个系列片中具体讲过了,

already spoken about in detail in this series,

which is the impact of alcohol and caffeine.

那就是酒精和咖啡因的影响。

So, a good rule of thumb here is to try to stay away

经验告诉我们， 在下午和晚上

from caffeine in the afternoon and in the evening

要尽量远离咖啡因，

and certainly try not to go to bed too tipsy.

更要避免入睡前醉酒。

The final tip: have a wind-down routine.

最后一条建议是： 培养一些睡前习惯。

I think many of us in the modern world,

我认为我们中的很多人 在现在的社会

we expect to be able to dive into bed at night,

都希望能够关灯之后

switch off the light,

就立马沉睡，

and we think that sleep is also just like a light switch,

我们以为睡眠 也像灯的开关一样，

that we should immediately be able to fall asleep.

可以瞬间发生。

Well, unfortunately, sleep isn't quite like that

但是可惜的是， 对于我们大部分人来说，

for most of us.

睡觉并不是这么回事。

Sleep, as a physiological process,

睡眠作为一种生理过程

is much more similar to landing a plane.

更像是飞机降落。

It takes time for your brain to gradually descend down

大脑活动需要一段时间 才能逐渐下降到

onto the firm bedrock of good sleep.

利于良好睡眠的坚实基础上。

In the last 20 minutes before bed or the last half an hour,

在上床前的 20 分钟或半个小时，

even the last hour,

甚至一个小时，

disengage from your computer and your phone

远离你的电脑和手机，

and try to do something relaxing.

试着做些令你放松的事情。

Find out whatever works for you

找出对你的睡眠真正有帮助的事情，

and when you have found it, stick to that routine.

当你找到之后， 要坚持这样的习惯。

The last thing I should note

最后需要注意的是，

is that if you are suffering from a sleep disorder,

如果你正经受着睡眠障碍，

for example, from insomnia or sleep apnea,

比如失眠或者睡眠呼吸暂停，

then these tips aren't necessarily going to help you.

那么这些建议 可能就不一定能帮到你。

If I was your sports coach,

打个比方来说， 如果我是你的运动教练，

I could give you all of these tips to improve your performance,

我会给你这些建议， 以提升你的场上表现。

but if you have a broken ankle,

但如果你的膝盖受伤了，

it's not going to make a difference.

这些建议并不会带来什么改变。

We have to treat the broken ankle first

我们必须先要治好受伤的膝盖，

before we can get back to improving the quality of your performance.

再去考虑如何提高比赛中的表现。

And it's the same way with sleep.

睡眠的道理也是大同小异。

So, if you think you have a sleep disorder,

所以，如果你有睡眠障碍，

just go and speak with your doctor.

就去和你的医生谈谈。

That's the best piece of advice.

这是最好的建议。

Where do we stand, then,

那么我们的立场是什么呢？

in all of this conversation about sleep?

在所有这些关于睡眠的谈话里，

Well, I think the evidence is clear.

我认为显而易见的是，

We can think of sleep almost like a life-support system.

我们可以把睡眠看作是 维持生命的系统。

In fact, some may even call sleep a super power.

事实上，一些人甚至认为 睡眠是一种超能力。