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

譯者: Yi-Ping Cho (Marssi) 審譯者: Bruce Sung

每個人都有睡得不好的經驗，

and that's perfectly normal,

這是很正常的事，

but how could we try to improve

但我們要怎麼做才能

both the quantity and the quality of our sleep?

同時改善睡眠的時數和品質？

[Sleeping with Science]

【睡眠科學】

(Music)

（音樂）

Here are six scientifically grounded tips

這裡有經過科學證實 能幫助你一覺好眠的六個祕訣。

for better sleep.

The first tip is regularity.

第一個祕訣是規律。

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

定時上床睡覺、定時起床。

Regularity is king,

規律是王道，

and it will actually anchor your sleep

規律能夠幫你的睡眠打基礎，

and improve both the quantity and the quality,

同時改善睡眠的時數與品質，

no matter whether it's the weekday or the weekend

不管是在週間、假日，

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

或甚至是睡得不太好的那一晚。

And the reason is because deep within your brain,

這是因為在你的大腦深處

you actually have a master 24-hour clock.

有一個 24 小時運轉的精密時鐘。

It expects regularity

這個時鐘期待規律，

and works best under conditions of regularity,

而且在有規律的情況下 能發揮得最好，

including the control of your sleep-wake schedule.

規律也包含了 你睡覺和清醒的時間安排。

Many of us use an alarm to wake up

很多人會用鬧鐘叫醒自己，

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

但很少人會用鬧鐘提醒自己上床，

and that's something that can be helpful.

要是有這種鬧鐘會很有幫助。

The next tip is temperature.

另一個助眠祕訣是溫度。

Keep it cool.

保持涼爽。

It turns out that your brain and your body

其實你的大腦和身體

need to drop their core temperature by about one degree Celsius

都需要降低核心溫度大概攝氏一度，

or around two to three degrees Fahrenheit

或是華氏兩到三度，

in order to initiate sleep and then to stay asleep.

來開始睡覺，並保持沉睡。

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

這也是為什麼你會發現

在太冷的房間比太熱的房間 更容易入睡。

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

So, the current recommendation

目前建議

is to aim for a bedroom temperature

把臥房溫度調整在

of around about 65 degrees Fahrenheit,

大約華氏 65 度，

or a little over 18 degrees Celsius.

也就是比攝氏 18 度高一點。

It sounds cold but cold it must be.

聽起來可能有點冷， 但確實有這個必要。

The next tip is darkness.

下一個祕訣是暗。

We are a dark-deprived society

我們的社會缺乏黑暗，

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

但我們其實需要暗，尤其是在傍晚，

to trigger the release of a hormone called melatonin.

暗能幫我們釋放一種 稱為褪黑激素的荷爾蒙。

And melatonin helps regulate the healthy timing of our sleep.

褪黑激素幫助調節睡眠的最佳時機。

In the last hour before bed,

上床前的一小時

try to stay away from all of those computer screens

儘量遠離所有的電腦螢幕、

and tablets and phones.

平板電腦和手機。

Dim down half the lights in your house.

把屋裡的燈亮度減半。

You'd actually be quite surprised

你會意外發現

at how sleepy that can make you feel.

自己有多想睡。

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

如果你願意還可以戴上眼罩，

or you can have blackout shades

或裝上遮光窗簾，

and that will help best regulate

這些方法能幫你大大調整

that critical sleep hormone of melatonin.

重要的睡眠荷爾蒙：褪黑激素。

The next tip is walk it out.

下一個祕訣是下床。

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

不要醒著待在床上太久。

And the general rule of thumb

根據經驗法則，

is if you've been trying to fall asleep

如果你曾嘗試入睡，

and it's been 25 minutes or so,

但過了 25 分鐘左右都還沒入睡，

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

或是你醒來之後再也睡不著，

after 25 minutes,

過了 25 分鐘，

the recommendation is to get out of bed

建議你下床去做點別的事。

and go and do something different.

And the reason is because your brain

因為你的大腦是

is an incredibly associative device.

非常擅於連結的裝置。

The brain has learned the association

大腦學會了

床就是會引起失眠這樣的連結，

that the bed is this trigger of wakefulness,

and we need to break that association.

我們必須切斷這個連結。

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

你下床之後可以去做點別的事情。

Only return to bed when you're sleepy.

睏了才回到床上。

And in that way, gradually,

這樣一來，

your brain will relearn the association

你的大腦就會漸漸 重新學會這個連結，

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

也就是你的床是 用來長時間熟睡的地方。

The fifth tip is something that we've actually

第五個祕訣我們其實在 這個系列的其他單元已經提過，

already spoken about in detail in this series,

which is the impact of alcohol and caffeine.

也就是酒精和咖啡因的影響。

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

這裡有個不錯的經驗之談：

from caffeine in the afternoon and in the evening

儘量在下午和晚上避免攝取咖啡因，

and certainly try not to go to bed too tipsy.

也絕對不要在上床前喝得太醉。

The final tip: have a wind-down routine.

最後一個祕訣： 建立讓自己放鬆的慣例。

I think many of us in the modern world,

在這個現代化的世界裡，

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

很多人都希望能在夜裡跳上床、

switch off the light,

關燈，

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

以為睡覺就像關燈，

that we should immediately be able to fall asleep.

我們應該可以馬上入睡。

Well, unfortunately, sleep isn't quite like that

可惜睡覺對大部分的人來說 不是這麼一回事。

for most of us.

Sleep, as a physiological process,

睡覺這種生理過程

is much more similar to landing a plane.

比較像是飛機降落。

It takes time for your brain to gradually descend down

要花點時間讓你的大腦慢慢下沉

onto the firm bedrock of good sleep.

到良好睡眠的穩固基礎。

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

上床前 20 分鐘或半小時，

even the last hour,

甚至是一小時，

disengage from your computer and your phone

放下你的電腦和手機，

and try to do something relaxing.

試著做點能放鬆的事。

Find out whatever works for you

找出適合自己的方式，

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

找到之後就把這件事變成慣例。

The last thing I should note

我最後該提醒各位的事情是，

is that if you are suffering from a sleep disorder,

如果你受睡眠障礙所苦，

for example, from insomnia or sleep apnea,

例如失眠或睡眠呼吸中止症，

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

那麼這些方法不見得會幫得上你。

If I was your sports coach,

如果我是你的健身教練，

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

我可以教你所有能夠 增強體能的方法，

but if you have a broken ankle,

但是如果你的腳踝受傷了，

it's not going to make a difference.

這些方法就無法帶來改變。

We have to treat the broken ankle first

我們得先治好受傷的腳踝，

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

之後我們才能回來增強體能。

And it's the same way with sleep.

睡眠也是同樣的道理。

So, if you think you have a sleep disorder,

如果你認為自己有睡眠障礙，

just go and speak with your doctor.

去找醫生談談。

That's the best piece of advice.

這是最好的建議。

Where do we stand, then,

談這麼多睡眠對我們來說又怎樣？

in all of this conversation about sleep?

Well, I think the evidence is clear.

我認為證據很明顯。

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

我們可以把睡眠看成是生命維持器。

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

其實有人甚至會稱睡眠為超能力。