为什么你会睡不好

M ichelle Ullman著湖北武汉景一编译

为什么你会睡不好

M ichelle Ullman著湖北武汉景一编译

Are you tired ofwaking up more tired than when you went to bed?Does it seem like a good night’s sleep ismore elusive than your half-remembered dreams?If you’ve been having a tough time falling asleep lately,chances are,the cause is either something you’re doing,or something you’re not doing.Here are some common reasons you’re having a hard time sleepingwell.

你是否觉得醒来的时候比上床睡觉的时候更累？是否觉得一个好觉比一个依稀记得的梦更加难得？如果你最近一直很难入睡，有可能原因在于你正在做的某些事情或者你没做的某些事情。以下是一些常见的导致睡眠质量差的原因。

★Nighttime Exercise

A casual around-the-block stroll1with your dog before his bedtime is fine,but a heartpumping,sweat-dripping cardio workout2within three hours of your own bedtime is toomuch. Your body temperature and heart rate naturally drop as you fall asleep—but exercise raises those two body functions,and stimulates your entire nervous system,making it tough to sleep.Instead, schedule yourworkout for themorning,or hit the gym on your lunch hour.

★夜间锻炼

在你的狗睡觉前牵着它在街区里悠闲地散步没什么问题，但是在你自己就寝前三小时以内做让人心跳加剧、汗流浃背的有氧运动就过头了。当你入睡的时候你的体温和心率会自然下降，然而锻炼会让它们升高，刺激你的整个神经系统，让你很难入睡。因此，将你的锻炼安排在早上，或者在午餐时间去健身房会更好。

★Room Tem perature

Most sleep experts recommend keeping your bedroom at a moderate318 to 22 degrees at night,butmany people like to cut energy costs by turning the thermostat4down to the freeze zone during the winter,and switching the AC5off during the summer,leading to a sweltering bedroom.However,your body needs to cool slightly at night for themost refreshing sleep,which is impossible in an overly heated bedroom.A too-cold room,on the other hand,will wake you up.If you don’t want to adjust the thermostat to the comfort zone,then wear thick socks to a well-blanketed bed during cold days,and set up a portable fan next to your bed in the summer.

★房间温度

大多数睡眠问题的专家建议晚上保持卧室温度在舒适的18至22度之间，但很多人为了削减能源开销喜欢在冬季把恒温器调低到冷冻区间，在夏季关掉交流电源，使得卧室闷热。然而，你的身体需要一个稍微凉爽点的环境来进行让人恢复精神的睡眠——在一个热烘烘的卧室里这是不可能的。另一方面，一个太冷的房间又会让你清醒。如果你不想把恒温器调到舒适区，那么在寒冷的日子里就穿厚袜子，把床盖得暖暖的，夏天则在床边放一个便携式的风扇。

★Stress and W orry

Probably the most common non-medical reason for short-term insomnia6is a mind filled with worries or stress.During the day,the activities of life tend to distract you,but once you settle yourself into bed,your mind is free to roam.For most people,it’s not the good aspects of their lives that theirmind chooses to focus on,but rather,the negatives.You can improve this in severalways.

1.Write down your worries before bedtime,along with a few things you are grateful for,as a regular part of your nighttime routine.

2.If yourmind really starts to fret7,get out of bed—without turning on any lights—and go sit in another dark part of the house.This breaks the worry cycle and you’ll probably find your mind quickly calms down enough to return to bed.

3.One of the most effective ways to conquer worry and stress is with a daily meditation practice.You don’t need to be an expert yogi or spend hours sitting on a mat—as little as ten minutes each day is beneficial.

★压力和焦虑

也许最常见的短期失眠的非医学原因是焦虑或压力。白天，生活中的各种活动往往会分散你的注意力，但一旦你躺到了床上，你的意识就开始自由地漫游。对大多数人来说，注意力不会集中到他们生活中好的方面，而是恰恰相反，集中在了消极的方面。你可以用以下几种方法去缓解。

1.在睡觉前写下你的担忧和一些令你感到愉快的事情作为你每晚的习惯。

2.如果你真的开始烦躁，离开床，不打开任何灯，坐在屋子里的另一个黑暗的地方。这可以打破焦虑圈，你可能会发现你的心很快就平静下来了，你也可以回到床上了。

3.战胜压力和焦虑的最有效的方法之一是每天冥想练习。你不需要成为一个瑜伽专家或花几个小时坐在垫子上，每天花短短的十分钟都是有好处的。

★Late Afternoon Caffeine

You know a bedtime cup of coffee is a bad idea,but did you know that the half-life of caffeine is 3 to 5 hours,leaving the remaining half in your body formany hoursmore?That’swhy a late afternoon cup of Joe8can disrupt your sleep later that night.Although caffeine’s effects on you depend on your tolerance,the dose and your age,it is best to keep your consumption below 400mg per day,and stay away from caffeine sources after lunchtime.

★午后的咖啡

你知道睡前喝杯咖啡是一个坏主意。但你知道咖啡因的效果减半的时间为3到5个小时，留在你的身体里的剩下的一半的效果的时间会更长吗？这就是下午晚些时候的一杯咖啡可以扰乱你的睡眠的原因。虽然咖啡因对你的影响取决于你的耐受性、剂量和你的年龄，但是最好让你的摄入量在每天400毫克以下，并且在午餐后远离各种咖啡因来源。

★Too M uch Light

Whether it’s coming from your reading lamp,the television,or outside your window,light exposure at bedtime impairs your quality of sleep.For some people,even the light of a bedside alarm clock is enough to signal their brain that it’s time towake up.Luckily,this is one sleep issue that’s easy to solve.Turn off your electronics(including phones,tablets and laptops)at least an hour before bedtime.If light from an outside source shines into your bedroom,hang curtains (this is especially important if you work nights and need to sleep during the day).Close your bedroom door to shut out light from other areas of the house.Or for the simplest solution,put on a sleepmask before closing your eyes.

★光线太亮

无论光是来自你的阅读灯，电视，还是来自你的窗户外面的光源，在睡觉时亮光都会损害你的睡眠质量。对一些人来说，即使是床边闹钟的光也足以使他们的大脑发出该清醒的信号。幸运的是，这是一个很容易解决的问题。至少在睡前一个小时关掉你的电子产品（包括手机，平板电脑和笔记本电脑）。如果有外部光源的光照进你的卧室，挂起窗帘（如果你是夜晚工作，白天睡觉的话，这是尤其重要的）。关上你的卧室门以阻隔从房子的其他区域射过来的光。或者用最简单的办法，在睡前带上眼罩。

★TheW rong Snack

Is your bedtime snack a slice(or two)of pizza or a bag of chips?If so,don’t be surprised when you’re lying awake staring at your ceiling.A full load of fat or protein right before bedtime sends your digestive system into overdrive,making it difficult to sleep.But hunger pains can wake you up aswell.Proper diet of dinner is the best choice.

★错误的零食

你的睡前零食是一片（或两片）披萨饼或者一袋薯条吗？如果是这样的话，当你躺在床上（睡不着）盯着天花板时，不要感到惊讶。临睡前满满的脂肪或蛋白质会让你的消化系统超速运转，让你难以入睡。但饥饿的痛苦也同样会唤醒你。晚餐时合适的饮食是最佳的选择。