are currently revolutionizing how we think about the value sleep brings to our lives. Cutting-edge science now shows how critical sleep is to our ability to stay focused, to learn new things and remember old things, lose fat and keep excess weight off, and generally lower the risks for a slew of health problems such as heart disease, obesity, and cerebrovascular disease.
记得看过一个报道说人生有1/3的时间是用来睡觉，当时心中升起一股悲感。现在想想，我们的睡眠质量如何呢？经常躺在床上1个小时后还是醒着的……
Seemingly magical events happen when you’re sleeping that just cannot happen during wakeful hours, and which help keep you energized and quick-witted. Sleep keeps you sharp, creative, and able to process information in an instant. Losing as few as one and a half hours for just one night reduces daytime alertness by about a third.
最近，在睡眠药物方面的新研究正在改变着我们对睡眠给生活带来的价值的看法。如今前沿科学向我们展示了睡眠对保持注意力，学习新东西，记忆旧事情，减肥以及远离超标体重有多么的重要，甚至可以降低许多健康疾病风险，例如心脏病，肥胖病，和脑血管疾病。
It’s a myth that there’s a magic number of hours the body requires to sleep. Everyone has a different sleep need. Most people need seven to nine hours, and chances are you know what your number is. Think of the last time you went on vacation and slept like a baby for more hours a night than usual. That is probably your perfect number. Poor sleep catches up to most of us, and it’s practically impossible to make up a sleep loss because life keeps moving forward and demanding more of us.
似乎当你睡觉时会发生神奇的事情，而这些事情在你清醒的时候却不会发生，并且这些事情可以使你充满活力，机智灵敏。睡眠可以让你保持敏捷，富有创造力，快速处理信息。一个晚上减少1个半小时睡眠可能会降低白天1/3的灵敏性。
Not surprisingly, stress and staying up too late are the two big culprits to poor sleep, which is why it’s important to establish what’s called a healthy “sleep hygiene”—the habits that make for a restful night’s sleep regardless of factors such as age and underlying medical conditions. The goal is to minimize those factors’ effects on us so we can welcome peaceful sleep.
身体需要的神奇的睡眠时间还是个迷。每个人都有不同的睡眠需求。大部分人需要7~9个小时，你可能也知道自己需要的时间。想一下最近一次你去度假的时候，睡的像个婴儿一样，比平时多睡了好几个小时。那个也许是你最完美的睡眠时间。缺乏睡眠是我们大多数人都存在的，而且我们也不能弥补缺乏睡眠的损失，因为生活依旧继续，需要我们做更多。
Here are the 12 paths to a perfect night’s sleep:
毫不奇怪，压力和熬夜太晚是缺乏睡眠的2个最大的原因，这就是建立一个所谓的健康“睡眠保健”如此重要的原因了。健康“睡眠保健”是一种习惯，可以不受年龄和潜在药物条件的影响，而建立一个安静的夜晚睡眠。它的目标是最小化这些因素对我们的影响，创立一个祥和的睡眠。
Get on a schedule.
这里有12个通向完美睡眠的途径：
Go to bed and wake up at the same time seven days a week, weekends included. Try not to fall into a cycle of burning the midnight oil on Sunday night in preparation for Monday, letting your sleep debt pile up for the week and then attempt to catch up on sleep over the weekend. It won’t work. Stick to the same schedule seven days a week.
制定一个时间表： 一周7天在同一时间起床和睡觉，包括周末。不要掉进周末晚上点灯熬油到深夜为周一做准备，以及把一周的睡眠都攒着，试图在周末的时候补回来的圈子里。这个没有用。一周7天坚持同一个时间表。
Set aside at least 30 minutes before bedtime to unwind and prepare for sleep. Avoid stimulating activities (e.g., work, cleaning, being on the computer, watching TV dramas that get your adrenaline running). Try soaking in a warm bath or engaging in some light stretching. Once you’re in bed, do some light reading and push any anxieties aside.
停止活跃 ：在上床睡觉之前留出至少30分钟的时候来放松，为睡觉做准备。避免激烈的活动（例如，工作，清洁，玩电脑，看电视剧这些都会让你的肾上腺素继续工作）尝试泡个热水澡或者做一些轻度的伸展运动。当躺在床上的时候，可以读一些比较轻松的书，避免任何的焦虑情绪。
Reserve the bedroom for sleep (and sex) only. Remove distracting electronics and gadgets and keep it clean, cool, and dark.
创造一个轻松的环境： 保证床只是用来睡觉（做爱）用的。把那些让你分神的电子产品和小东西都拿走，保证床是干净，清爽和无灯光照射的。
Stop drinking caffeinated beverages about eight hours before bedtime. If you cannot go cold turkey on the caffeine in the afternoon, then switch to drinks with less caffeine, such as teas.
禁止摄入任何咖啡因： 睡觉前8小时内不要喝任何含有咖啡因的碳酸饮料。如果下午的时候，你不能够快速戒掉咖啡因，可以选择喝一些咖啡因少的东西，例如茶。
Watch out if you exercise within three hours of bedtime. For some people, exercise can be stimulating to the point that it affects getting to bed on time and falling asleep easily. If your body’s reaction to exercise is stealing your sleep, then shift your exercise to earlier in the day.
不要剧烈运动： 请谨慎睡前3小时内锻炼。对一些人来说，锻炼可以激发他们按时睡觉的那个关键点，以至于入睡更加容易。如果你的身体对于锻炼的反映是睡不着觉，那么请早些时候锻炼，不要那么晚。
Be cautious about alcohol intake in the evening hours. If you use a glass of wine as a way to unwind, be mindful of how that glass (or two) could be influencing the quality of your sleep. You might want to test out avoiding this routine and see if it changes how refreshed you feel the next day.
限制饮酒： 留意晚上摄入的酒量。如果你想用一杯酒来放松，那么请注意这一两杯酒对你睡眠质量的影响。也许你可以检测一下，晚上不饮酒，看看第二天早上起来的时候是否更加清醒呢！
Keep in mind that heavy foods too close to bedtime can upset your sleep as much as they upset your stomach. The best bedtime snack is nothing. If you need to take a medication, then maybe a liquid such as plain coconut water will satisfy you. This requires no extra digestive work. To balance it out, you could have 10 to 15 nuts with it.
小心难消化的食物 ：记住睡前食用油腻和难消化食物会打扰睡眠和让胃不安。最好的睡前零食就是什么也不吃。如果你需要吃药，那么液体的就可以满足你，例如淡淡的椰子汁。这个不需要额外的消化工作。平衡一下，你可能需要10~15个坚果。
Try valerian herbal tea or a chamomile blend before bedtime. Take your magnesium supplement in the evening hours to help relax muscles for better sleep and regularity.
尽量放松： 在睡觉之前，试一些缬草草药茶或者甘菊茶。在晚上补充这些含镁元素的东西有助于放松肌肉，从而帮助规律性睡眠。
Keep a sachet of lavender by your bed and take a whiff before hitting the pillow. Lavender has known sleep-inducing effects. Other aromas widely considered to be relaxing are rose, vanilla, and lemongrass.
尝试香料按摩 ：在床上放一袋薰衣草，躺下之前拿出来闻闻。众所周知薰衣草有助于睡眠。其他的香料则被认为有助于放松，像玫瑰，香草和柠檬草。
On your back with your eyes closed and your body stretched out, hands by your side, palms facing up, begin to squeeze and release your muscles, starting with your head and face and working down to your toes. Breathe in deeply and slowly, telling yourself I will fall asleep. I am going to sleep.
深 深 深 深……深呼吸，放松： 闭上眼睛，伸展肢体，手臂自然下垂，手掌向上，开始放松肌肉，从头部和脸部开始一直到向下到脚指头。深深地，慢慢地的呼吸，告诉自己我快要睡着了。我要入睡了。
If you can’t get to sleep within 20 minutes, slip out of bed and go to a safe haven—a place that’s comfy, has dim lighting, and no distractions. Just sit comfortably. Or do your breathing exercises. Or read. After 20 minutes or so, go back to bed and see what happens when you’re more relaxed.
离开卧室： 如果在20分钟内还没有睡着，从床上起来，去到一个舒适的，昏暗灯光，没有打扰物的地方。只是舒服的坐着。或者继续呼吸练习，或者阅读。大约过个20分钟左右，回到床上去，然后看看在你更加放松之后会发生什么。
You’d be amazed by the power of sleep when it comes naturally just by regulating your sleep habits. You body will respond and adapt to the sleep cycle you put it on. If your body clock is truly off, try getting some natural morning sunlight, do some exercise during the day, don’t stay up until the wee hours of the morning cleaning house, and set aside time to wind down before bedtime. Yes, it’s as simple as that!
当仅仅通过调节睡眠习惯，让睡眠变得很自然时，你会对睡眠的力量震惊。你的身体会习惯于你养成的睡眠周期。如果你提前醒来，可以看看早上自然的日光，做一些锻炼，不要呆在床上直到凌晨打扫屋子，睡觉之前留出时间来放松。是的，一切就是这么简单。
|
