睡个好觉的秘密

来源How bursts of brain activity are key to a good night\'s sleep  | Mail Online
译者TheZEN

It is a mystery that has kept the greatest scientific minds awake at night.

到了晚上，最NB无敌的大脑却依然清醒，这是一个谜。

Now, in research that will be embraced by millions of bleary-eyed Britons, scientists have worked out the secret of a good night's sleep.

目前，在一项即将被广大睡眼惺忪的英国人所知道的研究中，科学家们已经发现了睡个好觉的秘密。

Research shows it is all down to bursts of brainwaves deep in the brain.

这项研究表明，睡眠的好坏完全是由于大脑深处的脑脉冲波。

Those of us who produce the most of these electrical flurries, known as spindles, sleep the most soundly.

这种脑脉冲波被称作纺锤波，谁的大脑中产生的越多，谁就睡的越好。

Activity in the brain which filters out noise could be the key to why some people sleep better than others

大脑能够过滤噪声的活动可能就是某些人睡眠好于他人的关键原因

The brainwaves are thought be a sign that the mind is hard at work screening out the whine of sirens, the roar of traffic, the banging of doors and other noises that disturb sleep.

脑电波被认为是一种征兆，它表明大脑正在努力屏蔽影响睡眠的噪声，这些噪声包括警笛的哀嚎声、交通的轰鸣声、开关门的砰砰声以及其它的声音。

Coaxing the brain into generating more spindles could help more people rise refreshed in the morning, say the researchers.

研究者称，引导大脑产生更多的纺锤波可以帮助更多的人早上精神焕发。

'We wanted to investigate what the brain does to promote stable sleep, even in the face of noise, and why some people are better at staying asleep than others,' said Jeffrey Ellenbogen, of the prestigious Harvard Medical School in the US.

‘我们想要研究大脑是怎样促进稳定睡眠的，即使处于噪声环境，还有为什么有些人的睡眠质量比别人好，’杰弗里.额仑伯根说道，他是美国著名的哈佛医学院的研究人员。

'Our sleeping environments have got increasingly complex and problematic, with all the beeps and boops of our 24/7 modern, crowded lives.

‘我们的睡眠环境正变的越来越复杂和越来越有问题，在我们现代拥挤的生活中，几乎所有时间都充斥着噪声。

'Our goal is to find brain-based solutions that integrate a sleeping person into their modern environment, such that sleep is maintained even in the face of noises.

‘我们的目标是从大脑中找到解决办法，这个办法可以帮助人们在现代的环境中进行睡眠，比如现在的噪声环境。

'This finding gets us one important step closer to realising that goal.'

‘这个发现让我们在实现这个目标的道路上卖出了重要的一步。’

Dr Ellenbogen monitored the brain activity of 12 healthy men and women who spent three nights in his sleep laboratory.

额仑伯根博士对12个健康男女的大脑活动进行了监控，这些人在他的实验室中睡了三个晚上。

The first night was nice and quiet but the next two were noisier and noisier, with 14 different sounds including alarms, traffic and talking played at increasingly loud volumes.

第一个晚上环境不错且安静。但是接下来的两个晚上却越来越嘈杂，周围有14种不同的声音，包括警报声和被放大了的交通和谈话声。

Those whose brains produced the most spindles were most immune to the noise, the journal Current Biology reports.

那些大脑产生更多纺锤波的人更容易对噪声免疫，《当代生物（Current Biology）》期刊报道说。

Spindles, which only appear when we are asleep, are generated by a brain region called the thalamus.

产生纺锤波的大脑区域叫做丘脑，它只会在我们睡着了的时候出现。

Deep inside the brain, it transmits sounds to other areas of the brain that perceive and react to them.

丘脑位于大脑深处，它把声音传递到大脑的其它区域，这些区域感应到这些声音并作出反应。

It is thought that lots of spindles are a sign of a thalamus that is hard at work blocking sounds from being processed - allowing us to sleep well.

大量的纺锤波被认为是丘脑活动频繁的征兆，这表明丘脑正在阻止妨碍我们睡眠的声音。

In other words, the brain is active even when we are asleep - and the more active the thalamus, the better we sleep.

换句话说就是，当睡着了的时候，我们的大脑仍然是活动的，并且丘脑的活动越频繁，我们就睡的越好。

Dr Ellenbogen, an expert in sleep medicine, said: 'During sleep, our neurons are busy doing very complicated processing, including, this study shows, generating sleep spindles to protect us from being awoken by noises in the environment.'

额仑伯根是睡眠医学方面的专家，他说：“在睡眠的时候，我们的神经细胞正在进行非常复杂的处理活动，包括，如报告所显示的，产生纺锤波以保护我们被环境中的噪声吵醒。”

It is not clear why some people make more spindles than others.  But learning more about the phenomenon could lead to more effective sleeping pills.

目前还不清楚为什么有些人产生的纺锤波比其他人多。但是对这个现象了解的更多，将会帮助我们制造出更有效的睡眠药品。

In the meantime, those anxious to get some shut-eye should invest in good bedding, thick curtains, keep their bedroom cool and avoid exercise before turning in.  

同时，那些对睡眠焦虑的人应该注意一下他们的床，窗帘的厚度，保持卧室的凉爽并且避免睡觉前的运动。

They should also try to go to bed and get up at the same time each day - and make others aware of their needs.

他们每天的睡觉和起床时间应该保持一致，并且也要他人知道自己的需求。

'It still doesn't hurt to put up a sign that says 'shhh!',' said Dr Ellenbogen.

“在门口贴上‘嘘……！’的纸条时无伤大雅的，”额仑伯根博士说。