人類需要冬眠嗎? Do humans need to hibernate, too? What the research shows
中國日報(bào)網(wǎng) 2024-01-23 17:30
自打入冬以來,相信很多人每天早上都會(huì)和自己的被窩上演一出“生死離別”的大戲。
特別是那些每天都要早起的“上班族”和“上學(xué)族”,不管鬧鐘響了幾次總是感覺睡不醒、不想和被窩分開,這是咋回事兒呢?
難道一到冬天人類也是會(huì)像動(dòng)物一樣要冬眠嗎?
“If you feel like sleeping more in the winter, you’re not alone,” said Dr. Raj Dasgupta, an associate professor of clinical medicine at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, California, citing research that found at least a third of American adults reported they sleep more in the winter.
加利福尼亞州帕薩迪納亨廷頓紀(jì)念醫(yī)院臨床醫(yī)學(xué)副教授拉吉·達(dá)斯古普塔博士說:"如果你覺得冬天睡得更多,那你并不孤單。"他引用的研究發(fā)現(xiàn),至少有三分之一的美國成年人表示他們在冬天睡得更多。
一直以來,我們都認(rèn)為,與動(dòng)物相比,季節(jié)對人類睡眠的影響微乎其微。直到2023年2月發(fā)表的一項(xiàng)研究發(fā)現(xiàn),事實(shí)并非如此。
The 188 patients who underwent sleep studies at St. Hedwig Hospital in Berlin slept about an hour longer in winter than they did in summer, which the authors said wasn’t statistically significant. But participants did get 30 more minutes of rapid eye movement, or REM, sleep during winter.
在柏林圣赫德維格醫(yī)院接受睡眠研究的188名實(shí)驗(yàn)對象在冬季比夏季多睡了約一個(gè)小時(shí),研究作者認(rèn)為這并不具有統(tǒng)計(jì)學(xué)意義。但參與者在冬季的快速眼動(dòng)睡眠時(shí)間確實(shí)多了30分鐘。
The REM phase of sleep is the sweet spot of sleep cycles, characterized by more dreaming and faster heart rate and breathing than in other stages. It’s “an essential stage of sleep that helps with memory, concentration, mood regulation and immune function,” Dasgupta said.
快速眼動(dòng)睡眠階段是睡眠周期中的高質(zhì)量睡眠階段,其特點(diǎn)是比其他階段做夢更多,心率和呼吸更快。達(dá)斯古普塔說:"這是一個(gè)重要的睡眠階段,有助于提高記憶、集中注意力、情緒調(diào)節(jié)和改善免疫功能。
The desire for, or occurrence of, more sleep during winter may have to do with how light fluctuates throughout the year.
在冬季渴望或出現(xiàn)更多睡眠,可能與全年的光照波動(dòng)有關(guān)。
光線如何影響睡眠
“Our bodies receive cues from the sun when it comes to our circadian rhythm, meaning that when it is bright outside we tend to be active, but when the sun goes down, you may tend to feel tired,” Dasgupta said. “The decrease in sunlight causes an increase in melatonin, a hormone made in the body that regulates sleep-wake cycles.”
達(dá)斯古普塔說:"在晝夜節(jié)律方面,我們的身體會(huì)接受來自太陽的提示,也就是說,當(dāng)室外陽光明媚時(shí),我們往往會(huì)很興奮,但當(dāng)太陽下山時(shí),你可能會(huì)感到疲憊。"陽光的減少會(huì)導(dǎo)致褪黑素的增加,褪黑素是人體內(nèi)產(chǎn)生的一種調(diào)節(jié)睡眠-清醒周期的激素。
With the earlier production of melatonin during winter, “it would be natural to assume that a healthy person also would need more sleep during the winter,” said Dr. Carleara Weiss, a research assistant professor in the Center for Nursing Research at the University of Buffalo.
布法羅大學(xué)護(hù)理研究中心研究助理教授卡麗拉·韋斯博士說:“由于冬季褪黑素分泌較早,我們自然會(huì)認(rèn)為健康的人在冬季也需要更多睡眠。”
And light influences not only sleep quantity but also sleep quality. “REM sleep is highly affected by light and darkness, so when during the winter months we have less light, the body is going to basically overcompensate by giving more REM sleep,” said Dr. Joshua Tal, a New York City-based clinical psychologist specializing in sleep issues.
光照不僅影響睡眠時(shí)間,而且影響睡眠質(zhì)量。紐約市睡眠問題臨床心理學(xué)家約書亞·塔爾博士說:"快速眼動(dòng)睡眠受光照和黑暗的影響很大,因此當(dāng)冬季光照減少時(shí),身體基本上會(huì)通過提供更多的快速眼動(dòng)睡眠來過度補(bǔ)償。”
Humans still don’t need to hibernate, Weiss said, nor can we afford to due to our social and occupational obligations. “But we can make adjustments to perform in a better way, to rest in a better way during winter,” she said.
韋斯說,人類不需要冬眠,由于我們的社會(huì)和職業(yè)義務(wù),我們也無法冬眠。"但我們可以做出調(diào)整,在冬季以更好的方式活動(dòng),以更好的方式休息。
“To help our bodies make this transition from sleep to wake, it’s important to have light exposure in the morning during winter months,” Weiss said. “Along with that, it’s important to keep a consistent bedtime and wake-up times.”
韋斯說:"為了幫助我們的身體完成從睡眠到清醒的過渡,在冬季的早晨進(jìn)行光照是很重要的。與此同時(shí),保持一致的就寢和起床時(shí)間也很重要。”