每个人一生中大约有26年的时间都是在睡梦中度过的。正因如此，我们乐于谈论自己睡眠的质量并且想办法让自己睡得更好。在过去10年里，有关睡眠的研究成果丰硕。本文总结了目前对于睡眠意义的各项研究结论。
词汇：sleep 睡觉，睡眠
"I'm knackered - have you got any tips for a good night's sleep?" Not only is sleep a common feature of our small talk, we've also spent decades trying to understand and explain it. After all, we spend on average 26 years of our lives asleep. So, what do we know? Here are the highlights of the last decade of research.
One of the most intriguing developments is in the study of lucid dreaming – it seems it's possible to communicate with people while they're sleeping. In a study called 'Real-time dialogue between experimenters and dreamers during REM sleep', researchers asked questions to participants in a lucid dream. The dreamers signalled the answers using pre-agreed eye or facial movements. They were accurate, suggesting they could access their cognitive functions such as working memory while sleeping. This interaction between dreamworld and reality has brought excitement to the sleep science community.
Sleep can also help our memory and problem-solving. A 2023 review of research by Denis and Cairney noted that brain regions that are used to learn new things, are reactivated during sleep. That means while we're sleeping, our brains replay our memories of what happened during the day, which is believed to be crucial for memory retention. And, if you've ever felt it was best to sleep on a tricky problem and solve it in the morning, you might have scientific backing! A 2019 study by Sanders and colleagues found that people were more likely to solve a tricky problem the next day if the problem had been activated in their brains during sleep. So, if you're stuck, rest up and return to it in the morning.
What if you're unlucky enough to suffer with sleep deprivation? Unfortunately, you may be at higher risk of negative moods and worse emotional regulation, according to a 2021 meta-analysis called 'The effect of sleep deprivation and restriction on mood, emotion, and emotion regulation'. The good news is there are plenty of tips to help you with your sleep hygiene. The UK's National Health Service recommends having a set time to start winding down, meditation before bed, which they call 'beditation', and avoiding caffeine before bed.
词汇表
knackered 筋疲力尽的
a good night's sleep 睡个好觉
asleep 睡着的
lucid dreaming 清醒梦，在做梦时保持思考和记忆能力
dreamer 睡梦中的人
REM sleep 快速动眼睡眠
cognitive functions 认知功能
working memory 工作记忆，一种持续时间较短的记忆
dreamworld 梦中世界，梦境
memory retention 记忆保持，在记忆中保留信息或经验
sleep on something 把…留到下一天再作决定
rest up 得到充分休息
sleep deprivation 睡眠不足
sleep hygiene 睡眠健康
wind down 逐渐放松
beditation 睡前冥想
caffeine *
测验与练习
1. 阅读课文并回答问题。
1. What discovery has been made about lucid dreaming?
2. What does our brain do to help us retain memories?
3. True or False? Sleeping on a problem can help us to solve it.
4. What are two things that can be negatively impacted by sleep deprivation?
5. What are some tips to help improve sleep quality?
2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。
1. Before making any big decisions, it's always best to ________ it.
sleep on
rest up
wind down
beditate
2. After eight hours' hiking, he was absolutely ________ and ready for bed.
wound down
asleep
rested
knackered
3. After a stressful day, all you need is a ________.
sleep deprivation
dreamworld
sleep hygiene
good night's sleep
4. Practising good ________ can greatly improve the quality of your rest.
sleep deprivation
sleep hygiene
sleep loss
sleep dreams
5. She couldn't stop thinking about work, so she read a book to ________ before going to sleep.
sleep on
rest up
wind down
beditate
答案
1. 阅读课文并回答问题。
1. What discovery has been made about lucid dreaming?
Researchers have found it's possible to communicate with people during lucid dreams, and that dreamers seem to be able to access cognitive functions such as working memory.
2. What does our brain do while sleeping to help us retain memories?
While we're sleeping, our brains replay our memories of what happened during the day, which is believed to be crucial for memory retention.
3. True or False? Sleeping on a problem can help us to solve it.
True. A 2019 study by Sanders and colleagues found that people were more likely to solve a tricky problem the next day if the problem had been activated in their brains during sleep.
4. What are two things that can be negatively impacted by sleep deprivation?
According to a 2021 meta-analysis, those suffering from sleep deprivation are at higher risk of negative moods and worse emotional regulation.
5. What are some tips to help improve sleep quality?
The UK's National Health Service recomm
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