人类在21世纪的无眠夜
文章来源:未知 文章作者:enread 发布时间:2021-02-27 05:01 字体: [ ]  进入论坛
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It's early in the morning and I've hardly caught any shuteye. My breakfast of scrambled1 eggs and strong coffee will keep me alert before lunch. After lunch, I'll brace2 myself for an afternoon of yawning and feeling cranky in the office.
 
But I'm not alone. We all seem to be yawning more often. Are we turning into a generation of insomniacs? How is modern life affecting our sleep patterns?
 
We can start by blaming the light bulb and other forms of artificial illumination. Experts say that on average people go to bed and wake up two hours later than the previous generation. Then, there are the computers. Research led by Professor Charles Czeisler of Harvard Medical School has shown that people who read electronic books before going to bed take longer to nod off. They have lower levels of melatonin - the hormone3 that regulates our body's internal clock. And they're less alert in the morning.
 
Professor Czeisler said: "In the past 50 years, there's been a decline in average sleep duration and quality. Since more people are choosing electronic devices for reading, communication and entertainment, particularly children and adolescents who already experience significant sleep loss, epidemiological research evaluating the long-term consequences of these devices on health and safety is urgently needed."
 
So the first thing to do if you want to have a restful night is to leave computers out of the bedroom. Avoid alcohol, as it might reduce our cycles of REM sleep – this is the 'rapid eye movement' sleep, when our brains process the information we received during the day. It disrupts your brain activity. And don't eat nuts, bacon and cheese in the evening. They contain a substance which triggers the release of a brain stimulant4.
 
After that, if you still can't sleep, start counting sheep. Maybe that's the best technique to avoid another afternoon of yawning in the office.


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1 scrambled 2e4a1c533c25a82f8e80e696225a73f2     
v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 );攀登;争夺;(军事飞机)紧急起飞
参考例句:
  • Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
2 brace 0WzzE     
n. 支柱,曲柄,大括号; v. 绷紧,顶住,(为困难或坏事)做准备
参考例句:
  • My daughter has to wear a brace on her teeth. 我的女儿得戴牙套以矫正牙齿。
  • You had better brace yourself for some bad news. 有些坏消息,你最好做好准备。
3 hormone uyky3     
n.荷尔蒙,激素,内分泌
参考例句:
  • Hormone implants are used as growth boosters.激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。
  • This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body.这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。
4 stimulant fFKy4     
n.刺激物,兴奋剂
参考例句:
  • It is used in medicine for its stimulant quality.由于它有兴奋剂的特性而被应用于医学。
  • Musk is used for perfume and stimulant.麝香可以用作香料和兴奋剂。
TAG标签: coffee sleep lunch
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