If you equate getting older with needing—or getting—less sleep, here’s a wake-up call: It's not true! “The majority of us require between seven and nine hours of shut-eye a night," says Robert Oexman, D.C., director of the Sleep to Live Institute. “And there’s little reason—whether you’re 55 or 80—not to get it.” Barring disease, medication and pain (all legitimate sleep interrupters), if patients complain of bad sleep, Dr. Oexman looks at their nighttime habits, where the problem almost always resides.
如果你認(rèn)為人慢慢長(zhǎng)大變老，需要或得到的睡眠更少，那我來(lái)提醒你吧，不是這樣的！睡眠與生命研究所所長(zhǎng)，脊骨神經(jīng)科醫(yī)師羅伯特·歐克斯曼說(shuō)道：“大多數(shù)人每晚需要7-9小時(shí)的睡眠時(shí)間。無(wú)論你是55還是80歲，都應(yīng)該做到這一點(diǎn)?！奔膊?、藥物和疼痛除外（這些都可能會(huì)干擾睡眠），如果病人抱怨睡不好覺(jué)，歐克斯曼醫(yī)師會(huì)查看其晚間生活習(xí)慣來(lái)發(fā)現(xiàn)問(wèn)題所在。

So, how are you sabotaging your z-z-z-z-z’s?
所以，你是怎樣破壞自己的睡眠的呢？

Bad Habit #1: Watching TV until you fall asleep?
壞習(xí)慣一：看電視看到睡著

Why It Disrupts Sleep: It has nothing to do with what you watch—Downton Abbey isn’t a better pre-sleep choice than Dog the Bounty Hunter. Rather it’s the exposure to TV’s bright light that’s the culprit. Artificial bright light after dusk not only enhances alertness, but also delays the production of melatonin, a sleep-inducing hormone. So even if you nod off (in front of the TV, for example), you probably won’t stay asleep for long.
為什么會(huì)影響睡眠：這和你看什么節(jié)目沒(méi)有任何關(guān)系，因?yàn)椤短祁D莊園》并不是比《賞金獵人》更好的睡前節(jié)目。反而是暴露在電視強(qiáng)光下才是影響你睡眠的罪魁禍?zhǔn)?。天黑后的人造?qiáng)光不僅讓人增加警惕性，而且會(huì)延遲體內(nèi)睡眠荷爾蒙——褪黑素的生成。所以即使你打盹了（比如在電視機(jī)前），你很可能也睡不了多久。

EZZZ Fix: An hour before bedtime, treat yourself like a baby: a warm bath, followed by a quiet activity in dim light—meditation, journal writing, reading. But no reading or writing on your computer before bed or in the middle of the night. (Almost half of the respondents in the AOL Email Addiction survey admitted to checking email during the night. If that’s you, keep technology out of the bedroom.)
解決方法：睡前一小時(shí)，讓自己像嬰兒一樣：洗個(gè)熱水澡，在暗淡的燈光下做些安靜的事情-冥想，寫(xiě)日記，閱讀。但是睡前或者半夜絕對(duì)不能在電腦上閱讀或者寫(xiě)東西。（幾乎一半?yún)⑴c美國(guó)在線(xiàn)電子郵件上癮調(diào)查的人們承認(rèn)晚間會(huì)查看電子郵件。如果你也是這樣，那么記得把高科技關(guān)在臥室外面吧。）

Bad Habit #2: Sleeping with Fido
壞習(xí)慣二：抱狗狗睡覺(jué)

??Why It Disrupts Sleep: While animal-lovers argue the emotional benefits of sharing a pillow with their pets, research shows that pets can contribute to less than sound sleep. How? “Pets have different circadian rhythms than humans," says Oexman. “They sleep most of the day, and they shift a lot when sleeping—they get comfortable, then they move. This goes on all night, and whether you admit it or not, it interrupts your ability to get the level of sleep needed to feel rested." (As for pet dander and allergies—sneezing and wheezing are not great sleep enhancers.)
為什么會(huì)影響睡眠：動(dòng)物愛(ài)好者認(rèn)為和寵物一起睡覺(jué)有情感上的益處，然而研究表明寵物實(shí)際上會(huì)影響睡眠。這是怎么回事呢？“寵物和人有著不同的生理節(jié)律，”歐克斯曼說(shuō)，“他們每天大多數(shù)時(shí)候都會(huì)睡，睡覺(jué)的時(shí)候經(jīng)常動(dòng)-他們覺(jué)得舒服，然后就會(huì)動(dòng)。整晚都會(huì)這樣，而且無(wú)論你承認(rèn)與否，你都會(huì)不知不覺(jué)被影響而達(dá)不到自己需要的睡眠程度。（至于寵物皮屑和各種過(guò)敏導(dǎo)致的打噴嚏和喘息都是會(huì)影響睡眠的因素。）

EZZZ Fix: For two weeks, put your pooch or cat in a crate outside your closed bedroom door. When your pet can sleep quietly in the crate, move the crate inside your room for another two weeks. When the crate training is complete, try letting the dog or cat sleep in his own bed near your bed. Discourage all attempts to jump on your bed and reward all successes for staying in his own bed. (Caveat: Plan on interrupted sleep for a few weeks.)
解決方法：堅(jiān)持兩個(gè)星期，把家里的狗狗或者貓咪裝在板條箱里，把箱子放在臥室外面，然后關(guān)起門(mén)來(lái)。等你的寵物可以在板條箱里安靜地睡覺(jué)時(shí)，再把板條箱搬進(jìn)臥室里面放兩個(gè)星期。等這個(gè)板條箱里的訓(xùn)練完成時(shí)，試著讓狗狗或者貓咪在離你床近的地方趴在自己的窩里睡。阻止它所有試圖跳上你的床的嘗試，獎(jiǎng)勵(lì)它乖乖在自己床上睡覺(jué)。（告誡：計(jì)劃好有幾個(gè)星期會(huì)睡不好覺(jué)。）

?Bad Habit #3: Exercising too close to bedtime?
壞習(xí)慣三：臨睡前做運(yùn)動(dòng)

Why It Disrupts Sleep: Remember how poorly you sleep when you have a fever—drifting in and out, never really feeling rested? Well, heavy exercise too close to bedtime has the same effect—it raises your core body temperature so that your sleep is fragmented at best until your body temperature drops to normal, which may take several hours.
為什么會(huì)影響睡眠：記得你發(fā)燒的時(shí)候睡眠多么糟糕么——模模糊糊地睡著醒來(lái)，都沒(méi)怎么休息好。其實(shí)睡前做運(yùn)動(dòng)是一樣的結(jié)果——這讓你身體的核心體溫升高，所以你的睡眠會(huì)斷斷續(xù)續(xù)直到你的體溫降到正常范圍，這可能會(huì)需要好幾個(gè)小時(shí)。

EZZZ Fix: No hardcore exercise at least three hours before bedtime, so when you lay your sleepy head on the pillow, your body temp is normal. Also, keep the bedroom temperature between 65-58 degrees for the ideal sleeping climate. Too cold for you? Pile on the blankets; just make sure your head (no stocking cap, please) is exposed to the cooler air to help regulate your body temperature.
解決方案：睡前至少三小時(shí)內(nèi)不要?jiǎng)×疫\(yùn)動(dòng)，這樣當(dāng)你疲倦的腦袋沾到枕頭時(shí)，你的體溫才是正常的。同時(shí)，最理想的睡眠條件是保持臥室溫度在65-58華氏度（18.3-20攝氏度）之間。對(duì)你來(lái)說(shuō)太冷？多蓋上幾層毯子；保證你的腦袋（請(qǐng)別戴絨線(xiàn)帽）置于冷空氣中，幫助調(diào)節(jié)體溫。

Bad Habit #4: Drinking too much liquid before bedtime
?壞習(xí)慣四：睡前大量喝水

Why It Disrupts Sleep: The short answer—you have to get up and pee frequently.
為什么會(huì)影響睡眠：答案很簡(jiǎn)單-你需要頻繁起床去衛(wèi)生間。

EZZZ Fix: Need we also mention that coffee, tea, and colas, are not only diuretics, but also stimulants? Stop drinking caffeinated drinks after lunch and other liquids at least three hours before bedtime because peeing at night and aging do not automatically go hand in hand—unless you suffer from a prostate issue, sleep apnea, or weak pelvic muscles, in which case, see your doc for help with the related sleep issues.
解決方法：還需要跟你講咖啡、茶和可樂(lè)類(lèi)飲料不僅利尿，而且有刺激作用么？不要在午飯后喝咖啡因飲料，至少睡前三小時(shí)也不要喝其他東西。因?yàn)橥砩仙蠋退ダ喜](méi)有緊密聯(lián)系，除非你有前列腺疾病，睡眠呼吸暫?；蛘吲枨患∪獯嗳?，如果是這些情況，就去請(qǐng)醫(yī)生幫忙解決和睡眠相關(guān)的問(wèn)題吧。

?Bad Habit #5: Eating fatty, heavy foods too close to bedtime?
壞習(xí)慣五：睡前吃油膩且難消化的食物

Why It Disrupts Sleep: Heartburn strikes anyone of any age, but it’s the most common GI disorder in older adults. If you’ve ever tried to go to sleep after eating a fatty meal, you’ve probably found the discomfort of stomach acids leaking into your esophagus less than conducive to falling asleep or staying asleep.
為什么影響睡眠：任何人任何年齡都可能會(huì)胃灼熱，但這是老年人最常見(jiàn)的胃腸失調(diào)毛病。如果你試過(guò)在吃了一頓很油膩的飯后去睡覺(jué)，你可能會(huì)感受到由于胃酸進(jìn)入食道而引起的不舒服，這不利于入睡或進(jìn)入睡眠狀態(tài)。

EZZZ Fix: Try to eat your last meal of the day at least 2-3 hours before bed time. Should you feel peckish before bed, consider a carbohydrate-rich snack. "Carbs stimulate melatonin production," says Dr. Oexman, "so have a (normal size) bowl of cereal, a half a bagel with a spread of hummus, or a small boiled potato." Or maybe have a serving of jasmine rice. According to the Journal of Clinical Nutrition, eating jasmine rice helped people in a study fall asleep faster than other types of rice. Who knew?
解決方案：嘗試至少在入睡前2-3小時(shí)吃每天的最后一頓飯。如果你睡前肚子餓，考慮下富含碳水化合物的小吃吧?！疤妓衔锬艽碳ね屎诩に氐纳桑睔W克斯曼醫(yī)師說(shuō)道，“所以來(lái)一碗（正常大小的碗）麥片，半個(gè)抹著鷹嘴豆沙的百吉餅，或者一個(gè)小點(diǎn)的煮土豆?！被蛘叱渣c(diǎn)香米。根據(jù)《臨床營(yíng)養(yǎng)學(xué)雜志》的一項(xiàng)調(diào)查研究，吃了香米的人比吃了其他種類(lèi)的大米的人入睡更快。誰(shuí)知道呢？

Bad Habit #6: Accepting snoring as normal sleep behavior
壞習(xí)慣六：明明睡覺(jué)打呼，卻放棄治療

Why It Disrupts Sleep: Snoring may seem as common as breathing, but it's considered the biggest sleep disrupter, and it's linked to several causes: sleeping on your back, being overweight, having a cold or allergies, drinking, or taking certain medications. At its most serious, it's caused by apnea, a potentially life-threatening illness. For the snorer, it disrupts sleep by awakening him/her every so often in order to breathe normally. For the partner, the noise can be deafening.
為什么影響睡眠：打鼾也許看似和呼吸一樣正常，但它其實(shí)是擾亂睡眠的最重要因素，導(dǎo)致打呼嚕的原因有好幾種：仰著睡，超重，感冒/過(guò)敏，喝酒或者吃藥。最嚴(yán)重的情形是，打呼是由呼吸暫停引起的一種威脅生命的潛在疾病。因?yàn)榇蚝魢５娜嗣扛粢欢螘r(shí)間會(huì)醒來(lái)以保證正常呼吸，所以睡眠不可避免會(huì)被影響。

EZZZ Fix: For minor problems, try the obvious; lose weight, sleep on your side, take decongestants if you have a cold. In addition, Dr. Oexman recommends using a mouthguard, which is a non-invasive way to open the breathing passages. To rule out or diagnose apnea, consult your doctor. And never dismiss snoring as just a nuisance until you’ve discovered the underlying cause. That means no separate bedrooms as the quick fix.
解決方案：對(duì)于小問(wèn)題，試試顯而易見(jiàn)的方法：減肥，側(cè)臥，感冒了服用去充血?jiǎng)?。除此之外，歐克斯曼醫(yī)師推薦使用牙托，以一種非侵入式的方式打開(kāi)呼吸道。去看醫(yī)生以排除或者診斷呼吸暫停。而且在你發(fā)現(xiàn)潛在原因之前，永遠(yuǎn)不要認(rèn)為打呼沒(méi)什么大不了，而將它輕易打發(fā)掉。也就是說(shuō)，不要將分房睡作為解決打呼問(wèn)題的直接方案。

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