爱华网Barbara A. Besteni, Staff writer
It's about 2 p.m. in Miramar, Fla. At the far end of a parkinglot serving several office buildings, Jorge Hernandez opens theback door of his 2004 Honda Accord and disappears inside.Twentyminutes later, he climbs out and heads back to his office, alertand ready to battle whatever the rest of the day has in store.It'sa ritual Hernandez follows religiously Monday through Friday.
现在是佛罗里达州Miramar市下午的两点。 供多幢大楼使用的某停车场内远端，JorgeHernandez打开他2004本田雅阁的后车门，随后消失在里面。二十分钟后，他走了出来返回办公室。此时他十分警觉、做好了应对这一天里出现任何战役的准备。这是Hernandez从周一至周五都要虔诚进行的一项仪式。
"I don't know what I'd do without my daily power nap," hesays.Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison -- allchampion power nappers -- would have agreed. It could be arguedthat Edison was the first person to turn off the lights for thesole purpose of catching some midday Zs.Research shows that a20-minute nap in the afternoon may be just what the doctor orderedto recharge your battery and increase productivity for the rest ofthe day.
他说:"不知道要是没有每天的打盹会怎么办“。达芬奇、爱因斯坦、爱迪生--所有都倡导”等量盹“的人士---都会同意他的话。可以说爱迪生是第一位关灯来获得一些午间睡眠的人。有调查表明在中午20分钟打盹也许就完全是医生在让人们给自己充电、提高一天生产力时嘱咐人们去做的事情。
Long And Short Of Naps关于打盹的重要知识
The term "power nap" was originated by Dr. James B. Maas,author of "Power Sleep: The Revolutionary Program That PreparesYour Mind for Peak Performance." Maas defines a power nap as ashort period of sleep that ends before deep, or slow-wave, sleepkicks in.Dr. Sara Mednick, a researcher from the Salk Institute forBiological Studies, lists on her Web site improved heart function,hormonal maintenance and cell repair as some of the benefits ofpower napping. Her research also indicates that power naps can liftyour moods, lower stress and improve memory and learning.But inorder to be effective, a power nap must not go on too long."I'm anap junkie,"says Peter Castellanos, a sales and marketingconsultant who credits naps for helping him stay focused duringworkdays that often go beyond 12 hours. "But if I'm asleep longerthan 15 to 20 minutes, I get cranky and moody and am worthless therest of the day."That's what happens when someone goes beyondstages I and II of the sleep cycle, Maas said in his book. Sleepcomes in five stages that repeat every 90 minutes throughout thenight. Once you enter stage III, you are in slow-wave sleep and areentering deep sleep. Waking during this stage or later produceswhat's called sleep inertia.
"能量盹"一词起源于《能量睡眠：让大脑准备好巅峰状态的革命性方法》一书作者JamesB. Maas博士。根据Maas的定义，一次”能量盹“是指在进入深（或慢波）睡眠之前的短时期睡觉。来自Salk生物研究学院的SaraMednick在她的网站上列出了这种睡眠方式的一些好处，例如：提高心脏功能、荷尔蒙保持、细胞修复。她的研究还显示“能量盹”能提高心情、减少压力、提高记忆力和学习能力。但是要让“能量盹”发挥作用的话时间就不能太长。PeterCastellanos是一位销售及营销顾问。他认为打盹帮助他能在经常超过12小时的工作时间里保持精力集中。他说:"我对打盹上瘾了，但是如果时间超过了15-20分钟，我就会脾气古怪、心情不稳定，接下来的一天我都没有成效。“Maas在他的书中称这就是在超过了睡眠周期第一、二阶段时发生的情况。睡眠一共有五个阶段。它们在晚上每90分钟循环一次。一旦你进入了第三阶段，你就处于慢波睡眠，从而进入了深度睡眠。在这个阶段或以后醒来会产生所谓的睡眠惰性。
Naps Don't Replace Long Sleep打盹不能代替夜间长久睡眠
While a 20-minute nap is a good refresher, it won't make upfor hours lost at night.Studies show that those if you lose sleepone night, your body makes up for it by increasing the amount ofdeep sleep you get the next night. But you can't catch up on sleeplost over a long period of time.If you are often sleepy, or youfind that your naps last longer than 30 minutes, it may be thatyou're not getting enough quality sleep at night.Despite thebenefits of a power nap, you still need an adequate amount of sleepevery night to perform at your best, said Maas. For some people,six hours might be adequate. Others may need eight hours or more.It's up to you to determine what amount is right for you.Thecombination of quality nighttime sleep and consistent power napswill keep you alert and consistent throughout your wakinghours."The return on investment of those 20 minutes a day isamazing," Castellanos says. "Power naps have added hours to my dayby increasing the quality of the hours I'm awake."
虽然20分钟的盹是一种很好的清醒剂，但是它不能弥补晚上漏掉的睡眠时间。有研究表明如果你有一个晚上损失了睡眠，那么你的身体会通过提高次日晚上的深度睡眠量来弥补。但是如果是长期性缺乏睡眠，那么就无法弥补。如果你会经常感到倦意、或者发现打盹时间超过了30分钟，那么也许你就没有在晚上获得足够多高质量的睡眠。Maas说尽管有“能量盹”的好处，但是人们依然要每晚获得足够睡眠量才能有最佳表现。对于一些人来说六个小时也许足够了；另一些人也许是八个或更多的时间。这要因人而定。高质量的夜间睡眠和不断的”能量盹“结合起来将能让你在醒来时间里保持警觉、表现水平一致。Castellano说:"人们重新进行每日20分钟的打盹习惯真是令人吃惊。’能量盹‘提高了我醒着时间的质量从而为我带来了更多的时间”
| Nap Tips打盹小提示 While there is no right or wrong way to take a nap, here are sometips for reaping the benefits of this midday ritual. 虽然打盹的方法没有正确和错误，但是以下是一些让人们能从这种午间仪式中获益的提示: 1. Try to schedule power naps after lunch. Experts say 2 or 3 p.m.is best. If you nap any later, you risk falling into slow-wavesleep or interfering with your regular night sleep. 1. 把“能量盹"的时间安排在午饭后。专家们认为下午2点或3点为最佳打盹时间。如果晚于3点，那么就可能进入慢波睡眠或干扰正常夜间休息。 2. Eat foods that are high in calcium and protein an hour or twobefore your nap. These foods help induce sleep. Avoid high-fatfoods and foods that are high in sugar. 2. 在打盹前一两个小时吃含钙和蛋白质高的食物。 这些食物能促进睡眠。避开高脂肪食物、和高糖量食物。 3. Use caffeine wisely. A Japanese study found that a cup of coffee20 to 30 minutes before your nap may help avoid post-napgrogginess. It takes that long for your body to feel the effects ofcaffeine. The researchers concluded that by taking a power napright after drinking a cup of coffee, you enjoy the benefits of thenap and wake up as the caffeine is kicking in. 3.巧喝咖啡。 一项日本的研究发现打盹前20-30分钟喝一杯咖啡能帮助人们避免盹后头晕。这是才让身体感到咖啡因的影响所需时间。研究者们的结论是在喝一杯咖啡后立即打盹，你会即享受到打盹的好处；而醒来时咖啡因将发挥其作用。 4. Find a quiet place where you won't be disturbed. If you're notlucky enough to have a private office and a comfy couch, yourparked car can work just as well. Remember to turn off your cellphone and, if you nap in your car, crack open a window. 4. 找个安静不会受打扰的地方。 如果你不够有幸能拥有自己的私人办公室或舒服的沙发，那么你的汽车也行。记住关掉手机，如果是在车内打盹，开一扇车窗户。 5. Make the area as dark as possible. If necessary, wear aneyeshade. Darkness stimulates melatonin, a hormone that helpsinduce sleep. 5. 让环境尽可能暗。如果必要的话，戴上眼罩。 黑暗能刺激褪黑激素。它是一种引发睡眠的荷尔蒙。 6. Keep the temperature at a comfortable level. Body temperaturedrops when you fall asleep. Keep a light blanket handy just incase. 6. 让温度保持在舒适水平。 入睡后体温会下降。旁边放好薄毯以防万一。 7. Relax. Turn off the to-do list in your mind and let yourselfgo. 7.放松。忘记头脑中的”待办事项“清单。随你而去。 8. Set an alarm. This insures you will wake before you enter deepsleep and won't miss an important meeting or appointment.  8. 设定闹钟。 这保证能让你及在进入深度睡眠之前醒来，不会错过一个重要会议或会面。 9. Be consistent. Experts suggest that working a 20-minute nap intoyour routine will help your body expect it. The more naps becomepart of your routine, the more you will reap the benefits. 9.持续进行。 专家们建议在日常安排中加进20分钟打盹会让身体对它产生期待。次数越多，你就能获得越多益处。 10. Get rid of guilt. Researchers agree that power naps are greatfor your health and productivity. Taking a nap doesn't mean you'rebeing lazy. So, stop feeling guilty. 10.消除愧疚感。 研究者们认为”能量盹“对你的健康和生产力都是相当好的。 打个盹不表明你在偷懒。所以不要再感到愧疚。 |
