In 1965, 17-year-old high school student, Randy Gardner stayed awake for 264 hours. That's 11 days to see how he'd cope without sleep. On the second day, his eyes stopped focusing. Next, he lost the ability to identify objects by touch. By day three, Gardner was moody and uncoordinated. At the end of the experiment, he was struggling to concentrate, had trouble with short-term memory, became paranoid, and started hallucinating. Although Gardner recovered without long-term psychological or physical damage, for others, losing shuteye can result in hormonal imbalance, illness, and, in extreme cases, death.
1965 年 有一位叫蘭迪迦納的 17 歲高中生 連續 264 小時沒有睡覺 我們來看看他是如何度過這 11 天的 在第二天,他的視覺模糊不清 也無法藉由觸覺辨別物體 到了第三天,迦納變得喜怒無常 且身體不協調 實驗結束時 他集中精神必須非常費力 短期記憶有問題 他變得偏執 並且開始出現幻覺 雖然迦納後來恢復健康 而且身心沒有受到長期的傷害 但對於其他人 失眠可能會導致荷爾蒙分泌失調 疾病
We're only beginning to understand why we sleep to begin with, but we do know it's essential. Adults need seven to eight hours of sleep a night, and adolescents need about ten. We grow sleepy due to signals from our body telling our brain we are tired, and signals from the environment telling us it's dark outside. The rise in sleep-inducing chemicals, like adenosine and melatonin, send us into a light doze that grows deeper, making our breathing and heart rate slow down and our muscles relax. This non-REM sleep is when DNA is repaired and our bodies replenish themselves for the day ahead.
甚至在最極端的情況下,會死亡 我們僅初步了解 為什麼我們非常需要睡眠 但我們很清楚睡眠是不可或缺的 成人每晚需要 7 至 8 小時的睡眠 而青少年則需要大約 10 小時 我們有睡意 是因為身體發出訊號 告訴大腦我們累了 以及從環境得知外面天色昏暗 令人欲睡的化學物質逐漸增加 例如腺苷酸和褪黑激素 使我們覺得睏,漸漸入睡 使我們的呼吸和心跳速率減慢 以及肌肉放鬆 「快速動眼期」讓 DNA 修復 我們的身體會重新充電 以迎接新的一天
In the United States, it's estimated that 30% of adults and 66% of adolescents are regularly sleep-deprived. This isn't just a minor inconvenience. Staying awake can cause serious bodily harm. When we lose sleep, learning, memory, mood, and reaction time are affected. Sleeplessness may also cause inflammation, halluciations, high blood pressure, and it's even been linked to diabetes and obesity.
在美國 大約有 30% 的成人 和 66% 的少年 經常睡眠不足 這不只是件小事 長時間保持清醒 會對人體造成嚴重的傷害 當我們失眠時 學習 記憶 情緒 和反應時間都會受到影響 失眠也可能引起發炎 產生幻覺 高血壓 甚至跟糖尿病與肥胖有關
In 2014, a devoted soccer fan died after staying awake for 48 hours to watch the World Cup. While his untimely death was due to a stroke, studies show that chronically sleeping fewer than six hours a night increases stroke risk by four and half times compared to those getting a consistent seven to eight hours of shuteye. For a handful of people on the planet who carry a rare inherited genetic mutation, sleeplessness is a daily reality. This condition, known as Fatal Familial Insomnia, places the body in a nightmarish state of wakefulness, forbidding it from entering the sanctuary of sleep. Within months or years, this progressively worsening condition leads to dementia and death.
2014 年 有一位忠實的球迷死亡 因為他連續看了 48 小時的世界盃 使他在年輕時,就無預警的中風死亡 研究顯示 長期睡眠少於 6 小時的人 相較於穩定睡眠 7 至 8 小時的人 中風機率增加 4.5 倍 全球有極少數人 天生有一種罕見的基因突變 失眠是他們的家常便飯 這種情況叫做「致命性家族失眠症」 患者的身體陷於惡夢般的失眠狀態 使他們無法入睡 經年累月下來 逐漸惡化會導致痴呆與死亡
How can sleep deprivation cause such immense suffering? Scientists think the answer lies with the accumulation of waste prducts in the brain.
「睡眠不足」是如何 造成如此巨大的痛苦呢? 科學家認為是因為腦部 不斷累積的廢物
During our waking hours, our cells are busy using up our day's energy sources, which get broken down into various byproducts, including adenosine. As adenosine builds up, it increases the urge to sleep, also known as sleep pressure. In fact, caffeine works by blocking adenosine's receptor pathways. Other waste products also build up in the brain, and if they're not cleared away, they collectively overload the brain and are thought to lead to the many negative symptoms of sleep deprivation.
我們清醒的時候 體內的細胞忙於消耗一日的熱量 分解成各類的代謝物 包括腺苷酸 當腺苷酸逐漸增加 便會增加人的睡意,又名睡眠壓力 事實上 咖啡因會阻斷腺苷酸接收的途徑 腦內的其他廢物也會累積起來 如果不把它清除 便會成為腦部的負荷
So, what's happening in our brain when we sleep to prevent this? Scientists found something called the glymphatic system, a clean-up mechanism that removes this buildup and is much more active when we're asleep. It works by using cerebrospinal fluid to flush away toxic byproducts that accumulate between cells. Lymphatic vessels, which serve as pathways for immune cells, have recently been discovered in the brain, and they may also play a role in clearing out the brain's daily waste products.
我們認為失眠是眾多症狀的元兇 我們睡眠時,腦部是如何 防止廢物堆積呢? 科學家發現了「腦部淋巴系統」 那是一項清除廢物的機制 我們入睡時,這個系統特別活躍 它利用腦脊液來沖走 累積於腦細胞間的有毒廢物 做為免疫細胞運作途徑的淋巴管 最近已發現在大腦中 它們可能和清理 腦部的日常廢物有關
While scientists continue exploring the restorative mechanisms behind sleep, we can be sure that slipping into slumber is a necessity if we want to maintain our health and our sanity.
在科學家繼續探索 睡眠修復機制的同時 我們可以肯定的是 如果我們想要保持健康和理智 足夠的睡眠絕對不能少