如果你每晚少睡两个小时会怎样？：英语精读讲义

For many people,

对很多人来说，

sleep is a burden which they would love to do away with. 短語動詞

睡觉是一种负担，他们巴不得彻底摆脱它。

I mean, imagine how much more you could do in a day with two extra hours.

我的意思是，想象一下，如果每天多出两个小时，你能多做多少事。

But what would actually happen if you cut out two hours of your sleep every night? 短語動詞

但如果你每晚少睡两个小时，究竟会发生什么？

First, we need to understand how much sleep your body and brain actually need.

首先，我们得弄清楚你的身体和大脑究竟需要多少睡眠。

The vast majority of research on the topic 短語搭配

关于这个话题，绝大多数研究

has concluded that around 8 hours of sleep is optimal for the average person.

都得出结论：对普通人来说，睡大约 8 小时最为理想。

But today, almost 50% of people get 6 hours or less each night.

但如今，近 50% 的人每晚只睡 6 小时或更少。

Now, the first night of less sleep may actually trigger the mesolimbic system,

少睡后的第一个晚上，实际上可能会激活中脑边缘系统，

releasing dopamine and giving you a sense of adrenaline.

释放多巴胺，让你产生一种肾上腺素飙升的感觉。

But your brain slowly begins to shut off the areas associated with planning and making decisions. 短語動詞

但你的大脑会慢慢开始关闭与规划和决策有关的区域。

And even though you may still feel fine getting 6 hours, 語法

即使只睡 6 小时，你可能仍觉得自己状态不错，

the truth is actually much darker and worrisome than you might realize.

但真相其实比你意识到的更加可怕，也更令人担忧。

Scientists use a technique known as psychomotor vigilance tasks or PVTs 文化背景

科学家在研究中会采用一种叫作“精神运动警觉测试”（PVT）的方法

to understand the impact of sleep deprivation on humans in studies.

来了解睡眠不足对人类的影响。

Simply put, it's a reaction test. 表達脈絡

简单来说，这是一项反应测试。

A red button randomly turns green,

一个红色按钮会随机变成绿色，

and people have to push it as fast as possible. 語法

测试者必须尽快按下它。

Not so surprisingly, those who get 8 hours of sleep over a 2-week period

不出所料，在两周内每晚睡 8 小时的人

show very few lapses in attention and no cognitive declines. 用詞

几乎不会出现注意力失误，认知能力也没有下降。

But those groups that received either 6 or 4 hours of sleep

但每晚只睡 6 小时或 4 小时的两组人

see declining PVT results on almost a daily basis for the entire 2-week period. 短語搭配

在整整两周内，PVT 测试成绩几乎每天都在下降。

Of course, the 4-hour group performs the worst.

当然，4 小时组的表现最差。

But these results don't just show a loss of concentration, 表達脈絡

但这些结果显示的不只是注意力下降，

they show full lapses in awareness called microsleeps. 用詞

还显示他们出现了被称为“微睡眠”的短暂意识完全中断。

In other words, their brains aren't just slower, 表達脈絡

换句话说，他们的大脑不只是反应变慢，

but shutting off for moments at a time.

而是会时不时短暂“关机”。

When looking at the results deeper,

进一步分析这些结果后，

scientists concluded that getting 6 hours of sleep for 10 days in a row 短語搭配

科学家得出结论：连续 10 天每晚只睡 6 小时

was the same as not sleeping for 24 hours straight.

相当于连续 24 小时不睡觉。

That's the same cognitive decline as being legally drunk. 用詞

这种认知能力下降的程度，与达到法定醉酒标准时一样。

And if you get 4 hours of sleep for 11 days,

如果连续 11 天每晚只睡 4 小时，

it's like you haven't slept for 48 hours straight.

就相当于连续 48 小时没睡觉。

These studies also show that participants were not at all aware of their cognitive declines. 短語搭配

这些研究还表明，参与者完全没有意识到自己的认知能力正在下降。

In other words, when you're tired,

换句话说，当你疲惫时，

it's like being that drunk person at a party 表達脈絡

就像派对上那个喝醉的人，

who insists that they can drive home fine.

坚称自己开车回家完全没问题。

Other tests show that your ability to memorize and retain information 用詞

其他测试显示，你记忆和保留信息的能力，

or even do simple math or problem solving decline at similar rates. 短語搭配

甚至进行简单计算或解决问题的能力，也会以相近的速度下降。

But perhaps the scariest fact is that even after one night of 4 or 5 hours of sleep,

但也许最可怕的是，哪怕只有一晚只睡 4 到 5 小时，

your natural killer cells, which stop cancer cells from proliferating in your body, 文化背景

体内负责阻止癌细胞增殖的自然杀伤细胞

drop by 70%. 語法

也会减少 70%。

You're also more likely to catch a cold because your immune system is weakened, 短語搭配

你也更容易感冒，因为你的免疫系统会变弱，

which is why when we're sick, we feel compelled to sleep so much. 講解

这也解释了为什么生病时，我们会特别想睡觉。

Chronic lack of sleep is also linked to bowel, prostate, and breast cancer, 短語搭配

长期睡眠不足还与肠癌、前列腺癌和乳腺癌有关，

and people over 45 who sleep under 6 hours a night

而每晚睡眠不足 6 小时的 45 岁以上人群

are also 200% more likely to have a heart attack or a stroke. 用詞

心脏病发作或中风的风险也会增加 200%。

Even the World Health Organization

就连世界卫生组织

has classified any form of nighttime shift work as a probable carcinogen. 講解

也已将任何形式的夜间轮班工作列为很可能致癌的因素。

So, even though you may swear that cutting 2 hours of sleep makes you so much more productive 講解

所以，即使你信誓旦旦地说，少睡 2 小时能让你的效率大幅提高，

and that you don't feel any worse, 語法

而且你并没有觉得状态变差，

just remember that every single day your cognitive abilities continue to decrease,

也要记住，你的认知能力其实每天都在持续下降，

costing you much more than you may have bargained for. 講解

让你付出的代价远比预想的更大。

Be sure to check out our latest video

别忘了看看我们的最新视频，

where we challenged ourselves to wear every single piece of plastic we used for 7 days

在视频中，我们挑战自己，把 7 天内用过的每一件塑料制品都穿戴在身上，

while living our normal life in public, which was insanely embarrassing.

同时还要在公共场合照常生活，简直尴尬到爆。

We really want to make more content that can affect people's lives and the planet,

我们真的很想制作更多能对人们的生活和地球产生影响的内容，

and this one has a ton of cool science in it, 用詞

而这期视频里有大量超酷的科学知识，

but wasn't seen by that many people,

但看到它的人并不多，

so we really appreciate you checking it out. 語氣意圖

所以非常感谢你愿意去看看。

And if you want to learn more about sleep and pushing yourself,

如果你想进一步了解睡眠和挑战自我，

our latest podcast is about hustle culture and touches on a variety of studies related to stress, sleep, 講解

我们最新一期播客探讨了“拼命工作文化”，也谈到了多项与压力、睡眠有关的研究，

and how much you should be working to optimize your results.

以及为了获得最佳成果，你到底应该工作多久。

We'll leave links in the description.

我们会把链接放在简介中。

Otherwise, be sure to subscribe for more,

另外，别忘了订阅，获取更多内容，

and we'll see you next time for another video.

我们下期视频再见。