Many travelers face a common problem: jet lag.
许多旅行者面临一个共同的问题:时差反应。
It is the feeling of tiredness people get when traveling a long distance, resulting in a difference in daylight hours.
这是指人们在长途旅行时所感受到的疲劳感,是因为白昼时间的差异造成的。
Nobody wants to miss the fun because they are too tired to enjoy their vacation.
没有人愿意因为过度疲劳而错过好玩的东西,无法享受他们的假期。
Here are some tips on how to deal with jet lag: What is jet lag?
这里有一些关于如何应对时差的妙招:什么是时差?
Scientists define jet lag as the effect on the human body of traveling across time zones.
科学家将时差定义为跨越时区旅行对人体产生的影响。
Sofia Axelrod studies circadian rhythms at Rockefeller University in New York.
索菲亚·阿克塞尔罗德在纽约洛克菲勒大学研究昼夜节律。
She said a circadian rhythm is like a biological clock programmed into almost every cell in the body.
她说,昼夜节律就像一个生物钟,它几乎被编程到了身体的每一个细胞中。
"The clock is set by the 24-hour light and dark pattern," Axelrod said.
“生物钟是由24小时明暗交替的规律设定的,”阿克塞尔罗德说。
"Every morning when we wake up, specialized (light) receptor cells in our retina receive a daylight signal, which is transmitted to the brain and from there, (to) the whole body."
“每天早上我们醒来时,视网膜中的特殊(光)受体细胞会接收到日光信号,该信号会传输到大脑,然后再从大脑传输到全身。”
When we travel to another time zone, our eyes do not receive the daylight signal at the usual time.
当我们前往另一个时区时,我们的眼睛不会在往常的时间接收到日光信号。
This causes our “internal clocks” to reset. But that process can take a while.
这会导致我们的“生物钟”重置。但这个过程可能需要一段时间。
During that period, we feel the effects of jet lag.
在那段时间里,我们会感受到时差的影响。
People who travel long distances often want to prevent jet lag. One way has a high cost.
长途旅行的人总想预防时差反应。有种方式代价很大。
Malcolm von Schantz is a professor who specializes in circadian rhythms at Northumbria University in Newcastle, England.
马尔科姆·冯·尚茨是英国纽卡斯尔诺森比亚大学的一位专门研究昼夜节律的教授。
He said that paying a lot for a bigger seat and more space in an airplane can prevent sleep deprivation.
他说,多花很多钱,在飞机上买一个更大的座位,享有更多的空间,可以防止睡眠不足。
He knows most people cannot pay so much to travel. But he said timing your flights can help.
他知道多数人旅行时没有这么多的预算。不过他说,把握好飞行时间会有所帮助。
For example, he suggests flying from Europe to North America during the day, so that it is evening when passengers land and they can get to sleep.
例如,他建议白天从欧洲飞往北美,这样乘客降落时就是晚上,他们可以睡觉。
"If you take the evening flight instead, you'll be woken up at midnight to be served breakfast and land an hour or two later, when both jet lag and sleep deprivation will hit you hard," he said.
“如果你乘坐晚上的航班,你会在午夜时被叫醒吃早餐,然后一两个小时后降落,这时时差和睡眠不足都会对你产生很大的影响,”他说。
Von Schantz also said flying in newer model passenger jets, like the Airbus A350 or Boeing 787 Dreamliner, might help.
冯·尚茨还表示,乘坐新型客机,如空客A350或波音787梦想客机,可能会有所帮助。
He said those planes can maintain a more comfortable atmosphere inside, causing less tiredness.
他说,这些飞机的内部环境更舒适,可以减少疲劳。
Experts say being in sunlight is important to resetting your internal body clock.
专家表示,晒太阳对重置体内的生物钟很重要。
That could mean either avoiding morning sun or seeking it out, depending on where you started.
这可能意味着要么避开早晨的阳光,要么专门在早上晒太阳,这取决于你从哪里开始。
Getting light in the morning will move your body clock forward, while light exposure in the early evening will delay it.
早上接受光照会使你的生物钟向前移动,而傍晚接受光照则会使其延迟。
Sleeping for a short time during the day is acceptable, but scientists warn against sleeping for longer periods later in the day.
白天小睡一会儿是可以的,但是科学家警告不要在下午睡太久。
Doing so might make it harder to sleep through the night.
这样可能会使夜间更难入睡。
The brain naturally produces a chemical hormone called melatonin when the body thinks it is night.
大脑在身体认为是夜晚时,会自然产生一种叫做褪黑素的化学激素。
Taking melatonin as a supplement can be helpful.
服用褪黑素补充剂可能会有所帮助。
But it is not available everywhere and, in some countries like Britain and France, you need a doctor’s permission.
但它并非触手可得,而且在一些国家,如英国和法国,必须得经过医生允许才能服用。
Von Schantz said that one of the good effects of melatonin is that you can start taking it before you travel, to begin the process of resetting your internal clock.
冯·尚茨说,褪黑素的一个良好效果是,你可以在旅行前开始服用它,开始重置你的生物钟。
"If you're in a part of the world where melatonin is available over the counter, you can combine the effects of light and melatonin to achieve the advance or delay (in your body clock) that you need," he said.
“如果你所在的地方可以直接在药店买到褪黑素,就可以根据光和褪黑素的效果来实现你需要的提前或延迟(你的生物钟)效果,”他说。
Russell Foster of Oxford University wrote a book on circadian rhythms.
牛津大学的拉塞尔·福斯特写了一本关于昼夜节律的书。
He said business travelers might want to consider arriving a day or two ahead of any important meetings or events.
他说商务旅客可能要考虑在任何重要会议或活动之前提前一两天到达。
Being jet-lagged can lead to unwise decisions and unpleasant emotions.
时差反应会导致不明智的决定和不愉快的情绪。
Tourists might not need to think as clearly as business travelers, but they should still be careful, he said.
游客或许不需要像商务旅客那样确保思路清晰,不过他们也应该小心,他说。
He advises tourists to get enough sleep before doing anything that might be risky or that requires a lot of attention, like driving.
他建议游客在做任何可能有风险或需要高度集中注意力的事情之前,比如开车,要保证充足的睡眠。
Foster said he tries to increase his exposure to light when he arrives at a new place to prevent jet lag.
福斯特说,他在抵达一个新地方时会尽量让自己多暴露在光线下,以防止时差反应。
But he also has another method if light does not help: he drinks coffee.
但是如果光线不起作用,他还有另一种方法:喝咖啡。
I’m Jill Robbins.
我是吉尔·罗宾斯。