If you find yourself waking up with a start at 3am and struggling to nod back off, there could be a very simple solution.
如果你半夜3点醒来、而又难以再次入睡的话,那么这里有一个很简单的解决办法。
While most people sniff lavender and count sheep, scientist and sleep expert, Wendy Troxel, Ph.D., has another method.
虽然大多数人这个时候都会闻一闻薰衣草或者数羊,但是科学家、睡眠专家温迪·特罗克塞尔博士还有另外一种方法。
Troxel believes you should actually get out of bed and do a 'relaxing' activity - such as read a book - to help you drift back off to sleep.
特罗克塞尔认为,这时你应该离开被窝、做一种“放松”的活动--比如读一本书,从而帮助自己再次入睡。
Speaking to Byrdie, she explained: 'Our brains learn by association, and to sleep well, you want your brain to have a strong learned association between the bed and sleep.
在接受Byrdie采访时,她解释说:“我们的大脑通过联想进行学习,为了睡个好觉,你想要自己的大脑在'床'和'睡觉'之间有很强的学习联想。”
'The key is to distract yourself from the fact that you are not sleeping (so you don't practice worrying in bed), and once your brain is distracted by some other activity, you might actually get sleepy again. At that point, you can return to bed.'
“关键是要使你自己不去想你没有在睡觉这个事实(这样你就不会在床上因为睡不着而焦虑不安),而一旦你的大脑被其他活动分心,你可能就又会想要睡觉了。这个时候,你就可以重返被窝了。”
She also shared other tips for preventing waking up mid-way through the night - and they might surprise you.
她还分享了其他一些防止人们半夜醒来的方法,可能会让你大吃一惊。
While most people love to work out in the morning, she suggests hitting the gym in the evening to help beat stress, which could prevent sleep issues.
虽然大多数人都喜欢在早上锻炼,但是她建议人们应该在晚上才去健身房,从而舒缓压力、预防睡眠问题。
She also says it's paramount to wake up at the same time every day. By failing to do this, your brain will be confused about when it should be active and asleep.
她还表示,最重要的是每天都要在同一时间醒来。如果没有做到这一点的话,那么你的大脑就会不知道什么时候该活跃、什么时候该休息。