如何知道你是否失眠

如何知道你是否失眠

Nearly everyone has a restless night now and again. Maybe you're worried about a project at work or had too much caffeine so you just can't sleep.

几乎每个人都有一个不眠之夜。也许你在担心工作上的一个项目，或者喝了太多的咖啡因导致你无法入睡。

But about one in four Americans experiences acute insomnia each year. According to a University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine study, that means difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep for three nights a week for at least two consecutive weeks.

但大约四分之一的美国人每年都会经历严重失眠。根据宾夕法尼亚大学医学院的一项研究，这意味着每周有三晚难以入睡或连续两周无法入睡。

Sometimes with insomnia, you feel like you can't turn off your brain. (Photo: TheVisualsYouNeed/Shutterstock)

People with insomnia sometimes dread going to bed because they know there's a good chance they won't get much rest. There are many symptoms, several causes and a few suggested solutions that might help people with insomnia get some sleep.

患有失眠症的人有时害怕上床睡觉，因为他们知道他们很可能得不到足够的休息。有很多症状，一些原因和一些建议的解决方案可能帮助失眠的人得到一些睡眠。

What is insomnia?

什么是失眠?

Insomnia is a sleep disorder characterized by either difficulty falling asleep or difficulty staying asleep. Some people with insomnia might be able to fall asleep right away, but then wake up wide-eyed in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep. Others might struggle forever to even fall asleep.

失眠是一种睡眠障碍，其特征是难以入睡或难以保持睡眠。有些失眠症患者可能可以马上入睡，但在半夜醒来时却睁大了眼睛，再也无法入睡。其他人甚至可能永远挣扎着入睡。

Acute insomnia is short-term while chronic insomnia can last for a month or more. According to the University of Pennsylvania study, insomnia becomes chronic when it occurs at least three nights a week for more than three months.

急性失眠是短期的，而慢性失眠可以持续一个月或更长时间。根据宾夕法尼亚大学的研究，当失眠持续三个月以上，每周至少有三个晚上发生时，它就会变成慢性失眠。

Causes of insomnia

失眠的原因

Anxiety can keep you up at night. (Photo: Marcos Mesa Sam Wordle/Shutterstock)

There are so many reasons you can be wide awake when your head hits the pillow at night. Insomnia can be caused by stress, medical conditions or environmental factors. Sometimes when these things go away, you're able to sleep again.

当你的头在晚上撞到枕头上时，有很多原因会让你完全清醒。失眠可由压力、医疗条件或环境因素引起。有时候当这些事情都过去了，你又能睡着了。

Aging also plays a role in sleep. It's often more difficult to get a good night's sleep as you get older. You're more easily disturbed by noise and changes in your environment, says the Mayo Clinic. In addition, you may not be as active and you may have more health concerns — both of which can affect quality of sleep. Women who are going through menopause can also be at risk of insomnia due to hormonal changes.

衰老也在睡眠中起作用。随着年龄的增长，想要睡个好觉往往会变得更加困难。梅奥诊所说，你更容易受到噪音和环境变化的干扰。此外，你可能没有那么活跃，你可能有更多的健康问题——这两种情况都会影响睡眠质量。更年期的女性也有因荷尔蒙变化而失眠的风险。

Preventing and curing insomnia

预防和治疗失眠

Regular exercise can help ward off sleep troubles. (Photo: Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock)

If only the brain had an on/off switch. That would be one way to help some insomniacs get to sleep.

要是大脑有开关就好了。这将是帮助一些失眠症患者入睡的一种方法。

Some of the best steps you can take are to practice good "sleep hygiene," which means having a comfortable bedroom, a regular sleep schedule and no electronics before bedtime.

你可以采取的一些最好的措施是养成良好的“睡眠卫生习惯”，这意味着有一个舒适的卧室，有规律的睡眠计划，睡前不要使用电子产品。

It's also smart to take advantage of natural insomnia remedies like exercise and meditation, cognitive behavioral therapy and journaling. Instead of taking medication to try to sleep, you may want to try natural alternatives like melatonin.

利用自然的失眠疗法也很明智，比如运动和冥想、认知行为疗法和写日记。你可以尝试天然的替代品，比如褪黑激素，而不是通过药物来入睡。

The problem with not sleeping is that it's hard to stop thinking about it and just do it. When you wake up in the middle of the night, it's hard to shush your mind when all you want to do is sleep.

不睡觉的问题在于，你很难不去想它，而是去做。当你半夜醒来的时候，当你只想睡觉的时候，很难让你的大脑安静下来。