睡眠專家教你如何獲得嬰兒般的睡眠

來自專欄夏面雙語新聞

The curtains are closed and I』m sitting with my eyes shut, humming like a bumble bee. I haven』t gone mad. I』m having a one-on-one sleep review with Anandi, aka The Sleep Guru.

窗帘拉下來，眼睛閉上，而後學大黃蜂叫。我沒有任何的心理問題，請不要懷疑， 因為這是我和有睡眠專家之稱的阿南迪在做一對一的睡眠評估。

If I close my mouth, inhale through my nose and exhale by humming, over and over for 15 minutes, she promises I will sleep like a baby.

如果我把嘴巴閉上，用鼻子吸氣並通過發出蜜蜂的叫聲來呼氣的話，她說我過不了15分鐘就能睡得跟嬰兒一樣熟。

Anandi (born Alison Francis) has spent the past 25 years as a sleep coach, working all over the world with everyone from stressed-out executives to busy working mums.

在過去的25年中，阿南迪（原名為艾莉森.弗朗西斯）一直在睡睡眠教練，她的工作網路遍及全世界，服務的人群包括心力交瘁的公司高層人員還有工作繁忙的母親。

『Humming stimulates the sleep hormone, melatonin, leading to a great, and hopefully blissful, night』s sleep,』 she says.

「學蜜蜂叫能夠促進睡眠激素，也就是褪黑激素的分泌，讓你有一個高質量、愉悅的睡眠，」 阿南迪說道。

Melatonin is a hormone produced in the pineal gland of the brain when you find yourself in a dark environment. Hormone imbalance, which can be caused by stress, overwork and lifestyle factors, are largely responsible for sleep disturbances.

褪黑激素是大腦松果體在黑暗的環境中所分泌的一種激素。激素失衡的源頭有壓力、加班和生活方式等因素，其中大部分都會帶來睡眠障礙。

I don』t suffer brutal insomnia, but I do have broken sleep. Work deadlines and my social life mean I』m rarely asleep before 12.30am. And, despite seven hours in bed, I wake up feeling like I』ve been hit over the head.

我沒有特別嚴重的失眠癥狀，但我的睡眠一直是斷斷續續的。工作的任務和社交生活讓我不能在晚上12點30前睡覺。而且，即使我每晚都睡7個鐘頭，我還感覺頭腦不清醒。

Although physically robust, my immune system is rubbish. It takes me ages to get over flu, my skin reacts to most beauty products and I』ve had mild food poisoning twice this month. I』ve cut back on alcohol and switched to decaf, yet I still feel unhealthy.

雖然從外表看上去很健康，但我的免疫系統卻很差：流感要很久才痊癒、大部分的美容產品也不能用，這月還遭遇了兩次的輕度食物中毒。我減少了酒精的攝入量，而且我也改喝了脫咖啡因咖啡，不過我還是感覺自己很不健康。

Anandi isn』t surprised. I』m not getting enough quality sleep. And I』m not alone — none other than the domestic goddess herself, Nigella Lawson, recently revealed that, while she climbs into bed at a saintly 7.30pm, she sleeps only in 『two-hour bursts』, regularly getting up to make cups of tea. By 7.30pm, I haven』t even got through pre-dinner drinks.

阿南迪不覺得驚訝。我也沒有獲得高質量的睡眠。而且像我一樣的人還有很多。恰恰是家政女皇奈潔拉·勞森最近也表示，就算是她在晚上7點30睡覺，她頂多能睡兩個小時就要時不時的起來喝茶。我在這個時間點連餐前喝的酒水都還沒喝。

Anandi is not impressed by my turning in time: 『Past midnight is quite late. We go into the bigger cycles of deep sleep when the body is physically refreshed, during the first three hours of sleep, and then as the night goes on you move into the lighter cycles of sleep, including REM sleep, which refreshes the brain.』

阿南迪對我的上床時間很不滿意，她說：「半夜後睡覺太晚了。我們在睡前的三個小時身體會得到放鬆，進入深度睡眠，上床的時間越晚，睡眠就越淺，其中也包括快速眼動睡眠，它能讓放鬆大腦，讓你精神百倍。」

By going to bed later than 11pm (and ideally it should be 10pm), I』m seriously compromising my sleep.

在晚上11點以後睡覺（理想的時間應該是晚上10點），我的睡眠質量就會大打折扣。

『If the brain doesn』t get enough REM sleep, it makes you feel awful the next day, but there are also implications for diseases such as Alzheimer』s later on,』 she warns.

「如果大腦沒有獲得足夠的快速眼動睡眠，你隔天會感覺到非常的難受，而且日後還將導致阿爾茲海默症之類的疾病。」她警告稱。

Anandi was a chronic insomniac herself for 15 years.

阿南迪曾經遭遇失眠，而且時間長達15年。

『At 27, I was going through a divorce and getting between zero and four hours』 sleep a night. My energy was on the floor, my digestion at an all-time low and my mouth full of ulcers.』

「在我27歲的時候，我離過婚，每天晚上輾轉難眠，最長的睡眠是4個小時。我完全沒有精神，消化能力是這一生中最差的，而且嘴巴里都是潰瘍。」

Determined not to reach for sleeping pills, she went to an ashram in India in 2007. Here, she was given the name Anandi by her guru, learned to breathe properly and cured her insomnia.

她篤定自己不會吃安眠藥，於是在2007年來到印度的一個地方修行。在這裡， 古魯給她取了阿南迪的名字，教會了她正確的呼吸方法，最後治好了她的失眠。

The breathing is key, she says. 『We can』t control our heart or our hormones or our mind, but when you change your breathing patterns, you change your heart rate and you calm your mind.

呼吸是最重要的，她說：「我們不能控制心臟、激素和意志，但是當你的呼吸方法改變後，你就能改變心率，獲得內心的平靜。」

『A stressed-out insomniac will have a short, shallow breathing pattern. This is the sympathetic nervous system, and its fight or flight response, being dominant.

「壓力大失眠的人的呼吸是短促、很淺的。這是交感神經系統和作戰還是逃跑的反應壓迫你的模式。

『If you deepen your breathing, by contrast, the parasympathetic nervous system, responsible for the body』s systems while at rest, takes charge, so you go to bed in a calm state and can sleep.』

「反之，如果你深呼吸，副交感神經系統能夠使神經系統處於安靜的狀態，一旦人們處於它的控制之下，就可以在沒有任何雜念的前提下輕鬆入睡。」

In India, she was also introduced to Ayurveda, a powerful natural healing system dating back 5,000 years.

阿南迪在印度的時候接觸到了一種擁有5千年歷史的強大自然療法--阿育吠陀。

『[It] tries to bring you back into rhythm with nature,』 she says. 『Getting up at 6am and going to bed at 10pm is a better rhythm. When the sun rises, serotonin, the happy hormone, goes up. When it sets, melatonin, the sleep hormone, goes up.』

「它能讓你和自然結合在一起，」她說道。「早上6點起床，晚上10點上床是一種更好生物節律。太陽初升的時候，快樂激素，也就是血清素會上升。當太陽降落後，褪黑激素會上升。」

She identifies me as a classic shallow-mouth breather, when I should breathe through my nose. She times my deep breath — just nine seconds, far too short. A healthy, relaxed deep breath would be about 20 seconds.

在我用鼻子呼吸時，她認為我是一個典型的淺呼吸者。她給我的深呼吸計時--只有9秒鐘，太短。健康、放鬆的深呼吸應該持續20秒鐘。

She stands behind me, her hands on my rib cage, and asks me to push it out using my breath. 『It should feel like a 3D movement, rather than just a lifting up. When there』s no space for the breath in the rib cage, the shoulders end up round the ears.』 My shoulders are tight and there』s no expansion in my rib cage, I can barely push her hands away — pathetic.

她站在我的身後，手放在我的胸腔，並叫我把胸腔裡面填滿空氣。「這種感覺非常的有立體感，並不像簡單的抬起。當胸腔裡面的氣體都填滿的時，你的肩膀應該在耳朵的附近。」我的肩膀非常的緊，胸腔亦無法再擴大。而且我無法推開她的雙手，真可憐。

Anandi recommends I practise her surrendered breath technique (see right) each evening, where I give up trying to control my breath and just wait for it to come.

阿南迪建議我每晚練習「忘我呼吸」，前提是我放棄了練習控制呼吸的辦法並等待呼吸的時候。

『You think you』re doing the breathing, but gravity pushes breath into your body,』 she says. 『Your breath is very jittery, which says a lot about the quality of your sleep and digestion. Lengthening your out breath will calm you.』

「雖然你認為自己在呼吸，但這是地心引力再把空氣推進了你的身體里，」她說道。「你的呼吸很緊張，這和你的睡眠質量和消化水平有著很大的聯繫。加強呼氣能力將你你獲得平靜。」

For insomniacs, it can take three to nine months to bring the mind and body back into equilibrium, using simple practices we can integrate into daily life. But it』s worth the effort, insists Anandi. We can survive longer without food than we can without sleep.

對於失眠症患者來說，日常生活中簡單的練習就可以讓你回到生理平衡，時間為需3到9個月。阿南迪堅稱這非常的值，因為我們生存的時間將大大增長。

『In our 50s, we』re not old but we』re vulnerable. You look great when you』ve slept well, but you really don』t when you』ve tossed and turned. And melatonin is a very powerful antioxidant for anti-ageing. It』s like a magic hormone.』

在我們50歲的時候，從年齡上來說，我們還不算老，但是我們的身體卻會很差。 你睡好了，一天就是精神的，如果晚上輾轉難眠，你就會沒有任何精神。褪黑激素是一種很強大的抗衰老的抗氧化劑，這是一種神奇的激素。

My lifestyle clearly isn』t sustainable. I leave, swearing that I will eat lighter suppers and start switching off at 10pm, to be in bed by 11pm, even if it means ripping up the social calendar.

我的生活方式不是很健康。我發誓我的晚餐會更清淡，晚上10點切斷電源，11點睡覺，甚至切斷社交日程也在所不惜。

『You really will feel the benefits,』 The Sleep Guru promises.

「你真的會獲得很多的好處，」阿南迪承諾道。

EIGHT WAYS TO SLEEP BETTER

促進睡眠的8個方法

Hum like a bumble bee

大黃蜂式呼吸

Humming — or Brahmaree Pranayama, as it is called in yoga and Ayurveda — creates a deep, healing vibration. It relaxes the mind and the nervous system, gets rid of negative emotions and helps the body make sleep-inducing melatonin. Close your mouth, inhale through your nose and exhale by humming.

在瑜伽和印度韋達養生學中，這種叫做大黃蜂式呼吸能夠創造出更深、具有治癒能力的震動。它讓大腦和神經系統更加的放鬆，消除了負面情緒，幫助身體分泌出促進睡眠的褪黑激素。大黃蜂式呼吸的練習方法是：先是閉上嘴巴，然後用鼻子吸氣，並用嗡嗡的聲音把氣體呼出。

Check your hormones

檢查褪黑激素

Have a melatonin test with a private sleep practitioner or clinic. Low melatonin levels are associated with depression and the acceleration of the body』s ageing process. A test will tell you if your sleep hormones are working properly.

和睡眠醫生或診所預約來做一個褪黑激素測試。褪黑激素的缺乏和抑鬱症和身體老化過程有關。做完測試後你就知道你的褪黑激素是否正常。

How well you absorb and secrete melatonin can be strongly influenced by how late you go to bed, by artificial light and by seasonal changes.

人造光和季節變化將影響褪黑激素的吸收和分泌水平，從而給你的入睡時間到來很大的影響。

If you find you』re deficient, try deep breathing, meditation, switching off electrical devices and going to bed and getting up earlier — these can all help.

如果你缺乏褪黑激素，可以嘗試深呼吸、冥想、關掉無線電設備和早睡早起。

Eat cherries and dates

吃櫻桃和棗子

You can』t buy melatonin in the UK, but natural forms include dates, Montmorency cherries (a type of sour cherry) and grapes, while bananas, oatmeal and milk will boost its production in the body.

英國的市面上是買不到褪黑激素的，但你可以通過補充棗子和蒙特默倫西櫻桃（一種酸櫻桃）和葡萄等天然成分來補充褪黑素。香蕉、燕麥和牛奶可以促進褪黑素的產生。

To further help the body produce melatonin, Anandi recommends taking a natural sleep and anxiety relief supplement, such as Neuro Rest (￡24, http://utmostme.com), which contains magnesium to help quiet and calm the nervous system, as well as cherry and watermelon.

為了近一步讓身體分泌褪黑素，阿南迪建議人們服用天然睡眠和緩解焦慮的補充劑，如「神經休息」，這個補充劑中含有鎂元素，可以使神經系統得到平靜，另外裡面還有櫻桃和西瓜。

Massage your jaw

按摩下巴

People who have trouble sleeping often grind their teeth. This makes the jaw muscles extremely tight, creating stress in the body.

人們在難以入睡的時候通常會磨牙。這讓下巴周圍的肌肉變得極度緊張，給身體帶來了壓力。

To counteract this, find the corner of your jaw bone with your middle finger and move the finger in small circular motions as deeply as possible. Try to do this for 30 seconds five times a day.

為了解決這個問題，用中指找到按摩頜骨的的角落，並在那裡劃最小的圓圈，維持這個動作30秒，每天做5次。

『Surrender』 your breath

「忘我呼吸」

Many people are shallow breathers, which means the sympathetic nervous system is permanently activated, raising heart-rate and blood pressure and making deep sleep hard.

很多人都是淺呼吸者，這意味著交感神經系統是永遠都處於激活的狀態，讓心率和血壓加快，並讓人不能進行深呼吸。

Anandi suggests lying on your back and practising 『surrendered breath』, where you actually wait for the breaths to come and 『get your mind out of the way』.

阿南迪稱，人們可以躺著練習「忘我呼吸」，這時你實際上會等待呼吸的到來，「讓你心無雜念」。

When you 『try』 to breathe there is a certain amount of tension in the body, so your rib cage is tense and you can』t expand it.

當你嘗試呼吸時，身體里會處於緊張的狀態，因此你的胸腔也很時如此，根本沒有多餘的空間。

When your body is completely relaxed, you create far more space in your body to breathe.

當身體完全放鬆的時候，體內呼吸的空間就會更大。

The 10-minute yoga pose

保持10分鐘的瑜伽姿勢

Viparita karani, or the legs-up-the-wall pose, is a restorative yoga position that anyone can do, and an excellent natural sleep remedy.

倒箭式，也就是把腳靠在牆上的姿勢，是一種養生瑜伽的姿勢，任何人都可以嘗試，這也是一種自然的睡眠治療法。

It can even be beneficial if you wake up in the middle of the night.

在你半夜醒來的時候，練習它更加的有助於睡眠。

The move stretches and relieves tiredness in the back of the legs and feet and revives the spine and nervous system.

這個姿勢能拉伸和消除腿背部和腳的疲倦感，還有利於修復讓脊柱和神經系統。

We need a process of unwinding before we sleep. Turn off technology, have a bath, put on pyjamas and light some candles, then lie on your back, flat on the floor with your legs straight up against the wall. Open your arms out to the sides and exhale.

我們在睡前需要放鬆。關掉高科技設備、洗澡、穿上睡衣和點一些蠟燭，然後躺在床上，把腿伸直靠在牆上，把雙臂朝兩側打開並呼氣。

Hold this pose for ten minutes to completely relax your system.

保持這個姿勢10分鐘後，你的神經系統就會得到完全的放鬆。

Have a laugh

大笑

Make time to watch your favourite comedy early in the evening. Laughter promotes oxytocin, another happy hormone, which helps you relax and strengthens your immune system.

在夜裡找一些你最喜歡的喜劇看看。笑聲可以促進另一種快樂激素--催產素的分泌，幫助你放鬆和增強免疫系統。

Go outside every day

每天出門走走

We need natural light to boost production of serotonin and melatonin, and the quickest way to get this is to go outside. Plus, if you walk a lot, your brain goes into a relaxed state, leaving you more creative and grounded.

我們需要自然光來促進血清素和褪黑素的分泌，最快的方法是出門走走。另外，如果你經常走路，大腦也會處於更加放鬆的狀態，讓你更具有創造力、更加的理智。

source：Eight tips from the woman who teaches top bosses how to nod off