Transcript
Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript
Alice
Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Alice…
Neil
… and I'm Neil.
Alice
So Neil, did you sleep well last night?
Neil
Um, yes, thanks. Why do you ask?
Alice
Today we're talking about how much sleep we need.
Neil
I like a good eight hours myself – ten at the weekend. How about you?
Alice
Six is enough for me. But did you know this? Humans sleep around three hours less than other primates like chimps, who sleep for about ten hours. So you're a chimp, Neil – at the weekends, at least! Are you ready for the quiz question?
Neil
[makes some chimp noises]
Alice
OK, I'll assume that means yes. Right. What's another word for sleepwalking? Is it…
a) narcolepsy?
b) restless legs syndrome?
or c) somnambulism?
Neil
I will go for b) restless legs syndrome, since there's a connection there with the legs.
Alice
Well we'll find out whether you're right or wrong later on in the show. So what keeps you awake at night, Neil?
Neil
Not much, to be honest. I usually sleep like a log – and that means very heavily indeed! But sometimes my own snoring wakes me up, and then I can find it hard to get back to sleep. Snoring, for those of you who don't know, means breathing in a noisy way through your mouth or nose while you're asleep. [snores] … like that… How about you, Alice?
Alice
Very good, yes. Well, that's quite ridiculous! Anyway, for me, it's drinking too much coffee during the day. It's the caffeine in coffee – a chemical that makes you feel more awake – which can stop you from sleeping at night. But there are so many things that can keep us awake these days.
Neil
Oh yes. Radio, TV… techy stuff like 24-hour internet, computers, smart phones. I love my phone and it's never far from me!
Alice
Well, let's hear what Professor Jerome Siegel, from the University of California, found when he studied the sleep habits of three different hunter-gatherer communities who have very little contact with modern society. They don't have artificial light, electricity, batteries, or any of the gadgets that we rely on today.
INSERT
Professor Jerome Siegel, from the University of California, US
Their sleep was not that different from ours. The range of sleep period was about 6.9 to 8.5 hours. If you actually measure sleep in current populations in the United States or in Europe they're definitely at the low end of what's been reported. They certainly don't sleep a lot less than we do but they clearly don't sleep more.
Alice
Professor Jerome Siegel found that people in these communities don't go to bed until several hours after sundown – just like us! But one big difference is that very few of them suffer from insomnia – which means having difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep.
Neil
Now, I don't have a problem with insomnia. And hunter-gatherers – people who live by hunting animals and gathering plants to eat – don't either – probably because they take a lot of physical exercise during the day.
Alice
Yes, that's right. Taking exercise is an important factor in sleeping soundly – or well – at night. But these days our minds can be so active that it becomes very difficult to fall asleep. Let's listen to Professor Kevin Morgan, from Loughborough University here in England, talking about how cognitive behavioural therapy can be used to help people with insomnia.
INSERT
Professor Kevin Morgan, Loughborough University, England
If you have a train of thoughts which would otherwise keep you awake one way of dealing with this is to block those thoughts. What I'd like you to do is repeat the word 'the' in your mind at irregular intervals – the the the the the the the the the – what you'll find (is) that the mind space required to do this blocks out almost everything else.
Neil
So Professor Kevin Morgan suggests saying one word over and over again at irregular intervals – irregular in this context means not spaced out evenly. Doing it can help to block out the thoughts that are stopping you from getting to sleep. It sounds like a very simple solution. I wonder if it works?
Alice
There's one way to find out, Neil. Try it yourself!
Neil
I will.
Alice
OK. And cognitive behavioural therapy by the way is a treatment for mental health problems that tries to change the way you think.
Neil
Well, I usually count sheep if I can't get to sleep. Do you do that, Alice?
Alice
No, not usually. No. OK, I think it's time for the answer to our quiz question. I asked: What's another word for sleepwalking? Is it… a) narcolepsy? b) restless legs syndrome? or c) somnambulism?
Neil
And I said b) restless legs syndrome.
Alice
Sorry, Neil, it's actually c) somnambulism – the roots of this word come from Latin. Somnusmeans 'sleep' and and ambulare means 'walk'. Narcolepsy is a condition where you can't stop yourself falling asleep, especially during the day.
Neil
Narcolepsy… (says in a sleepy way)
Alice
And restless legs syndrome is a condition that makes you desperate to move your legs around, especially when you're sitting quietly or trying to get to sleep.
Neil
… get to sleep… (murmuring)
Alice
Neil! Wake up!
Neil
Oh, hello Alice! Sorry.
Alice
Hello! Can we hear today's words again, please?
Neil
OK, yeah:
sleep like a log
snoring
caffeine
insomnia
hunter-gatherers
soundly
irregular
cognitive behavioural therapy
Alice
Well, that just about brings us to the end of this edition of 6 Minute English. We hope you've enjoyed this programme. Please do join us again soon.
Both
Bye.
sleep like a log
sleep very heavily and well
snoring
breathing in a noisy way through your mouth or nose while you're asleep
caffeine
a chemical found in coffee and tea that makes you feel more awake.
insomnia
having difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
hunter-gatherers
people who live by hunting animals and gathering plants
soundly
well or deeply
irregular
(in this context) not spaced out evenly
cognitive behavioural therapy
a treatment for mental health problems that tries to change the way you think
Transcript （雙語版）
Alice:Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Alice…
大家好，歡迎收聽英語六分鐘。我是艾麗斯……
Neil:… and I'm Neil.
……我是尼爾。
Alice:So Neil, did you sleep well last night?
尼爾，你昨天晚上睡得好嗎？
Neil:Um, yes, thanks. Why do you ask?
啊，很好，謝謝關心。幹嘛問這個？
Alice:Today we're talking about how much sleep we need.
我們今天要談一談我們需要多少睡眠。
Neil:I like a good eight hours myself – ten at the weekend. How about you?
我本人需要8個小時香甜的睡眠，周末十個小時。你呢？
Alice:Six is enough for me. But did you know this? Humans sleep around three hours less than other primates like chimps, who sleep for about ten hours. So you're a chimp, Neil – at the weekends, at least! Are you ready for the quiz question?
我六個小時就夠了。但是你知道嗎？人類比其他靈長類動物，比如黑猩猩，大概少睡三個小時，它們大概睡十個小時。所以，你就是個黑猩猩，尼爾；起碼在周末的時候是！你準備好回答今天的問題了嗎？
Neil:(makes some chimp noise)
（模仿黑猩猩的聲音）
Alice:OK, I'll assume that means yes. Right. What's another word for sleepwalking? Is it a) narcolepsy? b) restless legs syndrome? or c) somnambulism?
好吧，我就當你的回答是肯定的。「夢遊」的另一種說法是什麼？是a)嗜睡症？b)不寧腿症候群？還是c)睡遊症？
Neil:I will go for b) restless legs syndrome, since there's a connection there with the legs.
我要選b)不寧腿症候群，因為它和腿有關。
Alice:Well we'll find out whether you're right or wrong later on in the show. So what keeps you awake at night, Neil?
我們在稍後的節目中再看你回答的是否正確。尼爾，什麼事情會讓你晚上睡不著覺？
Neil:Not much, to be honest. I usually sleep like a log – and that means very heavily indeed! But sometimes my own snoring wakes me up, and then I can find it hard to get back to sleep. Snoring, for those of you who don't know, means breathing in a noisy way through your mouth or nose while you're asleep. (snores) … like that… How about you, Alice?
說實話，這種事情不多。我通常睡得很沉。但有時候我會被自己的鼾聲吵醒，然後我可能很難再睡著。說明一下，打鼾是指睡覺時通過嘴巴或者鼻子呼吸的聲音很吵。(打鼾)……像這樣……你呢，艾麗斯？
Alice:Very good, yes. Well, that's quite ridiculous! Anyway, for me, it's drinking too much coffee during the day. It's the caffeine in coffee – a chemical that makes you feel more awake – which can stop you from sleeping at night. But there are so many things that can keep us awake these days.
很好。你太搞笑了。就我而言，是白天喝太多咖啡。咖啡中的咖啡因是一種令人清醒的化學物質，它通常讓我晚上睡不著。但是現在有很多東西會讓我們不睡覺。
Neil:Oh yes. Radio, TV… techy stuff like 24-hour internet, computers, smart phones. I love my phone and it's never far from me!
哦，是的。廣播、電視，還有一些高科技的東西，比如24小時可用的網際網路、電腦、智慧型手機。我愛我的手機，我從來不讓它離開我身旁！
Alice:Well, let's hear what Professor Jerome Siegel, from the University of California, found when he studied the sleep habits of three different hunter-gatherer communities who have very little contact with modern society. They don't have artificial light, electricity, batteries, or any of the gadgets that we rely on today.
讓我們來聽聽加利福尼亞大學傑羅姆·西格爾教授對三個狩獵採集者群體的研究發現，這些狩獵採集者與當代社會的聯繫很少。他們沒有人造光、電、電池或者其他我們現在依賴的一些其他的小工具。
Their sleep was not that different from ours. The range of sleep period was about 6.9 to 8.5 hours. If you actually measure sleep in current populations in the United States or in Europe they're definitely at the low end of what's been reported. They certainly don't sleep a lot less than we do but they clearly don't sleep more.
他們的睡眠時長和我們沒有太大的差別，大概在6.9到8.5個小時左右。如果你統計現在美國和歐洲人口的睡眠時間，他們的睡眠時長在得到的數字中一定算是少的了。他們當然不會比我們少睡很多，但是很明顯他們並沒有比我們多睡。
Alice:Professor Jerome Siegel found that people in these communities don't go to bed until several hours after sundown – just like us! But one big difference is that very few of them suffer from insomnia – which means having difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep.
傑羅姆·西格爾教授發現這些群體中的人們直到太陽下山幾小時之後才去睡覺，和我們一樣！但是一個很大的不同就是他們當中很少有人會有失眠的問題，失眠就是入睡和安睡有困難。
Neil:Now, I don't have a problem with insomnia. And hunter-gatherers – people who live by hunting animals and gathering plants to eat – don't either – probably because they take a lot of physical exercise during the day.
我沒有失眠的問題。狩獵採集者是指依靠捕獵動物和採集果實為生的人，他們也不會失眠。這可能是因為他們白天會做很多身體鍛鍊。
Alice:Yes, that's right. Taking exercise is an important factor in sleeping soundly – or well – at night. But these days our minds can be so active that it becomes very difficult to fall asleep. Let's listen to Professor Kevin Morgan, from Loughborough University here in England, talking about how cognitive behavioural therapy can be used to help people with insomnia.
是的，你說的對。鍛鍊是晚上能夠安眠的一個重要因素。但是生活在當今社會的我們經常會思緒萬千，很難入眠。讓我們聽聽英國拉夫堡大學的凱文·摩根教授為我們講述認知行為療法如何幫助人們解決睡眠問題。
If you have a train of thoughts which would otherwise keep you awake one way of dealing with this is to block those thoughts. What I'd like you to do is repeat the word 'the' in your mind at irregular intervals – the the the the the the the the the – what you'll find (is) that the mind space required to do this blocks out almost everything else.
如果你思緒萬千睡不著覺，解決這一問題的一個方法就是阻斷這些思路。我的建議是你可以在心中不規律地重複「the」這個單詞– the the the the the the the the the –你會發現做這件事對你腦部空間的佔用會讓你無法去想幾乎其他任何事情。
Neil:So Professor Kevin Morgan suggests saying one word over and over again at irregular intervals – irregular in this context means not spaced out evenly. Doing it can help to block out the thoughts that are stopping you from getting to sleep. It sounds like a very simple solution. I wonder if it works?
凱文·摩根教授建議我們不規律地重複一個單詞，不規律在這裡是指時間間隔不等。這樣做可以阻止其他讓你無法入睡的思考。這聽起來是一個很簡單的方法。不知道它管不管用？
Alice:There's one way to find out, Neil. Try it yourself!
有一個方法可以讓你知道它是否管用，尼爾。你自己試一試。
Neil:I will.
我會的。
Alice:OK. And cognitive behavioural therapy by the way is a treatment for mental health problems that tries to change the way you think.
好的。認知行為療法是一種想要通過改變你的想法讓你獲得心理健康的治療方式。
Neil:Well, I usually count sheep if I can't get to sleep. Do you do that, Alice?
通常我睡不著覺的時候會數羊。你這樣做嗎，艾麗斯？
Alice:No, not usually. No. OK, I think it's time for the answer to our quiz question. I asked: What's another word for sleepwalking? Is it… a) narcolepsy? b) restless legs syndrome? or c) somnambulism?
不，通常不會。我想現在是揭曉今天問題答案的時間了。我的問題是：「夢遊」的另一種說法是什麼？是a)嗜睡症？b)不寧腿症候群？還是c)睡遊症？
Neil:And I said b) restless legs syndrome.
我選擇的是b)不寧腿症候群。
Alice:Sorry, Neil, it's actually c) somnambulism – the roots of this word come from Latin. Somnus means 'sleep' and and ambulare means 'walk'. Narcolepsy is a condition where you can't stop yourself falling asleep, especially during the day.
抱歉，尼爾，實際上應該是c)睡遊症。這個單詞源於拉丁語。Somnus的意思是「睡覺」，ambulare的意思是「走路」。患有嗜睡症疾病的人老是不由自主地睡著，尤其是在白天。
Neil:Narcolepsy… (says in a sleepy way)
嗜睡症……（聽上去昏昏欲睡）
Alice:And restless legs syndrome is a condition that makes you desperate to move your legs around, especially when you're sitting quietly or trying to get to sleep.
不寧腿症候群患者老是強迫性腿動，尤其是在靜坐或者試圖入睡的時候。
Neil:… get to sleep… (murmuring)
入睡……（喃喃地說）
Alice:Neil! Wake up!
尼爾！醒醒！
Neil:Oh, hello Alice! Sorry.
哦，你好，艾麗斯！對不起。
Alice:Hello! Can we hear today's words again, please?
你好！我們可以再聽一遍今天的單詞嗎？
Neil:OK, yeah:
好的，可以
sleep like a log
睡得很沉
snoring
打鼾
caffeine
咖啡因
insomnia
失眠
hunter-gatherers
狩獵採集者
soundly
香甜地，安然地
irregular
不規律的
cognitive behavioural therapy
認知行為療法
Alice:Well, that just about brings us to the end of this edition of 6 Minute English. We hope you've enjoyed this programme. Please do join us again soon.
好了，我們今天的英語六分鐘差不多要結束了。希望你喜歡今天的節目。歡迎下次收聽。
Both:Bye.
再見。