今天，普特君又來為大家分享與健康有關的TED演講了。Matt Walker是哈佛醫學院的教授，目前在加州大學伯克利分校擔任人類睡眠科學中心主任，他主要研究人類睡眠。Matt表示缺乏睡眠的人不僅難以吸收新的知識，記憶力也會變差。而且睡眠不足，也會增加患各種疾病的概率。甚至有研究發現：睡眠越少，生命越短！一起來看看這個TED演講吧。
@TED君學演講
中英文節選（來自TED官網）
Let me start with the brain and the functions of learning and memory, because what we've discovered over the past 10 or so years is that you need sleep after learning to essentially hit the save button on those new memories so that you don't forget. But recently, we discovered that you also need sleep before learning to actually prepare your brain, almost like a dry sponge ready to initially soak up new information. And without sleep, the memory circuits of the brain essentially become waterlogged, as it were, and you can't absorb new memories.
讓我從大腦以及學習和記憶的功能開始講起，因為我們在過去十年的研究發現，在你學習完後，應該睡覺，以按下新記憶的保存按鈕，這樣才不會遺忘。但是最近，我們發現在學習之前你也需要睡眠，來準備好自己的頭腦，就像是一塊幹海綿，準備好開始吸收新的知識。沒有睡眠的話，大腦的記憶迴路就像是被堵塞住了，而你將不能吸收新的記憶。
So let me show you the data. Here in this study, we decided to test the hypothesis that pulling the all-nighter was a good idea. So we took a group of individuals and we assigned them to one of two experimental groups: a sleep group and a sleep deprivation group. Now the sleep group, they're going to get a full eight hours of slumber, but the deprivation group, we're going to keep them awake in the laboratory, under full supervision. There's no naps or caffeine, by the way, so it's miserable for everyone involved. And then the next day, we're going to place those participants inside an MRI scanner and we're going to have them try and learn a whole list of new facts as we're taking snapshots of brain activity. And then we're going to test them to see how effective that learning has been. And that's what you're looking at here on the vertical axis. And when you put those two groups head to head, what you find is a quite significant, 40-percent deficit in the ability of the brain to make new memories without sleep.
讓我向你們展示一下數據。在這個研究中，我們測試了這麼一個假設，即熬夜到底是不是不錯的做法。我們招募了一組被試，然後將其分為兩組：睡眠充足組和睡眠不足組。睡眠充足組的被試可以睡夠八個小時，而睡眠不足組的被試則在實驗室中，在全程監控下，不斷地被我們叫醒。順便說一句，他們沒有小睡或咖啡因的支持，所以確實很痛苦。第二天，我們把這些被試放進MRI掃描儀，讓他們試著學習一整列的新知識，同時記錄下他們的大腦活動情況。然後，我們測試他們，來看看他們的學習到底有沒有效。這就是你們所看的縱軸。當把這兩組被試比較時，你們可以發現沒有充足睡眠的大腦在儲存新記憶的能力上有40%的顯著差距。
I think this should be concerning, considering what we know is happening to sleep in our education populations right now. In fact, to put that in context, it would be the difference in a child acing an exam versus failing it miserably -- 40 percent. And we've gone on to discover what goes wrong within your brain to produce these types of learning disabilities. And there's a structure that sits on the left and the right side of your brain, called the hippocampus. And you can think of the hippocampus almost like the informational inbox of your brain. It's very good at receiving new memory files and then holding on to them. And when you look at this structure in those people who'd had a full night of sleep, we saw lots of healthy learning-related activity. Yet in those people who were sleep-deprived, we actually couldn't find any significant signal whatsoever. So it's almost as though sleep deprivation had shut down your memory inbox, and any new incoming files -- they were just being bounced. You couldn't effectively commit new experiences to memory.
我覺得這一發現令人擔憂，考慮到我們的受教育人群在睡眠上正在經歷的事情。事實上，說的具體些，就是學生在考試中得高分和考砸了之間的差距——40%。我們進一步研究大腦中到底哪裡出錯產生了這種學習障礙。在大腦的左側和右側，有著這麼一塊區域，叫做海馬體。你們可以把海馬體想成大腦的信息收件箱。海馬體很擅長接收新的「記憶文件」，並保留這些文件。當你們觀察那些睡了一整晚的被試的海馬體時，我們看到的是許多健康的與學習相關的大腦活動。但是在那些睡眠不足的被試身上，我們基本上找不到任何明顯的信號。這就好像睡眠不足關閉了記憶收件箱，任何新進的文件——都被退回了。你不能有效的將新的經歷轉化為記憶。
So that's the bad that can happen if I were to take sleep away from you, but let me just come back to that control group for a second. Do you remember those folks that got a full eight hours of sleep? Well, we can ask a very different question: What is it about the physiological quality of your sleep when you do get it that restores and enhances your memory and learning ability each and every day? And by placing electrodes all over the head, what we've discovered is that there are big, powerful brainwaves that happen during the very deepest stages of sleep that have riding on top of them these spectacular bursts of electrical activity that we call sleep spindles. And it's the combined quality of these deep-sleep brainwaves that acts like a file-transfer mechanism at night, shifting memories from a short-term vulnerable reservoir to a more permanent long-term storage site within the brain, and therefore protecting them, making them safe. And it is important that we understand what during sleep actually transacts these memory benefits, because there are real medical and societal implications.
這就是假如我剝奪你的睡眠時，會發生的糟糕事情，但容我稍微講一下對照組。你們還記得那些睡夠了八個小時的被試嗎？我們可以問一個非常不同的問題：讓你每天睡眠時恢復和提高你的記憶力和學習能力的生理質量是什麼樣的？通過在頭部放置電極，我們所發現的是，在睡眠的最深階段會產生巨大而強大的腦電波，這些腦電波之上會有我們稱之為睡眠紡錘波的壯觀的電活動爆發。正是這些深度睡眠腦電波的綜合作用，在夜間起到了文件傳輸機制的作用，將記憶從一個短期的易受遺忘的存儲庫轉移到大腦中一個更永久的長期存儲庫，因此得以保存它們，使它們不至受損。重要的是，我們要了解在睡眠中究竟是什麼在發揮這些記憶的作用，因為這對醫學和社會都有實際的影響。
And let me just tell you about one area that we've moved this work out into, clinically, which is the context of aging and dementia. Because it's of course no secret that, as we get older, our learning and memory abilities begin to fade and decline. But what we've also discovered is that a physiological signature of aging is that your sleep gets worse, especially that deep quality of sleep that I was just discussing. And only last year, we finally published evidence that these two things, they're not simply co-occurring, they are significantly interrelated. And it suggests that the disruption of deep sleep is an underappreciated factor that is contributing to cognitive decline or memory decline in aging, and most recently we've discovered, in Alzheimer's disease as well.
讓我告訴你們我們已經把這項研究轉移到臨床的一個領域，即衰老和痴呆。因為隨著我們變老，我們的學習和記憶能力開始衰退和減弱當然並不是什麼秘密。但我們也發現的是衰老的一個生理特徵是你的睡眠質量變差了，尤其在我剛才談到的深度睡眠質量中。僅僅在去年，我們最終發表了證據表明這兩件事，它們不是簡單的同時發生，它們是顯著相互關聯的。這表明深度睡眠的中斷是導致衰老時認知能力和記憶能力衰退的一個低估因素，最近我們還發現，老年痴呆症也是如此。
Now, I know this is remarkably depressing news. It's in the mail. It's coming at you. But there's a potential silver lining here. Unlike many of the other factors that we know are associated with aging, for example changes in the physical structure of the brain, that's fiendishly difficult to treat. But that sleep is a missing piece in the explanatory puzzle of aging and Alzheimer's is exciting because we may be able to do something about it.
我知道這個消息是如此令人沮喪。它在郵寄途中，正在走向你。但也有一線希望。跟其他我們已知跟衰老有關的因素不同的是，比如大腦物理結構的改變，這是非常難以治療的。但睡眠是解釋衰老和阿爾茨海默症謎題中缺失的一塊倒是令人興奮，因為我們也許能做點啥對策。
And one way that we are approaching this at my sleep center is not by using sleeping pills, by the way. Unfortunately, they are blunt instruments that do not produce naturalistic sleep. Instead, we're actually developing a method based on this. It's called direct current brain stimulation. You insert a small amount of voltage into the brain, so small you typically don't feel it, but it has a measurable impact. Now if you apply this stimulation during sleep in young, healthy adults, as if you're sort of singing in time with those deep-sleep brainwaves, not only can you amplify the size of those deep-sleep brainwaves, but in doing so, we can almost double the amount of memory benefit that you get from sleep. The question now is whether we can translate this same affordable, potentially portable piece of technology into older adults and those with dementia. Can we restore back some healthy quality of deep sleep, and in doing so, can we salvage aspects of their learning and memory function? That is my real hope now. That's one of our moon-shot goals, as it were.
在我的睡眠中心解決這個問題的方法之一不是使用安眠藥，順便說一句。不幸的是，安眠藥是鈍器，不能產生自然主義的睡眠。反之，我們基於這個原理開發了一個方法。叫做腦直流電刺激方法。你在大腦中注入少量的電壓，小到你基本上感受不到，但卻具有可衡量的影響。現在如果你在年輕，健康的成人睡眠時採用這種刺激，就好像你在用那些沉睡的腦電波唱歌一樣，你不僅能夠放大這些深度睡眠腦電波，而且這樣做，我們可以增強從睡眠中獲得的記憶好處的兩倍。現在的問題是我們能否將這經濟實惠，潛在的便攜技術應用到老年人和老年痴呆群體中。我們能否恢復深度睡眠的健康質量，並且通過這樣做，我們能否挽救他們的學習和記憶功能？這是我目前真實的希望。可以說，這是我們的登月目標之一。
So that's an example of sleep for your brain, but sleep is just as essential for your body. We've already spoken about sleep loss and your reproductive system. Or I could tell you about sleep loss and your cardiovascular system, and that all it takes is one hour. Because there is a global experiment performed on 1.6 billion people across 70 countries twice a year, and it's called daylight saving time. Now, in the spring, when we lose one hour of sleep, we see a subsequent 24-percent increase in heart attacks that following day. In the autumn, when we gain an hour of sleep, we see a 21-percent reduction in heart attacks. Isn't that incredible? And you see exactly the same profile for car crashes, road traffic accidents, even suicide rates.
所以這是大腦睡眠的一個例子，但睡眠對你的身體也同樣重要。我們已經討論過睡眠不足和生殖系統的關係。或者我可以告訴你睡眠不足和你的心血管系統，而這只需要一個小時。因為有一個全球性的實驗每年在70個國家的16億人身上進行兩次，這個實驗叫做夏令時。現在，在春天，當我們少一個小時睡眠時，我們看到接下來的第二天心臟病發作會增加24%。在秋季，當我們獲得一個小時的睡眠時，我們看到心臟病發作會減少21%。是不是讓人難以置信？你會看到同樣的情況發生在車禍，交通事故，甚至自殺率上。
But as a deeper dive, I want to focus on this: sleep loss and your immune system. And here, I'll introduce these delightful blue elements in the image. They are called natural killer cells, and you can think of natural killer cells almost like the secret service agents of your immune system. They are very good at identifying dangerous, unwanted elements and eliminating them. In fact, what they're doing here is destroying a cancerous tumor mass. So what you wish for is a virile set of these immune assassins at all times, and tragically, that's what you don't have if you're not sleeping enough.
但為了更深入些，我想要專注這個：睡眠不足和你的免疫系統。這裡，我將介紹圖片中這些明亮的藍色元素。它們被稱為自然殺傷細胞，你可以把自然殺傷細胞想像成你免疫系統中的特勤局特工。它們非常擅長識別危險和無需的物體並消滅它們。事實上，它們正在做的是摧毀一個癌變的腫瘤團塊。所以你一定時刻希望擁有這群有能力的刺客，但悲劇的是，當你睡眠不足時，你不能擁有它們。
So here in this experiment, you're not going to have your sleep deprived for an entire night, you're simply going to have your sleep restricted to four hours for one single night, and then we're going to look to see what's the percent reduction in immune cell activity that you suffer. And it's not small -- it's not 10 percent, it's not 20 percent. There was a 70-percent drop in natural killer cell activity. That's a concerning state of immune deficiency, and you can perhaps understand why we're now finding significant links between short sleep duration and your risk for the development of numerous forms of cancer. Currently, that list includes cancer of the bowel, cancer of the prostate and cancer of the breast. In fact, the link between a lack of sleep and cancer is now so strong that the World Health Organization has classified any form of nighttime shift work as a probable carcinogen, because of a disruption of your sleep-wake rhythms.
所以在這個實驗中，你不會整晚都被剝奪睡眠，你一個晚上的睡眠將會被限制在4個小時，然後我們來看看你的免疫細胞會受到多大比例的影響。這並不是個小數目——不是10%，不是20%。自然殺傷細胞的活力下降高達70%。這是個令人擔憂的免疫缺陷狀態，你可能能夠理解我們現在發現的短睡眠時間和你患多種癌症的風險之間存在重要聯繫。目前，這一名單包括腸癌、前列腺癌和乳腺癌。事實上，睡眠不足和癌症之間的聯繫是如此緊密，以致世界衛生組織將任何形式的夜班工作列為可能的致癌物質，因為你的睡眠-覺醒節律被打亂了。
So you may have heard of that old maxim that you can sleep when you're dead. Well, I'm being quite serious now -- it is mortally unwise advice. We know this from epidemiological studies across millions of individuals. There's a simple truth: the shorter your sleep, the shorter your life. Short sleep predicts all-cause mortality.
你可能聽過這句老話，你死後自當長眠。我現在是認真的——這是極其不明智的建議。我們從數百萬人的流行病學研究中了解到這一點。事實很簡單：睡眠越少，生命越短。睡眠不足預示著全因死亡率。
And if increasing your risk for the development of cancer or even Alzheimer's disease were not sufficiently disquieting, we have since discovered that a lack of sleep will even erode the very fabric of biological life itself, your DNA genetic code. So here in this study, they took a group of healthy adults and they limited them to six hours of sleep a night for one week, and then they measured the change in their gene activity profile relative to when those same individuals were getting a full eight hours of sleep a night. And there were two critical findings. First, a sizable and significant 711 genes were distorted in their activity, caused by a lack of sleep. The second result was that about half of those genes were actually increased in their activity. The other half were decreased.
如果讓你增加患上癌症或者甚至老年痴呆症的風險還不足夠讓人不安的話，我們還發現，缺乏睡眠甚至會侵蝕生物生命本身的結構，你的DNA遺傳密碼。所以在這個研究中，他們找來一群健康的成年人，在一周內限制他們每晚的睡眠時間在6小時，然後測量他們的基因活動與每晚睡足8小時的人對比的變化。這個研究有兩個重要的發現。首先，一個數量相當大且顯著的711個基因的活動因為缺乏睡眠而被打亂。第二個結果是一半的這些基因活動確實增加了。另一半則減少了。
Now those genes that were switched off by a lack of sleep were genes associated with your immune system, so once again, you can see that immune deficiency. In contrast, those genes that were actually upregulated or increased by way of a lack of sleep, were genes associated with the promotion of tumors, genes associated with long-term chronic inflammation within the body, and genes associated with stress, and, as a consequence, cardiovascular disease. There is simply no aspect of your wellness that can retreat at the sign of sleep deprivation and get away unscathed. It's rather like a broken water pipe in your home. Sleep loss will leak down into every nook and cranny of your physiology, even tampering with the very DNA nucleic alphabet that spells out your daily health narrative.
因睡眠不足而關閉的基因是跟你免疫系統相關的基因，所以再一次，你會看到免疫缺陷。相反，那些因睡眠缺乏而上調或者活動增加的基因，是那些促進腫瘤相關的基因，與體內長期慢性炎症相關的基因，與壓力相關的基因，還有因此導致心血管疾病相關的基因。你的健康沒有任何方面可以在睡眠不足的跡象下安然無恙。這很像你家中的水管破了。睡眠不足會滲透到你身體的每一個角落，甚至會篡改你日常健康狀況的DNA核酸字母表。
And at this point, you may be thinking, "Oh my goodness, how do I start to get better sleep? What are you tips for good sleep?" Well, beyond avoiding the damaging and harmful impact of alcohol and caffeine on sleep, and if you're struggling with sleep at night, avoiding naps during the day, I have two pieces of advice for you.
此刻，你可能在想，「老天，我怎樣才能得到更好的睡眠？你有沒有睡個好覺的提示？」除了避免酒精和咖啡因對睡眠的有害影響之外，如果你晚上睡眠不好，白天避免打盹，我有兩點建議給你。
The first is regularity. Go to bed at the same time, wake up at the same time, no matter whether it's the weekday or the weekend. Regularity is king, and it will anchor your sleep and improve the quantity and the quality of that sleep. The second is keep it cool. Your body needs to drop its core temperature by about two to three degrees Fahrenheit to initiate sleep and then to stay asleep, and it's the reason you will always find it easier to fall asleep in a room that's too cold than too hot. So aim for a bedroom temperature of around 65 degrees, or about 18 degrees Celsius. That's going to be optimal for the sleep of most people.
首先是規律。準時上床，準時醒來，不管是工作日還是周末。規律為王，它會固定你的睡眠並且提升你睡眠的數量和質量。第二點是保持涼爽。你的身體需要把核心溫度降低2到3華氏度來開始睡眠和保持睡眠，這也是為什麼你會發現冷的環境要比熱的環境容易入睡。所以臥室的穩定要控制在65華氏度左右，或者大約攝氏18度。這是大多數人睡眠的最佳選擇。
And then finally, in taking a step back, then, what is the mission-critical statement here? Well, I think it may be this: sleep, unfortunately, is not an optional lifestyle luxury. Sleep is a nonnegotiable biological necessity. It is your life-support system, and it is Mother Nature's best effort yet at immortality. And the decimation of sleep throughout industrialized nations is having a catastrophic impact on our health, our wellness, even the safety and the education of our children. It's a silent sleep loss epidemic, and it's fast becoming one of the greatest public health challenges that we face in the 21st century.
然後最終，退一步說，這裡的關鍵任務是什麼？我想也許是這個：不幸的是，睡眠並不是一個可選的奢侈的生活方式。睡眠是一個不容置疑的生理需要。它是你的生命支持系統，它是自然母親對永生做的最大努力。工業化國家睡眠量的大量減少對我們的健康，我們的幸福，甚至安全以及孩子的教育有災難性的影響。這是一種無聲的睡眠缺乏流行病，它正在快速成為我們在21世紀面臨的其中一個公眾健康的最大挑戰。
I believe it is now time for us to reclaim our right to a full night of sleep, and without embarrassment or that unfortunate stigma of laziness. And in doing so, we can be reunited with the most powerful elixir of life, the Swiss Army knife of health, as it were.
我認為現在是重申我們睡好整夜權利的時候了，放下尷尬和懶惰的恥辱。通過這樣做，我們可以與生命中最強大的長生不老藥——瑞士軍刀重聚。
And with that soapbox rant over, I will simply say, good night, good luck, and above all ... I do hope you sleep well.
說完這番激昂的演說，我只想說，晚安，祝你好運，最重要的是…我真希望你們睡得好。
Thank you very much indeed.
衷心感謝各位。
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