第2267期:What happens to our brain when we sleep?

"I'm knackered - have you got any tips for a good night's sleep?" Not only is sleep a common feature of our small talk, we've also spent decades trying to understand and explain it. After all, we spend on average 26 years of our lives asleep. So, what do we know? Here are the highlights of the last decade of research.“我累坏了——你有什么能让我睡个好觉的秘诀吗？” 睡眠不仅是我们闲聊的一个常见特征，而且我们还花了几十年的时间试图理解和解释它。 毕竟，我们一生中平均有 26 年的时间都在睡眠中度过。 那么，我们知道什么？ 以下是过去十年研究的亮点。

One of the most intriguing developments is in the study of lucid dreaming – it seems it's possible to communicate with people while they're sleeping. In a study called 'Real-time dialogue between experimenters and dreamers during REM sleep', researchers asked questions to participants in a lucid dream. The dreamers signalled the answers using pre-agreed eye or facial movements. They were accurate, suggesting they could access their cognitive functions such as working memory while sleeping. This interaction between dreamworld and reality has brought excitement to the sleep science community.   最有趣的进展之一是对清醒梦的研究——似乎可以在人们睡觉时与他们交流。 在一项名为“快速眼动睡眠期间实验者和做梦者之间的实时对话”的研究中，研究人员向清醒梦中的参与者提出了问题。 做梦者使用预先商定的眼睛或面部动作来表示答案。 他们是准确的，表明他们可以在睡觉时访问他们的认知功能，例如工作记忆。 梦境与现实之间的这种相互作用给睡眠科学界带来了兴奋。   

Sleep can also help our memory and problem-solving. A 2023 review of research by Denis and Cairney noted that brain regions that are used to learn new things, are reactivated during sleep. That means while we're sleeping, our brains replay our memories of what happened during the day, which is believed to be crucial for memory retention. And, if you've ever felt it was best to sleep on a tricky problem and solve it in the morning, you might have scientific backing! A 2019 study by Sanders and colleagues found that people were more likely to solve a tricky problem the next day if the problem had been activated in their brains during sleep. So, if you're stuck, rest up and return to it in the morning.睡眠还可以帮助我们的记忆力和解决问题的能力。 Denis 和 Cairney 2023 年的一项研究回顾指出，用于学习新事物的大脑区域会在睡眠期间重新激活。 这意味着当我们睡觉时，我们的大脑会重播白天发生的事情的记忆，这被认为对于记忆保留至关重要。 而且，如果您曾经觉得最好先睡一觉再解决一个棘手的问题，然后在早上解决它，那么您可能有科学依据！ 桑德斯及其同事在 2019 年进行的一项研究发现，如果人们在睡眠时大脑中激活了某个棘手问题，那么他们第二天更有可能解决该问题。 因此，如果您遇到困难，请休息一下并在早上继续进行。

What if you're unlucky enough to suffer with sleep deprivation? Unfortunately, you may be at higher risk of negative moods and worse emotional regulation, according to a 2021 meta-analysis called 'The effect of sleep deprivation and restriction on mood, emotion, and emotion regulation'. The good news is there are plenty of tips to help you with your sleep hygiene. The UK's National Health Service recommends having a set time to start winding down, meditation before bed, which they call 'beditation', and avoiding caffeine before bed.如果您不幸睡眠不足怎么办？ 不幸的是，根据 2021 年一项名为“睡眠剥夺和限制对情绪、情绪和情绪调节的影响”的荟萃分析，您可能面临更高的负面情绪和更差的情绪调节风险。  好消息是有很多技巧可以帮助您保持睡眠卫生。 英国国家卫生服务中心建议设定一个固定的时间开始放松，睡前冥想（他们称之为“beditation”），并避免在睡前摄入咖啡因。

词汇表

knackered 筋疲力尽的
a good night's sleep 睡个好觉
asleep 睡着的
lucid dreaming 清醒梦，在做梦时保持思考和记忆能力
dreamer 睡梦中的人
REM sleep 快速动眼睡眠
cognitive functions 认知功能
working memory 工作记忆，一种持续时间较短的记忆
dreamworld 梦中世界，梦境
memory retention 记忆保持，在记忆中保留信息或经验
sleep on something 把…留到下一天再作决定
rest up 得到充分休息
sleep deprivation 睡眠不足
sleep hygiene 睡眠健康
wind down 逐渐放松
beditation 睡前冥想
caffeine 咖啡因