Listen to music to help you sleep
Forget counting sheep, next time you are having trouble dropping off to sleep try putting on a jazz CD.
Researchers have shown just 45 minutes of relaxing music before bedtime can make for a restful night.
The Taiwanese researchers studied the sleeping patterns of 60 elderly people with sleep problems.
They told the Journal of Advanced Nursing, how the technique was easy to learn and lacked the side-effects of other treatments.
The study participants were either given a choice of music to listen to before going to sleep or nothing at all.
The music group were able to choose from six tapes that featured soft, slow music - around 60-80 beats per minute - such as jazz, folk or orchestral pieces.
Listening to music caused physical changes that aided restful sleep, including a lower heart and respiratory rate, the researchers found.
The people in the music group reported a 35% improvement in their sleep, including better and longer night-time sleep and less dysfunction during the day.
Lead author Professor Hui-Ling Lai, of the Buddhist Tzu-Chi General Hospital and the University of Taiwan, said: "The music group reported a 26% overall improvement in the first week and this figure continued to rise as they mastered the technique of relaxing into sedative music."
Professor Jim Horne, from the Sleep Research Centre at Loughborough University, said: "If anyone is a bit agitated before they go to bed then anything that can help calm them down and relax is a good thing.
"Some say making sure older people sleep less in the afternoon and get plenty of exposure to daylight can help them get a better night's sleep."(BBC)
科學(xué)研究顯示：聽(tīng)輕音樂(lè)有助睡眠
把數(shù)羊入睡的辦法忘了吧，下次如果你再睡不著的話，試著放一張爵士樂(lè)的CD聽(tīng)聽(tīng)。
研究者們發(fā)現(xiàn)，只要在睡前聽(tīng)45分鐘輕松舒緩的音樂(lè)，晚上就能睡得很香。
臺(tái)灣的研究者們研究了60名有睡眠問(wèn)題的老年人的睡眠模式。
他們?cè)凇陡呒?jí)護(hù)理期刊》發(fā)表文章說(shuō)，這一技巧很容易學(xué)習(xí)，而且不會(huì)像其他治療方法一樣產(chǎn)生副作用。
受試者們要么選擇在入睡前聽(tīng)音樂(lè)，要么什么都不做。
選擇聽(tīng)音樂(lè)的那一組有六盤(pán)磁帶可供選擇，都是節(jié)奏在每分鐘60-80拍的舒緩音樂(lè)，如爵士樂(lè)、民歌或管弦樂(lè)曲等。
研究者們發(fā)現(xiàn)，聽(tīng)音樂(lè)能產(chǎn)生有助于安穩(wěn)的睡眠的生理變化，比如心跳和呼吸放緩。
聽(tīng)音樂(lè)的那組報(bào)告顯示，他們的睡眠狀況改善程度達(dá)到35%，夜間睡得更久也更沉了，白天的機(jī)能障礙也有所減少。
主持這項(xiàng)研究的賴惠玲教授供職于花蓮佛教慈濟(jì)綜合醫(yī)院和臺(tái)灣大學(xué)，她說(shuō)：“第一周，聽(tīng)音樂(lè)那組的總體睡眠質(zhì)量改善了26%，而隨著他們逐步掌握了在安神音樂(lè)中放松的技巧，這一數(shù)字還在不斷上升?！?BR> 英國(guó)拉夫堡大學(xué)睡眠研究中心的吉姆·霍恩教授說(shuō)：“如果一個(gè)人在上床休息之前情緒有點(diǎn)激動(dòng)不安，那么有助于他平靜和放松的事情就是好的?！?BR> “有人說(shuō)，老年人下午一定不要睡太多，多曬曬太陽(yáng)，這些都能使他們晚上睡得更香甜?！保ㄖ袊?guó)日?qǐng)?bào)網(wǎng)站譯）
Vocabulary:
restful: affording, marked by, or suggesting rest; tranquil（給人充分休息的，益于休息的；平靜的）
respiratory: of, relating to, used in, or affecting respiration（呼吸的）
dysfunction: abnormal or impaired functioning, especially of a bodily system or organ（機(jī)能障礙，功能紊亂）
sedative: having a soothing, calming, or tranquilizing effect; reducing or relieving anxiety, stress, irritability, or excitement（鎮(zhèn)靜的，安神的）