撰文：Dr. Maoshing Ni
四月 07, 2009
發(fā)布于2009年四月7日
Would you like to sleep like a baby without taking drugs? Americans spend upwards of 3 billion dollars a year on sleep medications, but to avoid the side effects, there are a number of natural remedies you can try first. Read on to learn some of the ways to get a good quality night's sleep.
你想要不依靠任何藥物而像嬰兒那樣酣睡嗎？美國人每年投入三十多億美元用于睡眠藥物上。不過(guò)，為了避免產(chǎn)生不必要的副作用，你可以先去試試幾種自然無(wú)副作用的方法。通過(guò)閱讀下文你就可以學(xué)到獲得高質(zhì)量睡眠的幾種方法。
1. Relaxing Rituals to Rest Easy
1.放松調節助你輕松入睡
In Chinese Medicine, nighttime is yin time—or, simply, when the body takes care of itself instead of your desires. Proper sleep is required for your body to repair itself and regenerate. To reach deep, restful sleep, your spirit and heart must be calm. Excessive worry, anxiety, and depression can all disturb the spirit and activate the mind—making it near impossible to fall asleep and stay asleep. Rituals to sooth your spirit and induce a sleep response before bed include soaking your feet in Epson salts for 15 minutes, writing all of your thoughts in a journal to get them out of your head, and practicing relaxation before bed, like the Stress Release meditation below.
中醫認為，夜間屬于陰時(shí)間---即清心寡欲并讓你的身心得到徹底放松的時(shí)間段。你的身體需要恰當的睡眠進(jìn)行自我修復和調節。你的身心需徹底放松才能進(jìn)入安然的深度睡眠中去。過(guò)度擔心、焦慮和憂(yōu)慮會(huì )干擾你的精神狀態(tài)并讓你思緒愁?lèi)灥脽o(wú)法入睡。放松調節可以緩解你勞累疲倦了一天的心靈，具體的做法有：在愛(ài)普生鹽水里泡腳15分鐘，將你頭腦中的所有想法寫(xiě)在紙上釋放出來(lái)，睡前做會(huì )兒釋放壓力的冥想。
2. When Food Disturbs Sleep
2.食物也會(huì )影響你的睡眠
When you eat late, you wake up tired. Your body will be busy digesting your dinner while you are trying to sleep, so you won't feel rested in the morning. Do not eat anything for at least three hours before bedtime. Also, cut back on eating bacon, cheese, chocolate, ham, potatoes, tomatoes, and sausage, especially before bed. These foods contain tyramine, which inhibits neurochemicals like norepinephrine and can cause insomnia. And, of course if you have sleep problems, caffeine should be cut out.
假如你很晚才吃晚飯的話(huà)，你醒來(lái)時(shí)會(huì )感覺(jué)到很累。在你試圖想要快點(diǎn)入睡的同時(shí)，你的身體正在忙于消化你的晚餐，所以當你在早晨起來(lái)時(shí)你感覺(jué)就像沒(méi)有睡過(guò)一樣。在睡覺(jué)前三小時(shí)內不要吃任何食物。此外，切記少吃熏肉、奶酪、巧克力、火腿、土豆、西紅柿和香腸，尤其是在睡覺(jué)前更要注意這點(diǎn)。這些食物包含酪胺，它會(huì )抑制諸如甲腎上腺素之類(lèi)的神經(jīng)化學(xué)物質(zhì)并會(huì )導致你失眠。而且，假如你有睡眠問(wèn)題的話(huà)，你就更不應該繼續飲用咖啡因飲料。
Eat for sleep! Try eating more grains at dinner; carbohydrates tend to make people sleepy. Another snooze snack is a warm cup of milk; because milk is rich in the amino acid tryptophan, it can sometimes aid in deep sleep. Mix in natural vanilla flavoring for a soothing snack. Or if you prefer, eat 1 cup of natural yogurt an hour before bedtime.
為了睡覺(jué)而吃！試著(zhù)在晚餐時(shí)多吃點(diǎn)谷物；碳水化合物往往會(huì )讓人犯困。另一個(gè)會(huì )讓你犯困的飲料就是一杯溫牛奶；因為牛奶富含色氨酸，在一些情況下它有助于你進(jìn)入深度睡眠。此外，你還可以在點(diǎn)心中加入點(diǎn)天然的香草調味料。如果你喜歡的話(huà)，可以在睡覺(jué)前一個(gè)小是喝杯原味的酸奶。
3. A Peaceful Place for Sleep
3.適宜睡眠的寧靜氛圍
Your sleeping environment makes a huge difference to the quality of your sleep. Do everything you can to create a quiet and cozy atmosphere. Ideally, your bedroom should be located in the quietest area of your home. Keep the décor minimal. Lighting should be dim and any music that is played should be soothing. Research has found that lavender, vanilla, and green apple are among the best scents to help lower anxiety and induce sleep, making these smells a good choice for a scented candle or heated essential oil. Try to limit your pets to outside of the bedroom because their movements will keep with your body from fully relaxing into deep R. E. M. sleep. As much as possible, your bedroom should be only for sleep.
睡眠環(huán)境對你的睡眠質(zhì)量有很大的影響。盡一切所能，為自己營(yíng)造一個(gè)安靜和舒適的環(huán)境。最理想的情況就是，你的臥室應該坐落在你家中最安靜的地方。家居飾品越簡(jiǎn)單越好。燈光要柔和，你所播放的音樂(lè )要舒緩。研究表明，薰衣草、香草和青蘋(píng)果的氣味有助于緩解焦慮并能激發(fā)你的睡意，所以使用此類(lèi)的香氛蠟燭和精油是個(gè)不錯的選擇。不要讓寵物呆在你的臥室內，因為它們的小動(dòng)靜會(huì )干擾你從身心放松的狀態(tài)過(guò)度到深度R. E. M.睡眠。盡可能地讓你的臥室成為只供你睡覺(jué)的地方。
4. Exercise Enables Sleep
4.鍛煉有助于睡眠
People with regular exercise routines often sleep better and have fewer incidents of insomnia than those don't get regular physical activity. Exercise promotes sleep and improves sleep quality by altering brain chemistry. Exercising moderately for 20 to 30 minutes three times a day, combined with meditation or tai chi in the evening, will not only help you fall and stay asleep, but will also increase the amount of time you spend in R.E.M. sleep. In fact, for some people, exercise alone is enough to overcome sleep problems. Exercise in the morning or afternoon, but do not exercise for at least two hours before bed.
那些有日常鍛煉習慣的人通常會(huì )有較好的睡眠，而且和那些沒(méi)有定期鍛煉習慣的人來(lái)說(shuō)，他們很少有失眠的狀況。鍛煉有助于睡眠，它讓大腦產(chǎn)生有益的化學(xué)物質(zhì)改善睡眠。每天花20到30分鐘的時(shí)間適度地鍛煉三次，同時(shí)在晚上做會(huì )兒冥想或太極，不僅會(huì )讓你快速入睡，而且還會(huì )增加你處在 R.E.M.睡眠中的時(shí)間。事實(shí)上，對許多人來(lái)說(shuō)，僅僅依靠鍛煉就可以解決所以的睡眠問(wèn)題。早晨下午都可以去做鍛煉，但不要在睡覺(jué)前兩個(gè)小時(shí)內去做運動(dòng)。
5. Herbs to Sleep Tight
5.中草藥幫你睡個(gè)好覺(jué)
A calming tea before bedtime can ensure a good night's sleep. Drink valerian or passionflower (or passiflora) tea before bedtime every night for one month. Simply steep 1 to 2 tablespoons of the dried herbs in one cup of hot water and drink just before bed. Or look for one with the traditional Chinese herbs zizyphus or jujube seed, bamboo shavings, and oyster shell, which soothe the mind and spirit.
睡覺(jué)前喝被冰鎮涼茶會(huì )讓你有個(gè)好覺(jué)。堅持一個(gè)月在每晚臨睡前飲用頡草茶或西番蓮茶。在一杯熱水中放一兩勺干草藥，然后在睡覺(jué)前喝了它。你也可以用傳統的中藥棗屬植物或者是棗種子、竹屑和牡蠣殼，它們有助于放松你的心靈。
You might also try Calm-Fort/Sleep formula with useful herbs like lily bulbs, polygala and turmeric that help manage stress and calm the spirit while relieving restlessness and insomnia.
當然，你也可以嘗試使用這些很有用的諸如百合鱗莖、遠志和姜黃之類(lèi)的草藥，它們能夠在緩解不安和失眠癥狀的同時(shí)也有助于你去減壓舒神。
6. A Sleep-Friendly Meditation
6.有助于睡眠的冥想
I had one patient with insomnia who also felt anxious and even a little depressed. In addition to acupuncture and herbal therapies, I decided to teach her a stress release meditation that she could do before bedtime to help with her anxiety. I am happy to report that she is now sleeping like a baby.
我有一位病人，她患有失眠癥，同時(shí)還有焦慮壓抑的傾向。除了針灸和草藥療法，我還教她如何在睡覺(jué)前做能夠釋放壓力的冥想?，F在她能像嬰兒那樣睡個(gè)好覺(jué)，我對此感到很高興。
Try this Stress Release meditation, which works for the majority of my patients who have sleeping problems:
試試這個(gè)減壓冥想方法，它對于我的大部分病人來(lái)說(shuō)都很管用：
Sit comfortably or lie down on your back. Slow your respiration to deep, abdominal breathing. Utter the word "calm" in your mind with every exhalation. Focus on relaxing each area of your body in sequence, from the top of your head to your toes. Starting with the top of your head, inhale and then exhale while visualizing your scalp muscles relaxing. Say "calm" in your mind. Repeat this with each body part as you move down through all body parts, front, back, and sides, in succession: your face, throat, chest, arms, stomach, abdomen, thighs, knees, legs, ankles, until finally you reach your feet. When you've relaxed your feet, visualize all the tension in your body leaving through your toes as dark smoke. Practice this for at least 15 minutes before bedtime.
讓自己舒適地坐著(zhù)或躺著(zhù)。用腹式呼吸法，慢慢地放緩呼吸的頻率，深呼吸。在你的內心浮想“平靜”這個(gè)詞。專(zhuān)注于放松你身體的每個(gè)部位，從頭到腳讓它們放松起來(lái)。從你的頭部開(kāi)始，吸氣、呼氣，同時(shí)放松你的肌肉。在你的內心呼喊“平靜”這個(gè)詞。當你向前、向后、向左、向右移動(dòng)你身體的其它部分時(shí)，重復先前的步驟。它們依次是你的臉、喉嚨、胸部、手臂、胃、腹部、大腿、膝蓋、腿、腳踝，最終直到你的腳。當你的腳感到放松時(shí)，想象一下你正將身上的所有緊張情緒如黑煙般從你腳趾排放出來(lái)。在睡覺(jué)前按照這種方式訓練15分鐘以上。
It will have you sleeping in no time. If you do better with meditative visualizations that are narrated, try my Stress Release CD.
這樣你就可以在任何時(shí)候就可以入睡了。假如你還未對這種冥想有個(gè)清晰化的了解的話(huà)，請去看看我做的減壓CD。
I hope you find the ways to resting easy and waking up refreshed!
我希望你能夠找到用于你的解決辦法！
May you stay healthy, live long, and live happy!
祝你健康長(cháng)壽、幸?？鞓?lè )！
-Dr. Mao
---Dr. Mao
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