研究：缺觉会影响基因

 　　I’ve often wondered how exactly sleep, or lack of it , can have such a devastating¹ effect on our bodies and, guess what, how much we sleep switches good genes³ on and bad genes off.

　　我时常思考，睡眠的充足与否会对我们的身体健康带来怎样严重的后果；也不禁去猜测，多久的睡眠才会让基因发挥有益作用。

　　In early 2013, the Sleep Research Centre at the University of Surrey found a direct link between hours spent sleeping and genes.

　　2013年初，英国萨里大学的睡眠研究中心发现，睡眠时长与基因之间存在直接联系。

　　Every cell in our bodies carries genetic⁴ instructions in our DNA⁵ that act as a kind of operating manual. However, each cell only ‘reads’ the portion of this manual it needs at any given moment.

　　我们人体的每一个细胞中DNA所携带的遗传指令都相当于一套操作说明。然而在任何时候，细胞都只能够读取其需要的说明。

　　研究：缺觉会影响基因

　　Can sleep affect how a gene² reads instructions? It’s a question asked by Professor Derk-Jan Dijk at the University of Surrey.

　　睡眠能够影响基因读取其操作说明吗？萨里大学的教授德克-简?迪克提出了这一问题。

　　He set up an experiment and asked his volunteers to spend a week sleeping around seven and a half hours to eight hours a night and the next sleeping six and a half to seven hours.

　　他着手进行了一项实验，要求志愿者们每晚睡大约七个半到八个小时，一个星期后再将睡眠时间调整为六个半到七个小时。

　　Blood samples were taken each week to compare which genes in blood cells were being used during the long and short nights. The results were startling.他将志愿者这两周的血液样本进行比对，观察在不同睡眠时长下，血细胞中的基因运作情况有何不同。实验结果令人大吃一惊。

　　Several hundred genes changed in the amount they were being used, including some that are linked to heart disease, cancer, and Type 2 diabetes⁶.

　　数百种基因的使用状况因为睡眠时长的不同而改变，其中一些基因还与心脏病、癌症以及2型糖尿病有关。

　　Genes to do with cell repair and replenishment⁷ were used much less.

　　对有关细胞修复与补给的基因的使用大为减少。

　　Sleep restriction⁸ (six and a half to seven hours a night) changed 380 genes.

　　睡眠的受限（一晚只睡六个半到七个小时）改变了380种基因。

　　Of these, 220 genes were down regulated by sleep restriction (their power was reduced), while 160 were up regulated (their power was increased).

　　其中，有220种基因表达下调（他们的活性降低），另外160种表达上调（他们的活性上升）。

　　Those affected⁹ included body-clock genes which are linked to diabetes.

　　那些包括控制生物钟在内的基因都受到了影响，而它们又都与糖尿病有关。

　　One of the most downgraded genes is that which has a role in controlling insulin and is linked to diabetes and insomnia¹⁰. The most upgraded gene is linked to heart disease.

　　在表达下调程度最高的基因中，有一种负责控制胰岛素合成的基因与糖尿病和失眠密切相关。而表达上调程度最高的基因则与心脏病有关联。

　　So changing sleep by tiny amounts can upgrade or downgrade genes that can influence our health and the diseases we become prey¹¹ to when we sleep too little.

　　因此，稍微缩短睡眠时长就会改变基因的运作状态，进而影响到我们的身体健康。若是睡得太少，疾病说来就来。

　　The important message is that getting close to eight hours of sleep a night can make a dramatic difference to our health in just a few days through the way it looks after our genes.

　　实验所传达的重要信息是，保证每晚近八小时的睡眠是对我们的基因负责；仅仅几天的充足睡眠，我们的健康也会有巨大的改观。

　　So resist staying up late to listen to another podcast, read one more chapter, have one more drink or do a little bit more work, mistakenly thinking it won’t make much difference. It will.

　　所以说，要是你坚持熬夜再看一个视频，再多读一章小说，再多贪一杯酒或是再多干点儿活，还安慰自己这没什么大不了的话，那你会后悔的。

1 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

2 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

3 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

4 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

5 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

6 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

7 replenishment   

n.补充(货物)

参考例句：

• Since the wartime population needed replenishment, pregnancies were a good sign. 最后一桩倒不失为好现象，战时人口正该补充。
• Natural replenishment of this vast supply of underground water occurs very slowly. 靠自然补充大量地下水是十分缓慢的。

8 restriction   

n.限制，约束

参考例句：

• The park is open to the public without restriction.这个公园对公众开放，没有任何限制。
• The 30 mph speed restriction applies in all built-up areas.每小时限速30英里适用于所有建筑物聚集区。

9 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

10 insomnia   

n.失眠，失眠症

参考例句：

• Worries and tenseness can lead to insomnia.忧虑和紧张会导致失眠。
• He is suffering from insomnia.他患失眠症。

11 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。