睡眠不足影响基因,你今天睡饱了吗?

 　　Getting too little sleep for several nights in a row disrupts hundreds of genes¹ that are essential for good health, including those linked to stress and fighting disease.

　　连续几个晚上睡眠过少会扰乱数以百计对身体健康必不可少的基因，包括那些与压力有关以及对抗疾病的基因。

　　Tests on people who slept less than six hours a night for a week revealed substantial changes in the activity of genes that govern the immune system, metabolism², sleep and wake cycles, and the body's response to stress, suggesting that poor sleep could have a broad impact on long-term wellbeing.

　　对连续一周每晚睡不到六个小时的人的测试揭示了控制免疫系统、代谢、睡眠和清醒周期以及身体应激反应的那些基因活动的明显变化，这表明睡眠不好对长期健康有广泛影响。

　　The changes, which affected³ more than 700 genes, may shed light on the biological mechanisms⁴ that raise the risk of a host of ailments⁵, including heart disease, diabetes⁶, obesity⁷, stress and depression, in people who get too little sleep.

　　这些变化，影响超过700个基因，可能阐明了那些睡眠过少的人会增加一系列包括心脏病、糖尿病、肥胖、压力和抑郁等疾病风险的生物机制。

　　Previous studies have suggested that people who sleep less than five hours a night have a 15% greater risk of death from all causes than people of the same age who get a good night's sleep. In one survey of workers in Britain more than 5% claimed to sleep no more than five hours a night. Another survey published in the US in 2010 found that nearly 30% of people claimed to sleep no more than six hours a night.

　　先前的研究显示：那些夜里睡眠少于5个小时的人比能睡个好觉的同龄人多增了因各种原因而死亡的15%的风险。在对英国工人的一项调查中，超过5%的人声称每晚睡眠不超过5小时。另一个2010年在美国发表的调查发现，近30%的人声称每晚不超过6小时睡眠。

　　The time spent asleep had a huge effect on the activity of genes, picked up from blood tests on the volunteers, according to a report in the US journal Proceedings⁸ of the National Academy of Sciences. Among the sleep-deprived, the activity of 444 genes was suppressed, while 267 genes were more active than in those who slept for longer.

　　睡眠时间对基因活动有巨大影响，从血液测试志愿者那采集的，根据《美国国家科学院院刊》上的一份报告。在睡眠不足的人中， 444个基因活动被抑制，而267个基因比那些睡得更长的人的基因更活跃。

　　Changes to genes that control metabolism might trigger or exacerbate⁹ conditions such as diabetes or obesity, while disruption to other genes, such as those that govern the body's inflammatory response, might have an impact on heart disease. Further genes that were affected have been linked to stress and ageing.

　　控制代谢的基因变化可能会引发或加剧像糖尿病或肥胖那样的情况，而破坏其他基因，比如那些掌控身体应激反应的基因，可能会对心脏疾病有影响。被影响的其他基因与压力和老化有关。

　　Sleep loss also had a dramatic effect on genes that govern the body's biological clock, suggesting that poor sleep might trigger a vicious cycle of worsening sleep disruption.

　　睡眠不足对支配人体生物钟的基因也有巨大影响，这表明睡眠不足可能引发恶化的睡眠中断的恶性循环。

　　Jim Horne, professor of psychophysiology at Loughborough University's Sleep Research Centre, said: "The potential perils¹⁰ of 'sleep debt' in today's society and the need for 'eight hours of sleep a night' are often overplayed and can cause undue¹¹ worry. Although this important study seems to support this concern, the participants had their sleep suddenly restricted to an unusually low level, which must have been somewhat stressful.

　　吉姆?霍恩，拉夫堡大学睡眠研究中心的心理生理学教授，说：“ 在今天社会‘睡眠债’的潜在危险以及需要‘每晚八小时睡眠’往往被夸大，会导致过度忧虑。尽管这一重要研究似乎支持这一担忧，但参与者使其睡眠突然限于异常低的水平，这一定是有些紧张。”

　　"We must be careful not to generalise such findings to,then say, habitual¹² six-hour sleepers¹³ who are happy with their sleep. Besides, sleep can adapt to some change, and should also be judged on its quality, not simply on its total amount."

　　“我们必须小心地不去归纳这些发现，然后说习惯于六小时睡眠的人满意他们的睡眠。此外，睡眠可以适应于一些变化，也应根据其质量来判断，而不是简单地根据其总量。”

1 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

2 metabolism   

n.新陈代谢

参考例句：

• After years of dieting,Carol's metabolism was completely out of whack.经过数年的节食，卡罗尔的新陈代谢完全紊乱了。
• All living matter undergoes a process of metabolism.生物都有新陈代谢。

3 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。

4 mechanisms   

n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 ailments   

疾病（尤指慢性病），不适( ailment的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His ailments include a mild heart attack and arthritis. 他患有轻度心脏病和关节炎。
• He hospitalizes patients for minor ailments. 他把只有小病的患者也送进医院。

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 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。

8 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

9 exacerbate   

v.恶化，增剧，激怒，使加剧

参考例句：

• WMO says a warming climate can exacerbate air pollution.世界气象组织说，气候变暖可能会加剧空气污染。
• In fact efforts will merely exacerbate the current problem.实际上努力只会加剧当前的问题。

10 perils   

极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境）

参考例句：

• The commander bade his men be undaunted in the face of perils. 指挥员命令他的战士要临危不惧。
• With how many more perils and disasters would he load himself? 他还要再冒多少风险和遭受多少灾难？

11 undue   

adj.过分的；不适当的；未到期的

参考例句：

• Don't treat the matter with undue haste.不要过急地处理此事。
• It would be wise not to give undue importance to his criticisms.最好不要过分看重他的批评。

12 habitual   

adj.习惯性的；通常的，惯常的

参考例句：

• He is a habitual criminal.他是一个惯犯。
• They are habitual visitors to our house.他们是我家的常客。

13 sleepers   

n.卧铺（通常以复数形式出现）；卧车( sleeper的名词复数 )；轨枕；睡觉（呈某种状态）的人；小耳环

参考例句：

• He trod quietly so as not to disturb the sleepers. 他轻移脚步，以免吵醒睡着的人。 来自辞典例句
• The nurse was out, and we two sleepers were alone. 保姆出去了，只剩下我们两个瞌睡虫。 来自辞典例句