VOA慢速英语2010年-Health Report - Study Links Bedtime Ru

This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

Parents know a nightly bedtime is not always easy to enforce¹. But researchers say bedtime rules may improve a child's development.

A new study found better results in four-year-olds who go to bed around the same time every night and sleep at least eleven hours. Getting less than that was linked to lower abilities in language, reading and early math skills.

Researchers at SRI International in California did the study. It involved about eight thousand preschool children whose parents took part in government research on early childhood.

The parents answered questions by telephone at nine months and again at four years. The amount of sleep was based on their reporting of a child's usual bedtime and wake time. These were not independently confirmed.

SRI policy researcher Erika Gaylor says doctors can easily try to get parents to set regular bedtimes. And at bedtime she urges parents to follow routines² like reading books or telling stories to their children.

For most measures of development, the study found that an earlier bedtime was also a predictor of higher scores.

Allysa Adams of reads to her daughter Andie before bedtime in this 2007 file photo

Last August, a study in the journal³ Sleep Medicine said children who go to bed after nine o'clock took longer to fall asleep and slept less. The study found that children also got less sleep if they did not have bedtime routines.

The new findings⁴ were presented this week in San Antonio, Texas, at a meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.

A separate study found that more sleep may even make a person run faster. The study was small -- seven players on the Stanford University football team. For the study, they aimed for at least ten hours of sleep each night during the season.

After seven to eight weeks of more sleep, the players ran faster in short training races. They also felt less sleepy during the day.

Stanford sleep researcher Cheri Mah says sleep should be part of an athlete's training program. This is some of her advice: Before competition, extend⁵ your nightly sleep for several weeks to reduce a sleep debt. Adults should try to get seven to eight hours of sleep a night. Teenagers and young adults should aim for nine hours or more. Go to bed and wake up at the same times every day. And take brief naps⁶ during the day to get extra sleep.

And that's the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Caty Weaver⁷. You can read and listen to our stories at voaspecialenglish.com. You can also join us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube at VOA Learning⁸ English. I’m Doug Johnson.

 

1 enforce   

vt.实施，执行；强制，强迫；加强，坚持

参考例句：

• You have no right to enforce your own views on me.你无权把你自己的观点强加给我。
• They tried to enforce agreement with their plans.他们企图迫使人们同意他们的计划。

2 routines   

n.[计算机]程序( routine的名词复数 )；例行公事；日常工作；固定节目

参考例句：

• The artists were going through their daily routines. 艺术家们正进行日常的练习活动。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Hospital routines for nurses are very rigid. 医院中护士的日常工作非常刻板。 来自辞典例句

3 journal   

n.日志，日记；议事录；日记帐；杂志，定期刊物

参考例句：

• He kept a journal during his visit to Japan.他在访问日本期间坚持记日记。
• He got a job as editor of a trade journal.他找到了一份当商业杂志编辑的工作。

4 findings   

n.发现物( finding的名词复数 )；调查（或研究）的结果；（陪审团的）裁决

参考例句：

• It behoves us to study these findings carefully. 我们理应认真研究这些发现。
• Their findings have been widely disseminated . 他们的研究成果已经广为传播。

5 extend   

v.伸开；展开，伸展；扩大；加大

参考例句：

• Can you extend your visit for a few days more?你能把你的访问再延长几天吗？
• The examinations extend over two weeks.考试持续两个星期。

6 naps   

n.小睡，打盹( nap的名词复数 )；珠皮呢

参考例句：

• My grandfather naps in his armchair. 我祖父在扶手椅子上小睡。 来自辞典例句
• The baby's regime included two naps a day. 这婴儿的生活规律包括一天小睡两次。 来自辞典例句

7 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

8 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。