Someone hit the snooze button – because it is World Sleep Day today.
有人按掉了鬧鐘——因為今天是世界睡眠日。

While most of us constantly feel tired, whether hangover related or just down to working too damn hard, you might not need as much sleep as you might think.
我們大部分人常常覺得疲勞，與宿醉有關或只是因為我們工作太過努力，也許你需要的睡眠時長和你想的不一樣。

That’s because often it’s the quality of your sleep rather than the hours you spend tucked up under the duvet.
因為這常常由你的睡眠質量所決定而非你在床上蜷在被子里的時長。

How much sleep do you actually need?
你究竟需要多少睡眠時間？

Newborns (0-3 months ): Sleep range narrowed to 14-17 hours each day (previously it was 12-18)
新生兒（0-3個月）：睡眠時間范圍縮短為每天14-17個小時（先前為12-18個小時）

Infants (4-11 months): Sleep range widened two hours to 12-15 hours (previously it was 14-15)
嬰兒（4-11個月）：睡眠時間范圍擴大了兩個小時至12-15個小時（先前為14-15個小時）

Toddlers (1-2 years): Sleep range widened by one hour to 11-14 hours (previously it was 12-14)
學步兒童（1-2歲）：睡眠時間范圍擴大了一個小時至11-14個小時（先前為12-14小時

Preschoolers (3-5): Sleep range widened by one hour to 10-13 hours (previously it was 11-13)
學齡前兒童（3-5歲）：睡眠時間范圍擴大了一個小時至10-13個小時（先前為11-13個小時）

School age children (6-13): Sleep range widened by one hour to 9-11 hours (previously it was 10-11)
學齡兒童（6-13歲）：睡眠時間范圍擴大了一個小時至9-11個小時（先前為10-11個小時）

Teenagers (14-17): Sleep range widened by one hour to 8-10 hours (previously it was 8.5-9.5)
青少年（14-17歲）：睡眠時間范圍擴大了一個小時至8-10小時（先前為8.5-9.5個小時）

Younger adults (18-25): Sleep range is 7-9 hours (new age category)
青年（18-25歲）：睡眠范圍是7-9個小時（這是個新的年齡分組）

Adults (26-64): Sleep range did not change and remains 7-9 hours
成年人（26-64）：睡眠范圍不改變，仍是7-9個小時

Older adults (65+): Sleep range is 7-8 hours (new age category)
老年人（65歲以上）：睡眠范圍是7-8個小時（這也是個新的年齡分組）

The National Sleep Foundation suggests that the amount of sleep you need very much depends on your age.
美國國家睡眠基金會稱，你的睡眠時間長短很大部分取決于你的年齡。

Most young adults only need between seven and nine hours a night, but can get away with sleeping just six hours.
很多青年人一晚只需要7至9小時的睡眠時間，但他們也可以只睡6小時。

Teenager meanwhile need at least seven hours in bed, but can happily sleep for 11. School children are recommended to have between nine and 11 hours.
青少年每天需要至少7小時的睡眠時間，但睡11個小時也可以很開心。學齡兒童建議最好需要9至11個小時的睡眠時長。

Older adults need five or six hours between the sheets but it is recommended they have between seven and eight.
老年人需要5至6小時的睡眠時間，但更建議他們的睡眠時間延長至7-8個小時。

Babies need a lot more sleep of course, lying in their cots for up to 19 hours a day.
當然嬰兒們需要很多的睡眠時間，他們在睡夢中的時間可達到一天19個小時。

Your sleep health is important
你的睡眠健康很重要

It’s all about getting quality sleep rather than just the hours in bed.
擁有好的睡眠質量比睡眠時長更重要。

Stimulants like coffee, tea and energy drinks don’t help as they can interfere with people’s ‘circadian rhythm’, which is your natural sleep cycle.
咖啡、茶和功能飲料這類刺激飲品對睡眠質量并無幫助，因為他們會擾亂你的“生理節律”，也就是你的自然睡眠周期。

The same is true for alarm clocks and poor lighting.
鬧鐘與不良照明也一樣會影響你的睡眠。

If you don’t get enough sleep each night, your body will begin to develop ‘sleep debt’ and you’ll feel exhausted, which can have an affect on your overall well-being and health.
如果你每天沒有足夠的睡眠，你的身體就會開始產生“睡眠債”，你也會感覺到筋疲力盡。這會影響你的整體幸福感和健康。

Why do we need sleep?
為什么我們需要睡覺？

When we are awake, a chemical called adenosine builds up in the bloodstream.
當我們清醒時，血液循環中會產生一種叫做腺苷的化學物質。

It is only when we are asleep that the body is able to break this chemical down and if you don’t get enough sleep your body won’t have enough time to break down the chemical.
只有當你處于睡眠狀態時，身體才能夠分解這種化學物質，但如果你的睡眠不充足，你的身體就不能有足夠的時間來分解它。

The result is a slow down in your reactions, feeling generally tired and wanting to have a nap.
這就會導致你的反應變慢、感到疲倦、想要睡一覺。

How to improve your sleep
如何提高你的睡眠質量

For those who aren’t getting enough hours in bed, it is all about setting a sleep schedule and sticking to it.
對于那些睡眠不足的人來說，他們需要建立一個睡眠時間表，并且堅持下去。

Sometimes that means heading to bed 15 minutes earlier, while other times it might mean adjusting electronics so they aren’t waking you up in the middle of the night.
有時可能是提前15分鐘躺上床，而其他一些時候可能是調整你的鬧鐘，別讓它在半夜叫醒你。

If you are struggling to sleep, there are several factors that could be causing this – including poor diet, poor sleeping arrangements and even the temperature of your bedroom.
如果你難以入睡，這可能是由于這些原因所導致：飲食欠佳、睡眠安排不合適，甚至臥室的溫度也會影響你的睡眠。

Ditch the alcohol and caffeine, and make sure you exercise daily.
丟掉酒精和咖啡因，確保自己每天都運動。

英文來源：Metro

譯者：游凡渺（中國日報網愛新聞iNews譯者）

審校&編輯：yaning