上夜班需注意的睡眠问题

[Columnist Melinda Beck answers readers' questions]
专栏作家Melinda Beck就健康问题答读者问。

Q: Re your article on 'When Sleep Leaves You Tired' (June 9), do you have any sleeping tips for people who constantly have to change work shifts -- that is, changing from the day shift to the night shift and back and sometimes both on the same day?
问：我看过你写的《为何睡眠让你疲倦》一文。对经常要倒班的人──从白班倒成夜班，再倒回来，有时一天内要倒两次，你有什么睡眠方面的小贴士吗？

A: One in five Americans work extended hours -- that is, irregular schedules or typically outside the hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and getting adequate sleep is a big problem for many of them, particularly if they frequently shift back to be on the same schedule as family members or friends.
答：有五分之一的美国人要在常规时间段以外工作，即常常不是在从早7点到晚7点这个时间段工作。对他们中的很多人来说，拥有充足的睡眠是个难题，特别是当他们经常重新倒回与家人或朋友一样的作息时间的时候。

Betsy Connolly, president of Circadian Age Inc., which makes training publications for shift workers, offers these suggestions for better daytime sleep:
Circadian Age Inc.是一家为倒班工人编写培训出版物的公司，其总裁康诺利(Betsy Connolly)给出了以下这些有助于白天睡眠的建议。

-- Make sure your bedtime is completely dark. Use light blocking curtains or even aluminum foil on the windows; consider wearing an eye mask.
--睡觉时，要保证周围环境的全黑。在窗户上用遮光窗帘，甚至铝箔；可以考虑戴眼罩。

-- Unplug the phone and use a white-noise machine, or a fan or an air conditioner, to block out background noise.
--把电话线拔掉，使用一个能产生白噪声的机器，或是打开电风扇、空调，以阻断背景噪音。

-- Have a pre-sleep routine like taking a bath or shower, or reading.
--养成良好的睡前习惯，比如泡澡、淋浴或看书。

-- Don't consume caffeine or alcohol within three or four hours of bedtime.
--睡前三、四个小时就不要再喝咖啡或酒了。

-- Don't exercise within two to three hours of bedtime.
--睡前两、三个小时就不要再锻炼了。

Q: I was told decades ago by a family doctor that if you slept with your head on top of two thick pillows, your neck would be at such an angle that you would sleep better and deeper and reduce snoring by about 98%. My wife rejects such information out of hand. Who's right?
问：几十年前，有个家庭医生告诉我，如果枕两个厚枕头睡觉，你的脖子会弯曲一定的角度，使你睡得更好、更深，打鼾会减少98%左右。我妻子不赞同这种观点。他们俩谁说的对？

A: It all depends on how the pillows are positioned, says Harvard's Dr. White. If they are propped up so that your neck is flexed, with your chin tilting toward your chest, the size of your airway is reduced, which could make breathing, snoring and apnea worse. If the pillows are positioned under the back of neck, so your chin is tilted up and away from the chest, that tends to open the airway and improve breathing. But even that doesn't eliminate snoring in many people, he warns.
答：哈佛大学的怀特博士说，这完全要取决于枕头放置的方式。如果枕头放置的方式使你的脖子弯曲，下巴朝向胸部，气道就会收窄，这可能会加重呼吸问题、打鼾和睡眠呼吸暂停。如果枕头放在颈后，你的下巴向上朝向远离胸部的方向，这往往会打开气道，改善呼吸。不过他警告说，即便这样，也无法消除很多人的打鼾问题。