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为什么我总是很累
Do you struggle to get out of bed, feel constantly drained and rely on pick-me-ups such as protein bars, coffee and sugary treats to get you through the day?
你是不是起床困难户、总是感到筋疲力尽,不得不依赖蛋白棒、咖啡和甜食提神、度过一整天?
If so, you're far from alone. Research by market analysts Mintel reveal that one in three of us admit we're permanently worn out because of the pace of modern life. As a result, sales of supplements such as ginseng, energy drinks and power bars have shot up more than 5% in the last year alone.
如果是这种情况,那你并不是一个人。市场分析师明特尔开展的研究揭示:三分之一的人承认,由于现代生活的节奏,我们总是感到筋疲力尽。因此,替补品的销售量,比如人参、功能饮料和能量棒,仅去年就激增了5%。
So much so that doctors have even created a handy acronym - TATT (Tired All The Time) - that they jot down in their notes when a patient complains of constant fatigue. Here, experts point to some of the causes - and how to deal with them.
以至于医生甚至创造了一个简便的缩写词--TATT(总是感到很累)--当患者抱怨他们总是感到疲劳时,医生就会在笔记中写下TATT。专家在此指出导致疲劳的某些原因,以及该如何应对。
1. You're not exercising enough
1. 你的运动量不够
It might be the last thing you feel like, but avoiding exercise because you're tired actually makes you feel worse. In a University of Georgia study, sedentary but otherwise healthy adults who began exercising lightly three days a week for just 20 minutes reported feeling less fatigued and more energized after six weeks.
这可能是你最不可能想到的原因,但因为累而不锻炼却会让你更难受。在格鲁吉亚大学的一项研究中,久坐但健康的成人开始每周轻度锻炼三次,每次只锻炼20分钟。六周后,这些人表示不再那么疲劳、也更有活力了。
This is because regular exercise makes your heart and lungs work more efficiently, delivering oxygen and vital nutrients around the body.
这是因为定期锻炼能使你的心脏和肺部更有效的运作,为身体提供氧气和重要营养物质。
2. You don't sleep as well as you think
2. 你的睡眠质量没你以为的那么好
Recent research shows many of us survive on so-called 'junk sleep' - the kind when we wake up frequently throughout the night. It doesn't replenish our energy levels as well as long stretches of continuous sleep.
最近的研究表明,很多人都在所谓的"垃圾睡眠"中幸存--也就是整个晚上会醒好多次。在这种情况下,我们的能量水平得不到补充、长时间的睡眠也得不到保证。
Junk sleep can be caused by stress, but also by over-stimulating the brain too close to bedtime. For example, by checking emails or using tablets and smartphones that emit a blue light found to disrupt sleep by tricking the brain into producing 'wake-up' hormones right when you need to wind down.
垃圾睡眠可能是由于压力造成的,但也有可能是由于临睡前过度刺激大脑造成的。比如,睡前看邮件或用发出蓝光的平板电脑和智能手机,人们已发现:蓝光会在人们需要休息的时候产生'唤醒'荷尔蒙,以此欺骗大脑、破坏睡眠。
3. Your coffee addiction is sapping your energy
3. 你的咖啡瘾正在消耗你的能量
Although we think of caffeine as a pick-me-up, it actually makes us feel more tired once the initial surge wears off. Dr Chidi Ngwaba, director of The Lifestyle Medicine Clinic, explains: "This is because our brain chemistry doesn't like being interfered with by stimulants, so it releases chemicals to dampen down the alert response."
尽管我们认为咖啡因能提神,但一旦最初的提神效果过后,我们会更累。The Lifestyle Medicine诊所的主任Chidi Ngwaba博士解释道:"这是因为我们的脑化学不喜欢被兴奋剂干扰,因此会释放化学物质抑制警觉反应。"