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需要掏钱买来的睡眠

2009-08-01来源:和谐英语


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If a good night sleep seems like a faint memory, blame the economy. One third of Americans are losing sleep over their concerns about their personal finances or the economy according to the National Sleep Foundation.

"We’ve seen a combination of people, people who have had longstanding problems with their sleep, who report that their sleep is getting worse because of the added stress of the economy, as well as people who are coming in, saying that they've never had a sleep problem before."

Prescriptions for sleep medications are at a record high, topping 56 million in 2008, and up 54% since 2004. But if pill popping doesn't sound like the solution, consider a good old-fashioned power-nap.

"You can nap in response to sleep loss, so after the fact, or you can nap in anticipation of sleep loss because only sleep can replace sleep."

And napping may be just the ticket. Business is booming here at Yelo Wellness where believe it or not, people in Manhattan will pay nearly $30 for a 40-minute nap.

"It's been a really interesting change in terms of consumer behavior. Before September, a lot of people were coming here and say, you know, 'I need, I'd like to get a nap'. And now what's been happening is that people actually need their nap. It's become a real necessity in people's life.

"I just think it makes a real difference first of all in my work, I do a better job, which means I'm gonna get a better bonus, and I'm not gonna burn out."

Two thirds of adults say sleepiness interferes with their concentration and makes handling stress on the job more difficult. Regulars here say the fee to sleep is a small price to pay to overcome exhaustion.

"Coming here, spending the money, taking a nap allows me to kind of burn the candle at both ends."

Poppy Harlow, cnn, New York.

Vocabulary:

1.       power-nap: a short sleep in the middle of the day that helps you to have more energy, do your job better, and make better decisions

2.       burn the candle at both ends: to use one's resources or energies to excess(这里说话人的意思是只要小憩一会儿就能超负荷地工作)