New parents take heart – that baby keeping you up all night could be helping¹ to extend your life.

新父母们要振作精神--那个让你整晚睡不着觉的小家伙可能会使你活得更久。

The claims may be met with scepticism by virtually everyone who has experienced the sleep-deprivation and stress of bringing up a child, but the scientists behind the major study are adamant² that parenthood may well be the secret to a longer life.

几乎所有曾经被小孩子吵得睡不着觉而压力山大的人都会怀疑这一说法，但是这项大型研究背后的科学家们坚持认为，为人父母是长寿的秘诀。

The findings apply to men and women, the researchers claim, although fathers saw their life expectancy³ increase more than mothers.

研究人员声称，男性和女性都适用于这一发现，但是父亲要比母亲延寿更长一些。

Swedish health experts tracked 1.5million people and found those who had at least one child had a greater life expectancy. The reason, they suspect, is that children go on to provide vital support to their parents when they get older.

瑞典健康专家对150万人进行了追踪调查，发现那些至少有一个孩子的人活得更久一些。他们认为这一现象的原因是孩子长大之后将继续对父母们提供重要的支持。

Writing in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, the researchers said: 'Support from adult children to their ageing parents may be of importance for parental⁴ health and longevity⁵.'

该项研究被刊载在《流行病学与公众健康》期刊上，研究人员们表示：“对于父母们的健康和长寿来说，成年孩子对自己年迈父母的支持可能很重要。”

At 60 years old, fathers can expect to survive another 20.2 years – two years longer than men with no children, the researchers found. Meanwhile, mothers at 60 can expect to live a further 24.6 years, whereas childless women can expect another 23.1 years – a difference of 18 months.

研究人员发现，60岁时的爸爸们预计可以再活20.2年，比没有子女的男性多两年。与此同时，60岁的妈妈们预计可以再活24.6年，而没有子女的女性只能再活23.1年，相差了18个月。

The scientists, from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, found the older people get, the greater the benefits of having a child.

来自斯德哥尔摩卡罗林斯卡医学院的科学家们发现，人们越衰老，有子女的好处就越大。

At the age of 80, men with children could expect to live a further 7.7 years, while those without live, on average, seven years.

80岁时，有子女的男性预计可以再活7.7年，而无子女的男性则只能再活7年。

Mothers at the age of 80 could expect a further 9.5 years, while those without would survive an average of only 8.9 years.

有子女的妈妈们80岁时可以再活9.5年，而无子女的女性则只能再活8.9年。