I have written so many stories about sleep I have lost count and even then readers keep asking for more.

我究竟写了多少关于睡眠的故事连我自己都忘了，但是即使这样读者仍然想要知道更多。

Indeed, today, research from leading bed manufacturer, Sealy UK and Loughborough University’s Clinical Sleep Research Unit (CSRU), has revealed a sleep deprived country with three quarters of Brits failing to get a decent night’s sleep – which can result in poor health and mental illness.

事实上现今，据著名床铺生产商英国西利、以及拉夫伯勒大学的临床睡眠研究所的一份研究显示，75%的英国人都不能得到良好的睡眠——而这会导致身体不健康和一些心理疾病。

1. Know your sleep type

1、了解你自己的睡眠类型。

Some people like Margaret Thatcher¹, Gandhi and Winston Churchill may have famously thrived on less sleep but they’re a rarity.

诸如撒切尔、甘地和丘吉尔等人即使睡眠很少看起来也容光焕发，但是他们毕竟是少数。

In fact, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco discovered a gene mutation² in people that predisposed them to needing about 20 per cent less sleep than the rest of us. But they estimate those ’short-sleepers’ only comprise around five per cent of the population.

事实上，加州大学的研究者们发现某些人身体中存在一种基因突变，使得他们所需睡眠要比其他人少20%。但是他们估计这些人只占全部人口的5%左右。

2. Go to bed and wake up at the same time

2、按时睡觉、按时起床。

A staggering 40 percent of us don’t get the recommended six to nine hours sleep a night, research by The Sleep Council has found.

据该临床睡眠研究所的研究显示，竟然有40%的人每晚睡眠时间达不到建议的6到9小时。

The long weekend lie-in is a tempting³ antidote⁴ but while it may reduce sleepiness and stress, it won’t help your ability to concentrate, research published in The American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology found.

据刊载在美国期刊《生理学内分泌》上的这份研究显示，虽然周末赖床听起来是个不错的补偿方法，而且能够减少睡意和压力，但是不会帮助你集中注意力。

In fact, sleep deprived subjects in the study showed impaired⁵ concentration even after their ’recovery sleep’ at the weekend.

事实上在这项研究中，睡得少的人即使在周末补觉之后仍然注意力不足。

3. Tackle the temperature

3、注意温度。

Temperature is an aspect of sleep that often gets overlooked,’ says James Wilson, a leading sleep expert.

著名睡眠专家詹姆斯·威尔逊表示说：“温度是睡眠的一个重要方面，但是却经常被忽视。”

But after light, it has the greatest impact on our circadian rhythms, and our bodies are very sensitive to it; it only takes a change in core body temperature of 0.5 degrees Celsius⁶ for our bodies to start waking up. On a physiological⁷ level sleep is simple.

“但是除光照以外，温度对我们的昼夜规律影响最大，而人体其实对温度非常敏感;只要我们身体核心温度改变0.5摄氏度我们就会醒过来。在生理层面上来说，睡眠其实很简单。

4. Exercise

4、运动。

Lots of people think exercising in the evening might keep them awake. In fact, research shows that even vigorous exercise before bedtime doesn’t cause problems sleeping for many people and in some cases, it might even be beneficial.

许多人都认为晚上做运动会让他们睡不着。但是事实上，研究显示对许多人来说，即使在睡前剧烈运动也不会导致睡眠问题，甚至还会有好处。

Indeed, people who exercised for at least 30 minutes 5-6 times a week – regardless of what time of day they exercised – were also the least likely to take sleep medication, found The Sleep Council research.

事实上据拉夫伯勒大学临床睡眠研究所的研究显示，那些每周运动5-6次、每次至少30分钟——不论他们做的是什么运动——的人最不可能吃安眠药。

5. Turn your clock the other way

5、不要看时间。

Checking the time in the middle of the night can be very disruptive as it can often lead you to work out how many hours you’ve slept so far and how much sleep you have left before your alarm goes off. Then you start overthinking about tomorrow – it’s a vicious cycle.

在午夜时分看时间非常有害，因为那经常会让你盘算自己已经睡了几个小时、闹钟响之前自己还能睡多久。然后你就会开始思考太多明天的事情——这是一个恶性循环。

It’s this kind of brain activity that could lead to you to lying awake for ages. This turns on your sympathetic nervous system (the part that deals with problem solving and focus) instead of your parasympathetic nervous system (the one you need on when you’re sleeping as it promotes rest).

这种大脑活动可能会导致你躺在床上许久都不能入睡。这会打开你的交感神经系统(解决问题和关注焦点)，而不是副交感神经系统(可以促进休息，是睡眠必须)。