健康睡眠小貼士

人生三分之一的時間是在床上度過的，因此很難忽視睡眠的重要性。傳統中醫理論和臨床實驗均證明，改善睡眠有益于健康。 Since one third of our lives are spent in bed, it is hard to overlook the significance of sleep. Tips to improve sleep, from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theories to clinical practices, can therefore benefit your life.

人生三分之一的時間是在床上度過的，因此很難忽視睡眠的重要性。傳統中醫理論和臨床實驗均證明，改善睡眠有益于健康。

中醫學認為，春季和肝臟有著與“木”相同的屬性，因此肝火容易過旺，使人們變得焦躁敏感。

胃和脾臟有著與“土”相同的屬性，而與“木“相反。如果這兩個屬性之間的對立過于強勁，人們就會感到身體不適。

北京中日友好醫院老年病科主任、中醫學資深專家李海聰指出：“顯而易見，生氣和身體不適容易導致失眠。”

解決失眠的辦法是降低肝火，同時減輕胃和脾臟的負擔，后者可以通過清淡的飲食調理和適當的體育鍛煉來得以實現。

李大夫指出：“切忌口味過重。避免食用刺激性的食物或飲料，如辣椒、酒、咖啡等。”

專家力薦的食物包括魚、豬肉、鴨肉、百合根、山藥、萵苣、蓮子、蘋果和香蕉。專家不建議在春季食用雞、羊肉、牛肉、桔子。

李大夫補充說：“有氧運動，如跑步、羽毛球和游泳，也有助于睡眠的改善。”。

有氧運動可促進氧的消耗，為身體進入良好的睡眠狀態做好準備。但該運動應在睡前三小時進行。

中國人習慣在上午11點到下午1點之間午睡一會兒，這也有益于健康，盡管許多人因為生活節奏的加快已經放棄了這種習慣。

李大夫指出：“午睡時間不宜過長。15至30分鐘就足夠了。睡眠質量比睡眠時間長短更重要。”

對于可能因慢性疾病而導致經常失眠的老年人來說，良好的睡眠是極其重要的。

李大夫和他的同事們發現，高質量的睡眠會改善病狀，而病狀的改善又有助于睡眠。反之亦然。

李大夫說：“如果患者睡眠不好，服用一些中藥會有所幫助，但必須遵醫囑服用。”

Top tips for a sweet sleep

Since one third of our lives are spent in bed, it is hard to overlook the significance of sleep. Tips to improve sleep, from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theories to clinical practices, can therefore benefit your life.

TCM practitioners believe that spring and the liver have the same property of "mu" (wood), thus the liver tends to be over-active, making people touchy.

The stomach and spleens have the "tu" (earth) property and are the opposite of "mu". If the opposition between these two properties becomes too strong, people will feel uncomfortable.

"Obviously, being angry and uncomfortable makes it hard to fall into sleep," says Dr Li Haicong, director of the Office of Geriatrics at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing, who is also an experienced TCM practitioner.

The solution is to calm down the activity of the liver, and to reduce the burden on stomach and spleen, which can be fulfilled by a light diet and gentle exercise.

"Do not have too much strong-flavored food. Avoid intake of stimulating food or drink, such as pepper, alcohol and coffee," Li says.

Strongly recommended food includes fish, pork, duck, lily root, Chinese yam, asparagus lettuce, lotus seed, apples and bananas. Chicken, mutton, beef and oranges are not advisable in spring.

"Aerobic exercises, such as jogging, playing badminton and swimming, are also beneficial to good sleep," Li adds.

Aerobic exercises will improve oxygen consumption and will prepare the body for peaceful sleep. But it should be done at least three hours before going to bed.

Taking a nap between 11 am to 1 pm, a traditional practice in China, is healthy, too, although many people have dropped the habit due to their faster-paced life.

"A nap should not be too long. About 15 to 30 minutes are enough," Li notes. "The quality of sleep is more important than the length."

For the elderly, who often have insomnia, perhaps due to chronic diseases, a good night's sleep is extremely important.

Li and his colleagues have found that a restful sleep will improve the condition of patients, which will in turn improve the sleep. And vice versa.

"If patients cannot sleep well, taking some TCM will be helpful, but that must be conducted under a doctors' guidance," Li says.

(China Daily contributed the story, translated by Li Jingrong for China.org.cn on April 6, 2011)