Forget counting sheep, next time you are having trouble dropping off to sleep try putting on a jazz CD.
Researchers have shown just 45 minutes of relaxing music before bedtime can make for a restful night.
The Taiwanese researchers studied the sleeping patterns of 60 elderly people with sleep problems.
They told the Journal of Advanced Nursing, how the technique was easy to learn and lacked the side-effects of other treatments.
The study participants were either given a choice of music to listen to before going to sleep or nothing at all.
The music group were able to choose from six tapes that featured soft, slow music - around 60-80 beats per minute - such as jazz, folk or orchestral pieces.
Listening to music caused physical changes that aided restful sleep, including a lower heart and respiratory rate, the researchers found.
The people in the music group reported a 35% improvement in their sleep, including better and longer night-time sleep and less dysfunction during the day.
Lead author Professor Hui-Ling Lai, of the Buddhist Tzu-Chi General Hospital and the University of Taiwan, said: "The music group reported a 26% overall improvement in the first week and this figure continued to rise as they mastered the technique of relaxing into sedative music."
Professor Jim Horne, from the Sleep Research Centre at Loughborough University, said: "If anyone is a bit agitated before they go to bed then anything that can help calm them down and relax is a good thing.
"Some say making sure older people sleep less in the afternoon and get plenty of exposure to daylight can help them get a better night's sleep."
(BBC)
把数羊入睡的办法忘了吧，下次如果你再睡不着的话，试着放一张爵士乐的CD听听。
研究者们发现，只要在睡前听45分钟轻松舒缓的音乐，晚上就能睡得很香。
台湾的研究者们研究了60名有睡眠问题的老年人的睡眠模式。
他们在《高级护理期刊》发表文章说，这一技巧很容易学习，而且不会像其他治疗方法一样产生副作用。
受试者们要么选择在入睡前听音乐，要么什么都不做。
选择听音乐的那一组有六盘磁带可供选择，都是节奏在每分钟60-80拍的舒缓音乐，如爵士乐、民歌或管弦乐曲等。
研究者们发现，听音乐能产生有助于安稳的睡眠的生理变化，比如心跳和呼吸放缓。
听音乐的那组报告显示，他们的睡眠状况改善程度达到35%，夜间睡得更久也更沉了，白天的机能障碍也有所减少。
主持这项研究的赖惠玲教授供职于花莲佛教慈济综合医院和台湾大学，她说：“第一周，听音乐那组的总体睡眠质量改善了26%，而随着他们逐步掌握了在安神音乐中放松的技巧，这一数字还在不断上升。”
英国拉夫堡大学睡眠研究中心的吉姆·霍恩教授说：“如果一个人在上床休息之前情绪有点激动不安，那么有助于他平静和放松的事情就是好的。”
“有人说，老年人下午一定不要睡太多，多晒晒太阳，这些都能使他们晚上睡得更香甜。”
(中国日报网站译)
Vocabulary:
restful: affording, marked by, or suggesting rest; tranquil(给人充分休息的，益于休息的；平静的)
respiratory: of, relating to, used in, or affecting respiration(呼吸的)
dysfunction: abnormal or impaired functioning, especially of a bodily system or organ(机能障碍，功能紊乱)
sedative: having a soothing, calming, or tranquilizing effect; reducing or relieving anxiety, stress, irritability, or excitement(镇静的，安神的)
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