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How much sleep you need if working out can boost your brain power
There may be little point in working out if you’re tired and not sleeping well, a study suggests.
Exercise is known to do wonders for cognitive skills but research from University College London shows that getting less than six hours sleep a night could wipe away most of those brain gains.
A study of almost 9,000 middle-aged people found that people who exercised regularly had stronger minds over a 10-year study period.
However, people who exercised but got insufficient sleep saw a quicker decline in cognitive ability than their well-rested peers.
People sleeping less than six hours a night, even if they exercised, had similar attention, memory and learning ability to those who did not get any exercise, effectively wiping out any benefit from being active.
Physical activity has other health benefits, but with regards to the brain the effect is negligible when compared to sedentary folk.
The researchers said their study, published in the journal The Lancet Healthy Longevity, highlights the need for people to see both sleep and exercise as two equally important pillars of a healthy lifestyle.
“Our study suggests that getting sufficient sleep may be required for us to get the full cognitive benefits of physical activity,” said study lead author Dr Mikaela Bloomberg.
“It shows how important it is to consider sleep and physical activity together when thinking about cognitive health.
“Previous studies examining how sleep and physical activity might combine to affect cognitive function have primarily been cross-sectional – only focusing on a snapshot in time – and we were surprised that regular physical activity may not always be sufficient to counter the long-term effects of lack of sleep on cognitive health.”
For the study, the team looked at data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) from nearly 9,000 people aged 50 and over.
Their cognitive function was assessed over a period of 10 years with various memory and verbal fluency tests. Questionnaires were used to assess how long they slept.
At the start of the study, those who were more physically active also had better cognitive function regardless of how long they slept.
However, this changed over time and the more physically active short sleepers suffered more rapid cognitive decline, the researchers said.
Co-author Professor Andrew Steptoe, of UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care, said: “It is important to identify the factors that can protect cognitive function in middle and later life as they can serve to prolong our cognitively healthy years and, for some people, delay a dementia diagnosis.
“The World Health Organization already identifies physical activity as a way to maintain cognitive function, but interventions should also consider sleep habits to maximize long-term benefits for cognitive health.”
注释：
negligible: adj
表示" 可以忽略的；微不足道的"，means " too slight or unimportant to be worth any attention"，如：The damage to my car is negligible. 我的汽车的损坏是极轻微的。
sedentary: adj
表示" 久坐的；固定不动的"，means "requiring sitting or little activity"，如：People in sedentary jobs need to take exercise. 工作上要久坐的人需要做运动。
Epidemiology: n
表示"传染病学；流行病学"，means "the branch of medical science dealing with the transmission and control of disease"，如：The scene in the hospital illustrates a key challenge of molecular epidemiology. 医院的场景正说明了分子流行病学所面临的重要挑战。
中文简要说明：
培养良好的运动习惯，可以帮助我们增进体力和灵活度，促进新陈代谢，同时减缓大脑老化速度，不过如果没有搭配充足睡眠，效果可能会大打折扣。英国近期一项研究显示，夜里若无法睡满关键「6小时」，即使养成规律运动习惯，对于改善认知功能仍然毫无帮助。这项研究已发表于《刺胳针健康长寿》期刊（The Lancet Healthy Longevity）。
根据英国《每日电讯报》报导，伦敦大学学院（University College London）团队针对近9,000位中年人，检视他们10年内的运动、睡眠和认知变化，发现保持规律运动习惯的人，大脑的敏锐度高、拥有更好的认知能力。
不过认知表现不单单取决于运动。研究指出，运动者每晚睡眠时间若少于6小时，长期下来，大脑衰退的程度比「睡饱」的人更为严重，在注意力、记忆和学习能力上的表现和「完全不运动者」相差无几。甚至可以说，因为睡眠不足，把运动带来的认知改善益处都抹杀掉了。
主导研究的彭博博士（Mikaela Bloomberg）表示，这显示了在促进认知健康上，必须同时考虑睡眠和运动带来的影响：「要让运动对大脑的好处完全发挥出来，前提是必须先睡饱。」「长期缺乏睡眠会对认知造成损害，即便靠着规律运动也难以弥补。」
提升睡眠质量的方法包括：养成规律的就寝习惯、睡前避免摄取过多咖啡因，以及睡醒后让自己曝晒自然光等等。
留言微信公众号《自然学英语LearnNaturally》，可咨询更多！
How much sleep you need if working out can boost your brain power
There may be little point in working out if you’re tired and not sleeping well, a study suggests.
Exercise is known to do wonders for cognitive skills but research from University College London shows that getting less than six hours sleep a night could wipe away most of those brain gains.
A study of almost 9,000 middle-aged people found that people who exercised regularly had stronger minds over a 10-year study period.
However, people who exercised but got insufficient sleep saw a quicker decline in cognitive ability than their well-rested peers.
People sleeping less than six hours a night, even if they exercised, had similar attention, memory and learning ability to those who did not get any exercise, effectively wiping out any benefit from being active.
Physical activity has other health benefits, but with regards to the brain the effect is negligible when compared to sedentary folk.
The researchers said their study, published in the journal The Lancet Healthy Longevity, highlights the need for people to see both sleep and exercise as two equally important pillars of a healthy lifestyle.
“Our study suggests that getting sufficient sleep may be required for us to get the full cognitive benefits of physical activity,” said study lead author Dr Mikaela Bloomberg.
“It shows how important it is to consider sleep and physical activity together when thinking about cognitive health.
“Previous studies examining how sleep and physical activity might combine to affect cognitive function have primarily been cross-sectional – only focusing on a snapshot in time – and we were surprised that regular physical activity may not always be sufficient to counter the long-term effects of lack of sleep on cognitive health.”
For the study, the team looked at data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) from nearly 9,000 people aged 50 and over.
Their cognitive function was assessed over a period of 10 years with various memory and verbal fluency tests. Questionnaires were used to assess how long they slept.
At the start of the study, those who were more physically active also had better cognitive function regardless of how long they slept.
However, this changed over time and the more physically active short sleepers suffered more rapid cognitive decline, the researchers said.
Co-author Professor Andrew Steptoe, of UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care, said: “It is important to identify the factors that can protect cognitive function in middle and later life as they can serve to prolong our cognitively healthy years and, for some people, delay a dementia diagnosis.
“The World Health Organization already identifies physical activity as a way to maintain cognitive function, but interventions should also consider sleep habits to maximize long-term benefits for cognitive health.”
注释：
negligible: adj
表示" 可以忽略的；微不足道的"，means " too slight or unimportant to be worth any attention"，如：The damage to my car is negligible. 我的汽车的损坏是极轻微的。
sedentary: adj
表示" 久坐的；固定不动的"，means "requiring sitting or little activity"，如：People in sedentary jobs need to take exercise. 工作上要久坐的人需要做运动。
Epidemiology: n
表示"传染病学；流行病学"，means "the branch of medical science dealing with the transmission and control of disease"，如：The scene in the hospital illustrates a key challenge of molecular epidemiology. 医院的场景正说明了分子流行病学所面临的重要挑战。
中文简要说明：
培养良好的运动习惯，可以帮助我们增进体力和灵活度，促进新陈代谢，同时减缓大脑老化速度，不过如果没有搭配充足睡眠，效果可能会大打折扣。英国近期一项研究显示，夜里若无法睡满关键「6小时」，即使养成规律运动习惯，对于改善认知功能仍然毫无帮助。这项研究已发表于《刺胳针健康长寿》期刊（The Lancet Healthy Longevity）。
根据英国《每日电讯报》报导，伦敦大学学院（University College London）团队针对近9,000位中年人，检视他们10年内的运动、睡眠和认知变化，发现保持规律运动习惯的人，大脑的敏锐度高、拥有更好的认知能力。
不过认知表现不单单取决于运动。研究指出，运动者每晚睡眠时间若少于6小时，长期下来，大脑衰退的程度比「睡饱」的人更为严重，在注意力、记忆和学习能力上的表现和「完全不运动者」相差无几。甚至可以说，因为睡眠不足，把运动带来的认知改善益处都抹杀掉了。
主导研究的彭博博士（Mikaela Bloomberg）表示，这显示了在促进认知健康上，必须同时考虑睡眠和运动带来的影响：「要让运动对大脑的好处完全发挥出来，前提是必须先睡饱。」「长期缺乏睡眠会对认知造成损害，即便靠着规律运动也难以弥补。」
提升睡眠质量的方法包括：养成规律的就寝习惯、睡前避免摄取过多咖啡因，以及睡醒后让自己曝晒自然光等等。
留言微信公众号《自然学英语LearnNaturally》，可咨询更多！