A simple way to sharpen your cognition and memory is also an enjoyable one: Take a nap.
Research shows that napping can not only take the edge off a night of inadequate sleep but also boost our cognitive and learning capabilities. Even a 10-minute nap can have profound effects on our cognition and mood in addition to alleviating afternoon slumps.
Even “short naps can be restorative,” said Michael Chee, the director of the Center for Sleep and Cognition at the National University of Singapore.
词汇：
take the edge off 使钝;削弱;挫…的锐气
alleviate/əˈliːvɪeɪt/ v.减轻,缓和
slump /slʌmp/ n.低潮期,下降期
restorative /rɪˈstɒrətɪv/ adj.有恢复作用的
参考翻译：
有一个简单又愉悦的提高认知能力和记忆力的方法：打个盹。
研究表明，午睡不仅可以缓解一夜的睡眠不足，还可以提高认知和学习能力。即使只有10分钟的小睡也可以缓解下午的低谷，还会对认知和情绪产生深远的影响。
新加坡国立大学睡眠与认知中心主任Michael Chee说，即使是“短暂的小睡也能恢复精力”。
The power of a good nap
Taking an afternoon nap can boost mental acuity, according to a 2022 meta-analysis of 54 studies conducted by Chee, also a professor of medicine, and Ruth Leong, a postdoctoral researcher at the sleep center.
The researchers reported the greatest benefits for vigilance and memory, but the results also showed improved mental processing speed following a siesta. Whether people habitually napped or had adequate sleep the night before, they all reaped the benefits.
词汇：
acuity /əˈkjʊətɪ/ n.（思想、视力或听力的）尖锐,敏锐;敏度
vigilance /ˈvɪdʒɪləns/ n.警戒;警惕
siesta /sɪˈestə/ n.（尤指炎热地区的）午休,午睡
参考翻译：
2022年，作为医学教授的Chee和睡眠与认知中心的博士后研究员Ruth Leong对54项研究进行了荟萃分析，结果显示，午睡可以提高精神敏锐度。
研究人员报告说，午睡对警觉性和记忆力的好处最大，但结果也表明，午睡后大脑处理速度有所提高。无论有小睡习惯的人，还是前一晚睡得充足的人，都能从中受益。
In a 2023 study, Leong, Chee and their colleagues reported that napping for 10, 30 or 60 minutes improved mood and alleviated sleepiness for up to six hours after waking in a sample of 32 adults, compared with if they did not nap.
In another study, researchers found that even after chronic sleep deprivation, longer 60- or 90-minute naps can restore alertness and attention to near baseline, though research shows that catch-up sleep is still inferior to getting consistent full nights of rest.
词汇：
chronic /ˈkrɒnɪk/ adj.长期的;经常复发的;慢性的
deprivation /ˌdeprɪˈveɪʃən/ n.严重匮乏,赤贫;剥夺
inferior /ɪnˈfɪərɪə(r)/ adj.劣等的,差的,次的
参考翻译：
在2023年的一项研究中，Leong、Chee和其它同事报告说，在32名成年人的样本中，与不小睡的人相比，小睡10分钟、30分钟或60分钟都可以改善情绪，缓解睡意，效果长达6小时。
在另一项研究中，研究人员发现，即使长期睡眠不足，更长时间的小睡，如60或90分钟，也可以将警觉性和注意力恢复到接近基线的水平，尽管研究表明，补觉仍然比不上连续的整晚休息。
“The benefits of napping are basically the benefits of sleep,” said Cassie Hilditch, a sleep scientist and senior research associate with San José State University. Good sleep is the “third pillar of health,” along with diet and exercise, and allows us to regulate our biological systems and reap the benefits of exercise and diet, she said.
Like regular sleep, napping has been shown to help us encode new information and consolidate memories to make them more durable, research from Chee, Leong and their colleagues has found. Napping helped students retain information better than cramming, one 2018 study found.
词汇：
pillar /ˈpɪlə(r)/n. 柱子,支柱;墩
encode/enˈkəʊd/ v.把（信息,指令）编码
consolidate/kənˈsɒlɪdeɪt/ v.巩固;强化;使坚强;使结实
cram /kræm/ v.把…塞满（或挤满,装满）;（考试前）临时抱佛脚
参考翻译：
“午睡的好处基本上和睡眠的好处一样，”睡眠科学家、圣何塞州立大学高级研究员Cassie Hilditch说。她说，良好的睡眠与饮食和锻炼一起构成“健康的三大支柱”，使我们能够调节生物系统，并从运动和饮食中获益。
Chee、Leong及其同事的研究发现，与常规睡眠一样，午睡也能帮助我们对新信息进行编码，巩固记忆，使其更持久。2018年的一项研究发现，小睡比死记硬背更能帮助学生记住信息。
Crucially, researchers have found more activation in the hippocampus, a brain area important for memory, after a nap, which may indicate restoration of its function.
Another 2023 study using a sample of 378,932 from UK Biobank reported that there was a small causal association between habitual daytime napping and larger total brain volume. However, this association was not found in the hippocampus.
参考翻译：
至关重要的是，研究人员发现，小睡后，海马体（大脑中对记忆很重要的区域）的激活程度更高，这可能表明其功能得到了恢复。
2023年的另一项研究使用了英国生物银行的378932个样本。该研究报告称，白天习惯性小睡和总脑容量较大之间存在小小的因果关系。然而，在海马体中没有发现这种关联。
A napping paradox
Curiously, more time spent napping — and sleeping in general —is correlated with increased risk for a slew of adverse health conditions.
A 2024 meta-analysis of 44 studies found that habitual daytime napping is associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease and all-cause mortality. However, people who napped less than 30 minutes did not have these associated risks. Napping was also associated with a decreased risk of cognitive impairment and sarcopenia, which is age-related muscle loss.
词汇：
slew/sluː/ n.许多,大量
sarcopenia /ˌsɑːkəʊˈpiːnɪə/ n.（年老引起的）肌肉衰减综合征
参考翻译：
奇怪的是，花在午睡上的时间越长，患一系列不良健康状况的风险就越高。
2024年对44项研究进行的荟萃分析发现，白天习惯性小睡与心血管疾病、代谢疾病和全因死亡率的风险增加有关。然而，睡眠少于30分钟的人没有这些相关的风险。午睡还与认知障碍和肌肉减少症的风险降低有关，肌肉减少症是与年龄有关的肌肉损失。
Longer naps may not be causing worse health, but instead “signal something awry in some systemic health processes” and needing to sleep more as a result, Leong said.
There is also an important distinction between planned napping and involuntary sleeping, said Chee, who is collecting data on how nap intentionality affects outcomes. Previous research suggests that more negative cognitive outcomes are associated with long, unplanned naps in older adults, while planned naps can improve memory.
词汇：
awry /əˈraɪ/adj.脱离既定（或应有）路线的;迷途的
distinction /dɪˈstɪŋkʃən/ n.不同;差异
参考翻译：
Leong说，长时间的小睡可能不会导致健康状况恶化，而是“表明某些系统健康过程出现了问题”，因此需要更多的睡眠。
有计划的午睡和非自愿的睡眠之间也有一个重要的区别，Chee说，他正在收集关于午睡意向性是如何影响结果的数据。先前的研究表明，老年人长时间的、无规划的小睡会导致更多的负面认知结果，而有规划的小睡可以改善记忆力。
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