研究：被子越重睡得越香……冬天起不了床可能不是你的错！

一项发表在《睡眠研究杂志》（Journal of Sleep Research）的研究发现被子越重，睡得会更香。

Researchers from Uppsala University in Sweden have found evidence that using a weighted blanket increases the amount of melatonin - a hormone that helps you sleep - naturally produced in the body.

瑞典乌普萨拉大学的研究人员发现，使用重被子可以增加体内自然产生的褪黑素的数量（褪黑素是一种有助于睡眠的激素）。

melatonin [ˌmeləˈtoʊnɪn] n.褪黑激素

图源：Wiley Online Library

为什么相比近年来兴起的羽绒被、蚕丝被，有不少人还是喜欢原来厚重的棉被和被子呢？

Researchers collected saliva samples during the pre-sleep hour to measure changes in melatonin and other hormone concentrations.

研究人员通过在睡前收集唾液样本，以测量褪黑素和其他激素浓度的变化。

saliva [səˈlaɪvə] n.唾液

The results found that when participants laid under a weighted blanket for an hour before bedtime, they exhibited about a 32 percent increase in salivary melatonin concentration compared to when they used the lighter blanket.

图源：Uppsala University

图源：视觉中国

"Looking back at the available data, it's suggestive that deep pressure stimulation with weighted blankets produces a decrease in sympathetic neuron stimulation, which means that the patient would be having less arousals or awakenings when trying to initiate or maintain sleep."

“回顾现有的数据，均表明用重被子进行深度压力刺激会减少交感神经的刺激，这意味着人们在进入或维持睡眠时，不容易被唤醒或醒来。”

"This could be a promoting factor producing the change in melatonin levels noticed in the study," he detailed.

“这可能促使了褪黑激素水平的变化。”

图源：视觉中国

虽然盖厚被子有助于缓解失眠、焦虑，但双语君也要提醒大家，被子不是越厚越好。被子过厚，也有可能导致疾病风险，如因为压迫感而疲劳无力、露在被窝外的肩膀受凉、厚被子里的灰尘加重哮喘等。