午睡1小時大腦可年輕5歲 過長過短都不行

Taking an hour's nap after lunch can keep your brain five years younger, according to a new study.

一項新研究指出，午飯後休息1小時可以使你的大腦年輕5歲。

But researchers found that a longer or shorter nap did not produce the same results.

不過研究人員發現，較長或較短的午睡時間，無法產生相同的效果。

The study involved around 3,000 Chinese adults over the age of 65 - with 60 per cent reporting that they had a nap after lunch ranging from 30 to 90 minutes.

這項研究涉及約3000名65歲以上的中國人--其中60%的參與者稱午飯後會午睡30至90分鐘。

Participants were given basic maths problems and memory tests to complete to assess their cognitive ability.

參與研究的人被要求完成基礎的數學題和記憶測試，以此評估他們的認知能力。

The research, published in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, found that people who took an hour-long nap after lunch did better on the tests compared to the people who did not nap.

這項發表在《美國老年醫學會會刊》上的研究發現，那些午飯後睡眠1小時的人成績要比沒有睡午覺的人好。

In fact, those who took shorter naps, longer naps or no naps at all showed decreases in their cognitive skills that were four to six times greater than those taking hour-long naps.

事實上，對於午睡時間更短、更長或者完全不午睡的人來說，他們的認知能力的下降幅度是午睡1小時的人下降幅度的4至6倍。

Dr Junxin Li, who led the research, said: 'These people also experienced about the same decline in their mental abilities that a five-year increase in age would be expected to cause. Cognitive function was significantly associated with napping. Comparisons showed that moderate nappers had better overall cognition than non-nappers or extended nappers.'

領導這項研究的李俊新博士表示：“這些人的心智能力也有同樣的下降，其幅度相當於年齡增加了5歲。認知功能與午睡有着重要的關聯。對比研究表明，適度午睡者比沒有午睡或午睡時間過長的人整體認知能力更高。”