Why sleep is a vital weapon against dementia
This is the third part of our major Good Health series on dementia
We look at ways to help minimise the impact of memory problems
For example, we need just as much sleep as we get older
The problem is that older people find it harder to reach a deeper sleep
為什么睡眠是預防老年癡呆的秘密武器？
這是每日郵報健康欄目關于老年癡呆第三期報道
我們在尋找一些方法來最大限度地降低對人記憶問題的影響
例如，隨著年紀越大我們需要越多的睡眠
問題在于年紀越大的人發(fā)現越難進入深度睡眠
No matter how young or old we are, most of us experience the odd memory lapse. Perhaps it will be forgetting where you put the car keys, or what you went to get from upstairs.
無論是耄耋老人還是垂髫稚子，我們大多數人都有過暫時性記憶差錯的經歷。也許是忘記了自己的車鑰匙抑或是去樓上要拿什么東西。
Thankfully, these moments pass. But for those with dementia there is no such relief. Imagine what it's like being unable to recall what you'd done an hour before. Or not remembering how to navigate around your own house or the names of your nearest and dearest. Or knowing what everyday things are for, such as a fridge.
謝天謝地，這些事都已成過往。不過那些老年癡呆的人卻沒那么幸運。想象一下，如果連一小時前做了什么都不記得了，這又會怎樣？或者明明在自己家附近卻開車回不到家，連自己最親近的人的名字都不記得。又或不記得那些日常用的玩意兒是做什么的，比如說家里的電冰箱。
Today, in the third part of our major Good Health series on dementia, we look at ways to help minimise the impact of these memory problems, to prolong independence and help those with dementia live as full a life as possible.
現在，在這個健康欄目關于老年癡呆的第三期報道中，我們尋找一些方法來幫助人們減輕這些記憶問題，使人們能夠獨立更長時間，幫助那些老年癡呆人群生活得更加滿足。
THINGS THAT SABOTAGE YOUR MEMORY
Getting overtired: If the brain is tired, it affects the memory even for those without dementia. Recently, scientists have found out why. During deep sleep, brain waves move memories from the hippocampus - the area of the brain that is involved in short-term memory - to the prefrontal cortex at the front of the brain, where long-term memories are stored.
If this doesn't happen, short-term memories get overwritten with new ones and the consequence is forgetfulness, according to researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.
It is a common misconception that we need less sleep as we get older - in fact we need just as much, the problem is that older people find it harder to reach a deeper sleep.
那些破壞你記憶的事物
過度勞累：如果大腦“疲憊”，即使沒有老年癡呆癥這也會影響你的記憶力。最近，科學家已經找到了原因。在深度睡眠時，腦電波會從海馬體（大腦的一個與短時記憶有關的區(qū)域）移動到大腦的前額皮質（大腦儲存長期記憶的地方）。
據加利福尼亞大學的伯克利說，如果電波沒有移動，短期記憶會被新的短期記憶所覆蓋，直接結果就是健忘。
人們普遍誤解隨著年紀越大所需要的睡眠越少--事實上我們需要同樣多的睡眠時間，問題是老年人發(fā)現深度睡眠比較難。
Getting a good night's sleep can be especially difficult for those with dementia, especially those with Alzheimer's disease who may experience changes to their sleeping patterns. Quite why this happens is not understood, but it may be related to the impact the condition has on the brain.
But there are steps that can make it easier. One of the most important measures is to avoid catnapping during the day (this becomes harder to avoid as dementia becomes more advanced). Catnapping makes it both harder to fall asleep at night and more likely you'll wake up earlier than desired.
Other steps include avoiding caffeine - coffee or tea - in the evening. A regular bedtime is also important as this gives the body the cues it needs to feel sleepy at set times, making it easier to fall asleep.
Although many people believe a nightcap will help them sleep, alcohol is counter-productive and tends to make you wake in the night. It is a diuretic and, therefore, you are likely to wake up needing to go to the loo. It is also known to reduce the amount of the night you spend in deep, restorative sleep.
對于那些老年癡呆患者來說，晚上睡個好覺尤其困難。特別是那些患有阿茲海默癥的人連睡眠模式都可能發(fā)生改變。這種情況發(fā)生的原因尚不十分清楚，但是這可能受到大腦情況的影響。
但是有些方法可以減輕這一癥狀。最重要的一點是白天避免打盹（老年癡呆的人群難以做到）。打盹使晚上難以進入深度睡眠，而且更容易早早的就醒了。
其他方法還有避免咖啡因--咖啡或茶--尤其是在晚上。有規(guī)律的就寢也很重要，在指定時間就會提示身體該睡覺了，這樣就更容易睡著。
盡管許多人相信臨睡前喝點酒會有助于睡眠，但事實上酒精會產生反作用使你在夜晚變得清醒。酒是一種利尿劑，因此你很可能醒來去廁所。酒精還被認為會減少夜晚深度睡眠及修復性睡眠的時間。
Eating too much junk food: Cakes, chips and biscuits won't just impact on the waistline - they can adversely affect your memory, too.
Recent research has found that regularly eating food high in fat and sugar leads to inflammation in the hippocampus. Scientists at the University of New South Wales, Australia, found that eating these foods every day caused inflammation in the brain after just one week.
The work was done on rats, but it is thought the principle could extend to humans.
吃大量的垃圾食品：蛋糕、薯條和餅干不僅會影響腰圍，它們對記憶力也有不良影響。
最近研究發(fā)現，經常吃高脂肪高糖的食物會使海馬體發(fā)炎。澳大利亞新南威爾士大學的科學家發(fā)現，每天吃這些食物，僅僅一周后就會使大腦產生炎癥。
這項研究是在大鼠身上完成的，但是人們認為這個原理可以推及到人類。
Smoking: Many studies have found that even occasional smoking can impact on the brain. One study, from King's College London, analysed 8,000 over-50s and found that smokers performed worst in memory tests, learning ability and reasoning.
Why this happens is thought to be linked to the fact that smoking reduces the amount of oxygen that reaches the brain. Those who have smoked have also been shown to have greater overall shrinkage of the brain.
抽煙：許多研究都發(fā)現，即使是偶爾抽煙都可能影響到大腦。倫敦大學國王學院的一項研究，分析了8,000名50多歲的人，他們發(fā)現煙民在記憶、學習能力和推理測試中表現最糟。
人們認為其原因是抽煙可以降低大腦的攝氧量。研究表明煙民的大腦會出現整體萎縮。
Not 'using it': When someone is diagnosed with dementia, they often start to withdraw from their normal hobbies and activities.
Yet to retain your mental ability and memory skills for as long as possible you need to keep the brain stimulated.
不“用腦”：當有人被診斷出老年癡呆時，他們經常會把自己的愛好和之前的活動擱置。
要盡可能地保持自己的心智能力和記憶技術，因為你要時刻刺激你的大腦。
Think of it this way: just as our bodies need physical exercise in order to stay as strong as possible so, too, do our brains. It's a tried-and-tested principle: for example, a review of 15 studies by the respected Cochrane Library looked at the benefits of a variety of activities designed to stimulate the brain and promote memory such as word games, puzzles, listening to music and practical activities such as baking and indoor gardening.
The studies involved 718 participants with dementia - some took part in these activities and others did not. After between one and three months those who'd taken part in the brain stimulating and practical activities did better on cognitive function tests than those who did not.
你可以這樣想，就像我們的身體需要體育運動來讓自己更強健，我們的大腦其實也一樣。
例如Cochrane圖書館發(fā)表了一篇涉及15項研究的綜述，尋找參加各種刺激大腦促進記憶的各項活動的益處，如文字游戲、猜謎語、聽音樂以及參加實踐活動如烘烤面包或室內園藝。
這些研究有718名老年癡呆患者參與，有些人參加活動而一些人不參加。一個月和三個月后，參加大腦刺激和練習活動的人在認知功能測驗中比那些不參加活動的人表現得好。
TIPS TO HELP WITH A FAILING MEMORY
A failing short-term memory is a characteristic of dementia and can make it difficult to cope with day-to-day life. The following strategies may help:
幫助改善記憶的幾點建議
癡呆癥的一個重要特點是不能進行短期記憶，因此處理好日常生活非常困難。以下的方法可能有所幫助：
· When the short-term memory starts to go, it can make it hard for someone to recall what they have already done that day, such as whether they've had breakfast, or showered, or spoken to someone.
· It can help to keep a diary - a record of what has been done through the day. Writing also helps encourage the cognitive processes, which can help slow down future decline.
· Create a memory hub - that is, a central place in the home, perhaps the dining room table or a desk, where important notes, car keys, house keys and drugs that need to be taken are kept. Put things here that you want to be able to find quickly. Get into the habit of having everything in this one place rather than having things scattered about the home.
· Get a whiteboard or blackboard - that can be used to record a timetable of what needs to be done each day that week. Things that get done can be ticked off. It is another way to show what has been done, but also shows what remains to be done.
Label doors, drawers, cupboards and cabinets to avoid confusion about what goes where.
· Have a list of the numbers of key people by the phone - your GP and other care professionals, carers, family and reliable friends.
· Have a daily newspaper delivered - it is a simple way of keeping aware of what is happening in the world and is a useful reminder of that day's date.
· When showering or having a bath, establish a routine as a reminder of whether your hair has been washed. For example, move the conditioner and shampoo from one side of the bath to the other once you've used them.
· Eat regular meals. While other body cells can take fuel from elsewhere, the brain relies on a good supply of glucose from the blood. That's why skipping a meal can affect reasoning, cognition and memory.
· 當短期記憶不在，人們就會很難回憶起今天做過的事，如是否吃過早飯，是否洗澡，是否和某個人說過話。
· 寫日記也很有幫助—記錄一下一天中做了什么。寫作可以激發(fā)認知過程，這可以減緩記憶衰退。
· 建立一個“記憶中心”—即在房子的中心位置，也許是自家餐廳的飯桌或者是一個桌子，把所有重要的筆記、車鑰匙、房間鑰匙以及要吃的藥都存放在那里，還有那些你很快你要用到的東西。養(yǎng)成把所有東西放在一處的習慣，而不是分放在屋子里。
· 有一個白色書寫板或者黑板—它可以用來記錄一周中每天的日程。把要做的事標出來，已經做過的就用另一種方式標記，未做的事也要用其他方式標記出來。
· 在門、櫥柜、餐具柜及小匣子上做好標記，避免混淆東西具體放在哪兒。
· 列出重要聯(lián)系人及其電話號—你的醫(yī)生和其他專業(yè)護理人員、護工、家人及可以信賴的朋友。
· 每日看篇報紙—這是了解外部世界的簡單方式，并且可以使你輕松地回顧當日的日期。
· 洗澡沐浴時，自己建立一定的程序。例如使用沐浴調節(jié)器和沐浴露時，將其從一邊移動到另一邊。
· 有規(guī)律地進餐。身體的其他細胞可以從別的地方獲取能量，而大腦只能依賴于血液中的葡萄糖。這就是為什么，一頓飯沒吃，推理、認知和記憶能力都會受影響的原因。
In the early stages of dementia, begin a reminiscence book to act as a reminder of key events in that person's life and who people are. It's a nice thing for the person with dementia and a loved one to do together. Include pictures and snippets of information and date and label every entry.
Do it in chronological order. Having a history of their life can help them remember and, as the condition progresses this book may also be useful to bring out to show them if they seem distressed.
Asking the person with dementia to reminisce and recall stories about the people or events shown in the pictures can also be a good way to 'use it'.
在癡呆癥早期，可以讓他們寫一本回憶錄，這可以提醒他們生活中發(fā)生的一些重要事件以及出現的一些重要的人。癡呆癥患者和自己的親人一起做這件事是很有意思的。里面可以插入一些照片、小片段信息、日期及每日的條目。
按時間順序來寫。把他們的生活歷程寫下來可以幫助記憶，隨著癡呆癥的發(fā)展，這本書對于判斷他們是否處于癡呆的狀態(tài)。
向患有癡呆癥的人提問，讓他們回憶并講述照片中的人物及事件，這也是讓他們“使用大腦”的好辦法。
