tired

Are you tired all the time? It’s a symptom so common it even has a handy acronym – TATT – used by doctors on medical notes.
你是不是一直感到很累？这种症状非常常见，甚至都有缩写：TATT——医生们在写医疗记录时通常使用这种缩写。

One in five Britons say they are, according to NHS figures, with one in ten suffering long-term problems. Yet just a third of these will have anything physically wrong with them, making it a tricky problem to tackle.
英国国家医疗服务计划的数据显示，五个英国人中就有一个人觉得特别累，十个人中就有一个遭受长期的困扰。三分之一的英国人会因长期的疲倦而造成身体不适，这是非常棘手的问题，急需解决。

Here, experts reveal their favourite methods, from cutting out a nightly tipple to limiting time spent on your laptop.
在这里专家们给出了他们最喜欢的方法，从不夜间饮酒到减少在笔记本前的时间无所不有。

wake Up

WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE
一、清醒点儿闻闻咖啡

DO drink six to eight glasses of water a day
每天喝六到八杯水

Catherine Collins, chief dietician at St George’s Hospital, South London, says: ‘Without adequate fluid intake, blood pressure drops, slowing delivery of oxygen to the brain, which can leave you feeling tired.’
伦敦南部圣乔治医院首席营养师凯瑟琳-柯林斯说：“如果没有足够的液体摄入量，血压会下降，向大脑中输入氧气的速度会减慢，这会让你感觉疲惫。”

The amount of fluid needed depends on the individual, but you should aim to pass urine at least three times a day. Between six and eight glasses of water-based drinks – including tea and coffee – a day are recommended.
每个人需要的液体量都不同，但是一天至少要排尿三次。推荐每天喝上六杯到八杯饮料——包括茶和咖啡.

‘Coffee is often vilified but the caffeic acid it contains is a great way to instantly increase alertness and blood pressure,’ says Collins.
“咖啡经常被人误解，但是咖啡里包含的咖啡酸是立即提升机敏性和血压的绝佳方式，” 柯林斯说。

DON’T have a nightly glass of wine
不在夜间喝酒

‘Alcohol has a dehydrating effect,’ says Collins. ‘Added to that, the chemicals in alcohol disrupt your sleep cycle, preventing you from entering deep sleep.’
“酒精能脱水，” 柯林斯说。“除此之外，酒精中的化学物质会扰乱你的睡眠周期，阻止你进入深度睡眠。”

vitamins

VITAL VITAMINS
二、重要的维生素

DO take a magnesium supplement
补充镁元素

‘Magnesium plays a vital role in maintaining blood glucose levels, muscle health,’ says nutritional therapist Dr Elisabeth Philipps. ‘A deficiency can leave you feeling lethargic.’ Magnesium is found in leafy vegetables and nuts, but a supplement can help. Take between 200mg and 400mg a day.
“镁元素在维持血糖水平、肌肉健康等方面发挥着重要作用，” 营养治疗师伊丽莎白-菲利普斯博士说。“缺少镁元素会让你感觉疲惫。” 绿色蔬菜和坚果中含有镁元素，也可以服用一些补充剂。每天服用200毫克到400毫克。

DON’T become deficient in B vitamins
不要缺乏B维生素

A supply of all eight B vitamins is essential for feeling energised. ‘Vitamins B1, B3, B5 and B6 are crucial for the conversion of food into energy,’ says Dr Philipps. B vitamins can be found in chicken, nuts, eggs, cheese and Marmite.
8种B维生素中都是让你感觉精力旺盛的必要元素。“在把食物转化为能量的过程中，维生素B1、B3、B5和B6发挥着重要的作用 。” 菲利普斯博士说。鸡肉、坚果、鸡蛋、奶酪和酵母中都含有B维生素。

nap

TIME YOUR POWER NAP
三、安排时间午睡来恢复力量

A nap can take the edge off an afternoon slump, but the duration of a siesta is crucial. ‘It has been clinically proven that taking a nap for up to 30 minutes is revitalising,’ says Dr Chris Idzikowski, director of the Edinburgh Sleep Centre.
午睡能赶走下午的疲惫，但是午睡的时间长短是至关重要的。“临床已证明，30分钟的午睡能让人恢复活动，” 爱丁堡睡眠中心主任克里斯-伊济科夫斯基博士说。

DON’T throw yourself back into action immediately
睡完后不要立刻活动

Allow 15 minutes to wake up after a nap. ‘Everyone suffers with what we call sleep inertia after a nap – sometimes a person can seem drunk,’ says Dr Idzikowski. ‘You need to give your brain time to recover and regain composure.’
午睡后要有15分钟清醒的时间。“每个人小睡后都有睡眠惯性——有时看起来就像醉了一样，”伊济科夫斯基博士说。“你需要时间让大脑恢复来获得平静。”

It isn’t fully understood why napping is beneficial, but it is thought that it gives the brain a chance to pause and rest.
现在并不清楚为什么午睡对人体有益，人们认为午睡给大脑提供了暂停和休息的机会。

grains

NO GRAINS, NO GAINS
四、没有谷物，没有收获

DO eat low-GI foods
吃低血糖生成指数的食物

Choosing unprocessed foods with a low glycaemic index (GI) will maintain steady energy levels, says Dr Philipps: ‘Choose slow-burning whole grains, brown rice and whole meal bread in your diet but don’t overfill your plate. Digestion uses up a lot of energy so the more packed the plate, the more tired you will feel. This is particularly the case with carbohydrates because glucose triggers the production of the hormone serotonin, which can make you sleepy.’
选择未加工的低血糖生成指数的食物会让能量水平保持稳定，菲利普斯博士说：“饮食时选择代谢缓慢的全麦食物、糙米和全麦面包，但是不要吃得过多。消化会耗用大量的能量，所以吃得越多，你会觉得越累。尤其是当你吃碳水化合物时，葡萄糖会引起荷尔蒙血清素的分泌，这会让你昏昏欲睡。”

DON’T forget to include protein
不要忘了吃蛋白质

Ensuring you get adequate levels of protein – about 50g per day – will fight fatigue. ‘Protein slows the speed at which carbohydrates are absorbed, so there will be a steady drip-feed of glucose into your bloodstream,’ says Dr Philipps. Protein helps produce mood and energy-boosting hormones, too.
每天50克，确保每天都吃了足够多的蛋白质，这会战胜疲劳。“蛋白质减慢了碳水化合物吸收的速度，这样滴入到血液中的葡萄糖比较稳定，” 菲利普斯博士说。蛋白质也有助于产生能提升情绪和能量的荷尔蒙。

light

GET IN THE LIGHT MOOD
五、光线

DO get enough daylight
获得足够的日照

If we don’t get enough, our bodies produce too much melatonin, the hormone responsible for making us feel sleepy. Even at dawn, daylight is up to 100 times stronger than the lighting at home and in the workplace.
如果没有获得足够的日照，我们的身体会产生过多的褪黑激素，这种激素会让我们感到困倦。甚至在黄昏时，日光也比在家里或工作场所的照明要强100倍。

‘Take a 30-minute stroll each day or move your desk near a window to increase light exposure and keep your inner clock in check,’ says Prof Foster.
“每天散步30分钟或把桌子移到靠窗的地方来增加日照量，控制好生物钟，” 福斯特教授说。

DON’T get too much blue light
不要接触太多的蓝光

Studies have shown that those who sit at laptops and in front of the TV late at night find it harder to drop off because the blue light emitted suppresses melatonin production. In the evening, dim your laptop light setting and try to stop watching TV one or two hours before bed.
研究表明，晚上坐在笔记本和电视前的人很难睡着，因为蓝光会抑制褪黑色素的产生。晚上，把笔记本的光线设置调低，在上床前一两个小时尽量不看电视。

breath

BREATHE EASY
六、简单呼吸

DO breathing exercises
进行呼吸练习

Believe it or not, most people don’t breathe correctly and this can contribute to a feeling of lethargy, says respiratory physiotherapist Alex Hough. The following exercise helps reset your breathing pattern. By using the diaphragm – the muscle that inflates and deflates the lungs – you inhale and exhale more efficiently. Consciously relax your jaw, throat, shoulders and upper chest.
信不信由你，大部分人的呼吸方式都不正确，所以容易无精打采，呼吸物理治疗师亚历克斯霍夫说。下面的练习能帮助你重新调整呼吸模式。通过使用横膈膜——让肺部吸气和呼气的肌肉——你能更有效地吸气和呼气。有意识地放松你的下巴、喉咙、肩部和上胸部。

Breathe in through the nose. Allow the air to glide down your windpipe as if it’s filling your abdomen. Your tummy – not your chest – should rise gently like a balloon filling with air. It might help to place a hand on your abdomen to monitor movement. As you exhale, let your abdomen sink gently like a balloon deflating.
通过鼻子呼吸。让空气滑入气管，慢慢充满腹部。你的肚子——而不是你的胸部——应该像充满气的气球那样慢慢变大。可以把手放在腹部上来感觉肚子的变化。当你呼气时，让腹部就像泄气的气球那样慢慢变小。

You should be breathing 12 to 14 times a minute. If you breathe more frequently than this, gently slow your inhalations and exhalations.
每分钟应呼吸12到14次。如果你呼吸的频率较快，慢慢地调整吸气和呼气。

Try this exercise twice a day for a few minutes at a time. You should find yourself feeling more energised and less stressed.
一天练习两次，一次几分钟。你会发现自己会更有活动，压力也会变小。

quick fixes

QUICK FIXES
七、快速修复

If you suffer from mid-afternoon inertia but don’t want to glug a double espresso to get you through the rest of the day, there are alternative pick-me-ups that have been proven to work.
如果你下午三点左右昏昏欲睡，但是不想咕嘟咕嘟的喝特浓咖啡来提神，还有一些已证明有效的方法能让你清醒。

Nibble on dark chocolate
吃点儿黑巧克力

Chocolate contains the stimulant theobromine. ‘The chemical is almost identical to caffeine but has a more measured effect on the central nervous system,’ says Dr Philipps.
巧克力中含有能让人兴奋的可可碱。“这种物质等同于咖啡因，但是对中枢神经系统的作用比较缓和，” 菲利普斯博士说。

Stretching
伸展

A quick stretch can perk you up, says Steve Hunter, of Sport and Exercise Science at London Southbank University. ‘If we sit still at a desk all day, our bodies start to slow down. Stretching limbs stimulates neurons inside our muscles, which send signals to the brain to wake us.’
快速的拉伸能让你振奋起来，伦敦南岸大学的体育和运动科学系的史蒂夫-亨特说：“如果我们每天都坐在桌子前，那我们的身体就会开始变慢。伸展四肢能够刺激肌肉里的神经元，它能给大脑发送信号来唤醒我们。”