中文导读

熬了一夜只睡三小时，为什么年轻人第二天常常昏昏沉沉，而不少老年人却好像没那么受影响？文章介绍加拿大西蒙菲莎大学 10 月 29 日公布的一项研究：研究者分析瑞典一项既有研究中年轻人和老年人的脑部扫描，发现睡眠不足后，同一组大脑连接在两组人中的变化方向正好相反；接着说明研究者如何解释这一差异，以及“补偿理论”的含义；然后交代研究的局限——只测量了大脑活动，没有测试思考和记忆表现，样本也不大；最后强调这并不是老年人可以熬夜的理由，长期缺觉对任何年龄都有害。阅读时可留意 however、while 如何表达对比，以及 may、seemed、suggests 等词如何为研究结论划定边界。

正文

After a night of very little sleep, many young people feel tired, moody and slow. Older adults, however, often seem less affected by one bad night. A new study from Simon Fraser University in Canada, published in the journal Imaging Neuroscience, suggests one reason: younger and older brains may react to lost sleep in opposite ways.

本段译文

熬夜后只睡了很少的觉，许多年轻人会感到疲惫、情绪低落、反应迟缓。然而，老年人似乎常常不那么受一个糟糕夜晚的影响。加拿大西蒙菲莎大学发表在《Imaging Neuroscience》期刊上的一项新研究给出了一个可能的原因：年轻人和老年人的大脑对睡眠不足的反应方式可能正好相反。

The researchers looked at brain scans from an earlier Swedish study. It included 30 younger adults aged 20 to 30 and 23 older adults aged 65 to 75, all healthy and without sleep problems. Each person was scanned twice, about a month apart. Before one scan, they had a full night’s sleep. Before the other, they were allowed to sleep for only about three hours.

本段译文

研究人员分析了瑞典一项早期研究中的脑部扫描数据。该研究包括 30 名 20 至 30 岁的年轻人和 23 名 65 至 75 岁的老年人，他们都身体健康，没有睡眠问题。每个人接受了两次扫描，间隔约一个月。其中一次扫描前，他们睡了一整晚；另一次扫描前，他们只被允许睡大约三个小时。

The team then studied how different parts of the brain worked together. In younger adults, a group of connections became stronger after the short night. In older adults, the same connections became weaker. Josh Neudorf, who led the study, said the result was “quite striking“. He explained that the younger brain seemed to be working harder to keep going, while the older brain seemed to organise itself in a more efficient way.

本段译文

随后，研究团队研究了大脑不同区域如何协同工作。在年轻人中，一组连接在睡眠不足后变得更强；而在老年人中，同样的连接却变弱了。研究负责人乔什·诺伊多夫说，这一结果“相当惊人”。他解释说，年轻人的大脑似乎要更加费力才能维持运转，而老年人的大脑似乎以一种更高效的方式进行自我调整。

Why would age make such a difference? One idea is called the compensation theory. As people grow older, the quality of their sleep often gets worse. The theory says the ageing brain changes the way it works to deal with this. The researchers say their results support this idea more strongly than the view that older brains simply react less.

本段译文

为什么年龄会造成这样的差异？一种观点被称为“补偿理论”。随着年龄增长，人们的睡眠质量往往会变差。这一理论认为，衰老的大脑会改变自身的工作方式来应对这种变化。研究人员表示，与“老年大脑只是反应更弱”的观点相比，他们的结果更有力地支持了补偿理论。

There are clear limits. The team measured brain activity, not how well people thought or remembered. The idea that older adults handle a single bad night better comes from earlier research. The study also looked at only one short night of sleep, and the group of people was small.

本段译文

这项研究有明显的局限。研究团队测量的是大脑活动，而不是人们思考或记忆的表现。“老年人更能承受一个糟糕夜晚”的说法来自更早的研究。此外，这项研究只考察了一个短暂的夜晚，参与者人数也不多。

The researchers also warn that the study is not a reason for older people to stay up late. Losing sleep again and again over many years is harmful at any age. It is linked to a higher risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. Brianne Kent, one of the authors, said that the brain clears a harmful protein faster during sleep. If people keep missing sleep, this protein may build up more quickly, which could raise the risk of dementia for those who are already likely to develop it.

本段译文

研究人员还提醒，这项研究并不是老年人熬夜的理由。多年反复缺觉对任何年龄的人都有害，它与心脏病、高血压和糖尿病的较高风险有关。论文作者之一布里安娜·肯特说，大脑在睡眠期间清除一种有害蛋白质的速度更快。如果人们长期缺觉，这种蛋白质可能会更快地积累，这可能会提高那些本就容易患痴呆症的人的患病风险。

新闻来源

• Simon Fraser University · Older brains cope better with lack of sleep, says SFU study (29 Oct 2026)
• Imaging Neuroscience · Young and old adult brains experience opposite effects of acute sleep restriction on the functional connectivity network
• bioRxiv · Intrinsic brain connectivity after partial sleep deprivation in young and older adults: results from the Stockholm Sleepy Brain study

✳更多文章 →