Contrary to popular belief, people who sleep six to seven hours a night live longer, and those who sleep eight hours or more die younger, according to the latest study ever conducted on the subject. The study, which tracked the sleeping habits of 1.1 million Americans for six years, undermines the advice of many sleep doctors who have long recommended that people get eight or nine hours of sleep every night. 　　

与人们的普遍观念恰恰相反，就睡眠所做的最新研究发现每晚睡6-7个小时的人要比睡8个小时或更长时间的人寿命长。这项对110万美国人的睡眠习惯进行为期6年跟踪调查的研究削弱了很多睡眠医生长期以来建议人们每晚要睡8-9个小时的说法。

"There's an old idea that people should sleep eight hours a night, which has no more scientific basis than the gold at the end of the rainbow," said Daniel Kripke, a professor of psychiatry at the University of California at San Diego who led the study, published in a recent issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry. "That's an old wives' tale." 　

　"旧的观念认为人们每晚应睡足8小时，但其实这个观点就如同彩虹末端的金色一样毫无科学依据，"圣狄哥加州大学的精神病学教授Daniel Kripke说道，他领导进行的这项研究的结果发表在最近一期的《大众精神病学档案》上。"这一观点不过是老妇人的老生常谈而已。"

The study was not designed to answer why sleeping longer may be deleterious or whether people could extend their life span by sleeping less.

这项研究目的不是试图解释为何睡得多可能是有害的，也不是解释人们能否通过减少睡眠来延长寿命。

But Kripke said it was possible that people who slept longer tended to suffer from sleep apnea, a condition where impaired breathing puts stress on the heart and brain. He also speculated that the need for sleep was akin to food, where getting less than people want may be better for them.

但Kripke说这有可能是由于睡得多的人就容易遭受睡眠中的呼吸暂停，这是一种减弱呼吸给心脏和大脑带来压力的状况。他还认为人们对睡眠的需求就如同对食物需求一样，实际摄入量比需求量少一点可能对健康有益。

The study quickly provoked cautions and criticism, with some sleep experts saying that the main problem in America's sleep habits was deprivation, not sleeping too much. 　
　
这项研究立刻引发了很多告诫和批评，一些睡眠专家说美国人睡眠习惯存在的主要问题是人们缺少睡眠，而不是已经睡得太多。

"The amount of sleep you get impacts how alert you are, your risk for accidents, how you perform at work and school," said James Walsh, president of the National Sleep Foundation, a non-profit that advocates for better sleep habits. "There's much more to life than how long you live." 　
　
"睡眠时间的长短会影响你的警觉程度、出事故的可能性和你工作表现以及学习成绩，"James Walsh说，他是国家睡眠基金会主席，该基金会是一家致力于提倡改善睡眠习惯的非赢利性机构。"生命的意义远不只是在于它的长短。"

The study used data from an extensive survey conducted by the American Cancer Society from 1982 to 1988. Women sleeping 8, 9 and 10 hours a night had 13 percent, 23 percent and 41 percent higher risk of dying, respectively, than those who slept 7 hours, the study found. Men sleeping 8, 9 and 10 hours a night had 12 percent, 17 percent and 34 percent greater risk of dying within the study period. 　

这项研究利用了美国癌症学会在1982-1988年期间开展的一次广泛调查所获得的数据，它发现每晚睡8、9和10个小时的女性与睡7小时的女性相比，死亡率分别上升了13%、23%和41%。在此研究期间，每晚睡8、9和10个小时的男性与睡7小时男性相比，死亡率则上升了12%、17%和34%。

By contrast, sleeping five hours a night increased the risk for women by only 5 percent, and for men, by 11 percent. Among people who slept just three hours a night, women had a 33 percent increase in death, and men had a 19 percent increase, compared with those who slept seven hours.