Are you excessively sleepy during the day? If so, you may have a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease, according to a recent study published online Sept. 5, 2018, by the journal Sleep.

　　你白天特别困吗?《Sleep》杂志2018年9月5日新发表的研究表明，你如果特别困，那么患老年痴呆的风险就更高。

　　Scientists asked 124 healthy older adults, average age 60, about how often they felt drowsy or fell asleep during the day when they would rather be awake, as well as their napping habits. The group then had regular PET scans over the next 15 years to look for beta-amyloid in the brain, high amounts of which are a hallmark for Alzheimer's.

　　科学家找了124位平均年龄60岁的健康老人，询问他们白天想清醒的时候是否会感觉困倦或睡着，还询问了他们的午睡习惯。然后在接下来的15年里研究团队定期对他们进行PET扫描，在大脑中寻找β-淀粉样蛋白，含量过高就是患上了老年痴呆。

　　During the follow-up, the researchers found that people who reported frequent excessive daytime sleepiness were about three times more likely to have beta-amyloid buildup than those who weren't sleepy during the day.

　　通过跟踪调查，研究人员发现自称白天经常睡眠过多的人β-淀粉样蛋白堆积的风险比白天不困的人高三倍。

　　Findings from previous studies suggest that when sleep is inadequate or disrupted — say, because of insomnia, sleep apnea, or any other sleep-related problem — our brains have less time to clear out metabolic debris that can lead to beta-amyloid build up. And if you don't sleep well, you are more likely to fight sleepiness and fatigue the next day.

　　此前研究的结果表明失眠、睡眠呼吸暂停或其他与睡眠有关的问题导致睡眠不足或中断时，我们的大脑没有足够时间清理代谢碎片，从而导致β-淀粉样蛋白堆积。如果你睡眠不好，第二天更有可能需要抵抗困倦和疲劳。

　　今日词汇

　　excessively

　　[ek'sesɪvlɪ]

　　adv. 过分地

　　He was excessively polite.

　　他太过客气了。

　　The doctor advised him not to drink excessively.

　　医生劝他不要饮酒过度。