據(jù)說許多歷史風(fēng)云人物的睡眠時(shí)間都極短，他們還為此頗感自豪。但在“睡眠不足”的情況下，他們?nèi)绾胃沙鲆环笫聵I(yè)、創(chuàng)造出偉大的作品呢？然而還有一些歷史風(fēng)云人物的睡眠時(shí)間則比較長(zhǎng)，他們反對(duì)犧牲睡眠來工作。到底哪一種更有道理呢？看完下文再做評(píng)判也不遲。

Scientists say that sleeping 7～8 hours a day is normal. If you sleep less， your health can suffer from that. Though sleep requirements vary from person to person， some people are naturally short sleepers or long sleepers. There are so many myths and legends around them that it's difficult to say something for sure. But I'll try to write the most interesting facts in this article.

科學(xué)家稱正常情況下人一天要睡7～8個(gè)小時(shí)。如果你睡眠較少，你的健康就會(huì)因此受損。盡管對(duì)于睡眠的需求因人而異，但是有些人天生就睡眠少或者睡眠多。關(guān)于他們有太多的傳言和傳說，以至于很難下定論。但是，在這篇文章中我會(huì)盡量寫一些最有趣的事實(shí)。

Short Sleepers 睡眠少者

Leonardo da Vinci 列奧納多·達(dá)·芬奇

1452～1519，是一位思想深邃、學(xué)識(shí)淵博、多才多藝的畫家、雕塑家、發(fā)明家、哲學(xué)家、音樂家、醫(yī)學(xué)家、生物學(xué)家、地理學(xué)家、建筑工程師和軍事工程師。

Some sources claim that the legendary artist Leonardo da Vinci was able to stay awake and alert almost 22 hours of every day， all the while working on brilliant artworks and inventions. He slept only 1.5～2 hours a day， taking a nap 15～20 minutes for every four hours that he was awake.

Nowadays this sleeping system is called polyphasic1） sleep. Its followers try to use it and say that the system works fine for them. However， its opponents say that da Vinci's sleeping habit is just a myth and there are no trusted sources to confirm this fact about the great artist.

一些信息來源稱，傳奇藝術(shù)家列奧納多·達(dá)·芬奇每天差不多有22個(gè)小時(shí)都能保持頭腦清醒和思維敏捷，在此期間一直創(chuàng)造杰出的藝術(shù)品和發(fā)明。他每天只睡1.5～2個(gè)小時(shí)，即清醒的時(shí)間里每四個(gè)小時(shí)小睡15～20分鐘。

如今，這樣的睡眠法被稱為多相睡眠。它的追隨者嘗試采用這種睡眠法并聲稱這一睡眠法對(duì)他們而言很管用。不過，它的反對(duì)者卻認(rèn)為達(dá)·芬奇的睡眠習(xí)慣只是謠傳，并沒有可靠的信息來源證實(shí)這位藝術(shù)巨匠有這樣的習(xí)慣。

Thomas Jefferson托馬斯·杰斐遜

1743～1826，美國(guó)第三任總統(tǒng)，《美國(guó)獨(dú)立宣言》主要起草人，美國(guó)開國(guó)元?jiǎng)字凶罹哂绊懥Φ恼渭摇?除了政治事業(yè)外，杰斐遜同時(shí)也是農(nóng)業(yè)學(xué)、園藝學(xué)、建筑學(xué)、詞源學(xué)、考古學(xué)、數(shù)學(xué)、密碼學(xué)、測(cè)量學(xué)與古生物學(xué)等學(xué)科的專家，又身兼作家、律師與小提琴手，還是弗吉尼亞大學(xué)的創(chuàng)辦人。

Thomas Jefferson is considered to be a polyphasic sleeper. He slept only 2 hours a day. Though， in letters to Doctor Vine Utley （1819）， Thomas Jefferson wrote about his sleep habits. We can conclude that his sleep was not very regular. He would go to sleep at different times （often late into the night）. He would always devote at least 30 minutes to reading before sleep. He would fall asleep later if the reading was of particular interest， and he would regularly wake up at sunrise.

托馬斯·杰斐遜被認(rèn)為是一位多相睡眠者，他每天只睡兩個(gè)小時(shí)。不過，（1819年）托馬斯·杰斐遜在給瓦因·厄特利醫(yī)生的信件中寫到了自己的睡眠習(xí)慣，我們可以從中推斷出他的睡眠并不是很規(guī)律。他入睡的時(shí)間不盡相同（通常都在深夜）。他在睡前總會(huì)進(jìn)行至少30分鐘的閱讀。如果對(duì)閱讀的內(nèi)容特別感興趣，他就會(huì)再晚些入睡。他通常會(huì)在日出時(shí)分醒來。

Napoleon Bonaparte拿破侖·波拿巴

1769～1821，19世紀(jì)著名軍事家、政治家，是法蘭西第一帝國(guó)的締造者。

Some sources say that Napoleon slept only from 12 p.m. to 2 a.m.， and then he woke up， worked and went to bed again at 5 a.m. and woke up at 7 a.m. It means he slept only 4 hours a night. Napoleon Bonaparte once said， \"Different subjects and different affairs are arranged in my head as in a cupboard. When I wish to interrupt one train of thought， I shut that drawer and open another. Do I wish to sleep， I simply close all the drawers and then I am—asleep.\"

Some publications claim that he advocated 6 hours of sleep a night for men and 6 for women.

The officers of Napoleon have reported that even in a battlefield after long hours， Napoleon had the amazing ability to energize2） himself within half an hour. He handed over his command to his subordinates3）， giving them instructions that he was not to be disturbed under any circumstances for the next half an hour. Then stretching out in his tent he would enter into scientific sleep and precisely within half an hour he would come out energized， fresh and ready again for an action.

According to Polyphasic Sleep： Facts and Myths， he is indeed said to have slept little and frequently suffer from insomnia4） at times of great stress. He was also often interrupted by messengers that might perhaps increase his propensity5） to napping at daylight. Yet he was to be woken up only with bad news. The hard rule was that the good news could wait. His memoirs indicate that he did not mind dying young. Consequently， he would disregard his doctors on the matter of sleeping little and drinking buckets of strong coffee. A low sleep diet did not translate well to Napoleon's military skills. Some contemporaries attribute his errors at Waterloo to sleep deprivation. Yet， during slower days he would sleep for a sound seven hours， waking up at 7 a.m. and often lazing until 8 a.m. Then he would yet add a nap in the afternoon. Records also indicate that at Saint Helena he was a normal sleeper， and while stress was replaced with boredom， he often slept late.

一些信息來源聲稱拿破侖只從午夜12點(diǎn)睡到凌晨2點(diǎn)，然后就醒來工作，直到凌晨5點(diǎn)再上床睡覺，早晨7點(diǎn)醒來。這意味著他每晚只睡四個(gè)小時(shí)。拿破侖·波拿巴曾說：“不同的主題和不同的事務(wù)被有序地排列在我的頭腦中，就像擺在櫥柜里一樣。當(dāng)我想要中斷一個(gè)思路的時(shí)候，我會(huì)關(guān)閉那個(gè)抽屜，然后打開另一個(gè)。當(dāng)我想要睡覺的時(shí)候，我只需關(guān)閉所有的抽屜，然后我就——睡著了?！?/p>

一些出版物聲稱拿破侖·波拿巴提倡男性每晚應(yīng)該睡六個(gè)小時(shí)，女性每晚也應(yīng)該睡六個(gè)小時(shí)。

拿破侖的官員們聲稱，即便在戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)奮戰(zhàn)很長(zhǎng)時(shí)間后，拿破侖仍有驚人的能力讓自己在半個(gè)小時(shí)內(nèi)就變得精力充沛：他把指揮權(quán)交給下屬，并且命令他們?cè)诮酉聛淼陌雮€(gè)小時(shí)內(nèi)不管遇到任何情況都不要打擾他。而后，他便在自己的營(yíng)帳里舒展身體，進(jìn)入有條不紊的睡眠。他會(huì)在正好半個(gè)小時(shí)后精力充沛、神清氣爽地走出營(yíng)帳，準(zhǔn)備下一場(chǎng)戰(zhàn)斗。

據(jù)《多相睡眠：事實(shí)與謠言》一書所述，據(jù)說他的確睡得很少，而且經(jīng)常由于壓力巨大而飽受失眠的折磨。他還常常被信使打擾——這或許讓他更傾向于在白天小睡一會(huì)兒。不過，只在有壞消息時(shí)才可以把他叫醒，他的硬性規(guī)定就是好消息可以等。他的回憶錄表明他并不介意在年輕的時(shí)候死去。所以，在睡得少和喝大量的濃咖啡這些事上，他不會(huì)理會(huì)他的醫(yī)生們所說的。睡得少對(duì)于拿破侖的軍事技能并沒有什么好處。一些同時(shí)代的人將他在滑鐵盧戰(zhàn)役中所犯下的錯(cuò)誤歸咎于缺少睡眠。但是，在相對(duì)悠閑的日子里，他會(huì)睡整整七個(gè)小時(shí)，早晨7點(diǎn)起床，還經(jīng)常賴床到8點(diǎn)。在午后，他還會(huì)再小睡一會(huì)兒。諸多記錄顯示，在圣赫勒拿島的時(shí)候，他的睡眠還算正常，然而當(dāng)壓力取代乏味后，他就常常睡得很晚。

Nikola Tesla 尼古拉·特斯拉

1856～1943，塞爾維亞裔美籍發(fā)明家、物理學(xué)家、機(jī)械工程師、電氣工程師，被認(rèn)為是電力商業(yè)化的重要推動(dòng)者，并因主持設(shè)計(jì)了現(xiàn)代交流電系統(tǒng)而最為人知。

One of the greatest inventors claimed to sleep just 2～3 hours a day. Nikola Tesla once said， \"I do not think there is any thrill that can go through the human heart like that felt by the inventor as he sees some creation of the brain unfolding to success ... Such emotions make a man forget food， sleep， friends， love， everything.\"

According to Polyphasic Sleep： Facts and Myths， Tesla who could indeed work throughout the night， would often crash for the entire day of sleep after his exploits. He exhibited classic signs of manic6） creativity， which might have been interrupted by short recuperative7） naps or long recovery sleep. Otherwise， Tesla was nothing more than a short sleeper.

這位最偉大的發(fā)明家之一聲稱自己每天只睡2～3個(gè)小時(shí)。尼古拉·特斯拉曾說：“我認(rèn)為再?zèng)]有任何一種狂喜能像一個(gè)發(fā)明家看到自己的一些腦力創(chuàng)作逐漸走向成功那樣激動(dòng)人心……這種情緒讓人忘記吃飯、睡覺、交友、戀愛甚至一切?！?/p>

據(jù)《多相睡眠：事實(shí)與謠言》一書所描述，特斯拉確實(shí)能夠通宵達(dá)旦地工作，但他經(jīng)常在高強(qiáng)度工作后立馬倒頭睡上一整天。他表現(xiàn)出了典型的創(chuàng)造狂特征，而這原本可能會(huì)被具有修復(fù)性的打盹或者長(zhǎng)時(shí)間的補(bǔ)覺打斷。否則，特斯拉只是個(gè)短睡眠者而已。

Long Sleepers 睡眠多者

Calvin Coolidge卡爾文·柯立芝

1872～1933，是美國(guó)第30任總統(tǒng)。

Calvin Coolidge slept 8 hours a night， plus 2 or 3 hours in the afternoon. In fact， his very first act as president of the United States was to go to sleep. It is said that Calvin Coolidge got more sleep in the White House than any other president.

卡爾文·柯立芝每晚睡八個(gè)小時(shí)，下午還要睡兩三個(gè)小時(shí)。事實(shí)上，他當(dāng)選美國(guó)總統(tǒng)后的第一個(gè)舉動(dòng)就是去睡覺。據(jù)說卡爾文·柯立芝在白宮里的睡眠時(shí)間超過歷屆美國(guó)總統(tǒng)。

Winston Churchill溫斯頓·丘吉爾

1874～1965，英國(guó)政治家、歷史學(xué)家、畫家、演說家、作家、記者，1940～1945年和1951～1955年兩度出任英國(guó)首相，被認(rèn)為是20世紀(jì)最重要的政治領(lǐng)袖之一，領(lǐng)導(dǎo)英國(guó)人民贏得了第二次世界大戰(zhàn)的勝利。

Winston Churchill was said to sleep 5 hours a night on average， but he did at least advocate a substantial daily nap on top of that modest allowance.

He would wake at 8 a.m.， spend the morning in bed reading papers， dictating letters， etc.， take a long nap at tea time， and work till as late as 3 a.m. He averaged 5～6 hours of sleep per day.

Winston Churchill once said， \"You must sleep some time between lunch and dinner， and no halfway measures. Take off your clothes and get into bed. That's what I always do. Don't think you will be doing less work because you sleep during the day. That's a foolish notion held by people who have no imaginations. You will be able to accomplish more. You get two days in one—well， at least one and a half.\"

Winston Churchill had twin beds and when he couldn't fall asleep in one he changed to the other one.

據(jù)說，溫斯頓·丘吉爾平均每晚睡五個(gè)小時(shí)，但至少他提倡除了這一適中的睡眠時(shí)間外，每天還要進(jìn)行較長(zhǎng)時(shí)間的午睡。

他早上8點(diǎn)起床，整個(gè)上午都會(huì)在床上讀報(bào)紙、口授信稿以及做其他的事情，在下午茶時(shí)間睡上一大覺，而后一直工作到凌晨3點(diǎn)那么晚。他平均每天睡5～6個(gè)小時(shí)。

溫斯頓·丘吉爾曾說：“午餐到晚餐之間你必須找時(shí)間睡上一覺，沒有什么折中的辦法。脫掉衣服，鉆進(jìn)被窩，我就經(jīng)常這樣做。不要覺得白天睡覺了，你做的工作就會(huì)變少。沒有想象力的人才會(huì)有這樣愚蠢的想法。你將能完成更多的工作。你在一天里可以使用兩天的時(shí)間——好吧，至少是一天半的時(shí)間?！?/p>

溫斯頓·丘吉爾有一對(duì)單人床，當(dāng)他在其中一張床上難以入睡的時(shí)候，他就會(huì)換到另一張床上去睡覺。

Albert Einstein阿爾伯特·愛因斯坦

1879～1955，著名的猶太裔德國(guó)理論物理學(xué)家、思想家及哲學(xué)家，是現(xiàn)代物理學(xué)的開創(chuàng)者、奠基人。

The story goes that Albert Einstein liked to sleep 10 hours a night—unless he was working very hard on an idea. He claimed that his dreams helped him to invent.

Also he felt that naps \"refreshed the mind\" and that they helped him to be more creative.

據(jù)說阿爾伯特·愛因斯坦喜歡每晚睡十個(gè)小時(shí)，除非他正在非常努力地鉆研一個(gè)想法。他聲稱他做的夢(mèng)對(duì)他的發(fā)明創(chuàng)造有所幫助。

此外，他覺得白天小睡一會(huì)兒可以“消除思維疲勞”，使他更具創(chuàng)造性。

Now I understand that it doesn't matter how much you have but it does matter how you use what you have. And I think that everyone should listen to their body and feel what it really needs. Do not be too lazy and sleep more than you need and do not be too hard-working and neglect your health.

現(xiàn)在我懂得了，真正重要的是你如何利用自己所擁有的睡眠時(shí)間，而不是你擁有多少睡眠時(shí)間。而且我認(rèn)為每個(gè)人都應(yīng)該聽從自己的身體，感受身體真正的需求。不要因?yàn)樘珣卸瓒锰枚錾眢w的需求，也不要因?yàn)檫^于勤勉而忽視身體健康。

1.polyphasic [?p?li?feizik] adj. 【生理】一晝夜活動(dòng)和休息多次的；多相的

2.energize [?en?d?a?z] vt. 使精力充沛

3.subordinate [s??b??d?n?t] n. 下級(jí)，下屬

4.insomnia [?n?s?mni?] n. 失眠

5.propensity [pr??pens?ti] n. 傾向

6.manic [?m?n?k] adj. 瘋狂的

7.recuperative

[r??ku?p?r?t?v] adj. 有恢復(fù)力的