With the demands of academic life, do you frequently find yourself struggling to maintain focus and alertness in the afternoon hours? If so, this may be a sign that your body is in need of a brief respite—a nap.
The tendency to feel sleepy in the afternoon is largely attributed to our internal mechanism known as the biological clock, which regulates our sleep-wake cycles. This complex system makes us feel tired at night and awake in the morning. However, research suggests that for the majority of individuals, the biological clock does not follow a strict 24-hour cycle, but rather operates on two 12-hour cycles. Consequently, in the early afternoon, our bodies may naturally experience a surge of fatigue, causing drowsiness.
Napping not only helps to combat this afternoon fatigue but also provides many benefits. A brief period of rest can give our brains a much-needed break, allowing us to process information more efficiently and consolidate memory, which can enhance our cognitive abilities, such as concentration and learning. It can also help to reduce stress and provide temporary relief for both our bodies and minds. Nonetheless, the duration and timing of napping are crucial. The best nap time length is between 20 and 30 minutes, with the best time frame being in the early to mid-afternoon. This ensures that we do not enter deep sleep stages, which can disrupt our nighttime sleep.
Photo: Freepik 照片：Freepik 提供
In a competitive and high-pressure learning environment, napping can be a simple, yet effective way to help you focus on your studies. The next time you feel drowsy in the afternoon, consider taking a short break to recharge and face the challenges of the day with renewed energy.
在充滿課業要求的生活中，你是否常在下午時分發現自己難以保持專注和警覺？如果是這樣，這可能是你的身體需要短暫的休息——一個午睡。
下午感到困倦的傾向主要歸因於我們的內部機制，即所謂的生理時鐘，它調節我們的睡眠清醒週期。這個複雜的系統使我們在晚上感到疲倦，早上保持清醒。然而，研究表明對於大多數人而言，生理時鐘並不遵循嚴格的24小時循環，而是運行在兩個12小時的週期上。因此，在中午到下午的階段，我們的身體可能會自然地感受到一股疲勞襲來，導致我們昏昏欲睡。
午睡不僅有助於對抗這種下午的疲勞，還提供了許多好處。短暫的休息可以給我們的大腦一個迫切需要的喘息機會，讓我們能更有效地處理資訊並鞏固記憶，這可以增強我們的認知能力，如專注力和學習能力。它還可以幫助減輕壓力，為我們的身心提供暫時的緩解。然而，午睡的時長和時機非常重要。最佳午睡時間長度為20至30分鐘，最佳時機在下午的早至中段。這確保我們不會進入深層睡眠階段，進入此階段可能會干擾我們的夜間睡眠。
在一個競爭激烈且高壓的學習環境中，午睡是一種簡單但有效的方式，可以幫助你專注於學業。下次當你在下午感到昏昏欲睡時，不妨考慮短暫休息一下，重新充電，以重新振作的活力來迎接當天的挑戰。
MORE INFORMATION
respite n. 短暫的休息
surge n. 湧現；劇增
consolidate v. 鞏固；加強
enhance vt. 增強
cognitive adj. 認知的
duration n. 持續時間
KEY VOCABULARY
1. academic adj. 課業的；學術的
David likes to read academic papers because they teach him many things.
大衛喜歡閱讀學術論文，因為它們教會他很多東西。
2. alertness n. 警覺；機警
The guard dog shows its alertness to the strange noise by standing up and lifting up its ears.
那隻看門狗起身並豎起耳朵來表現對怪聲的警覺。
3. tendency n. 傾向；趨勢
Our customers have a tendency to buy new phones every three years or so.
我們的顧客傾向於每三年左右買一支新手機。
4. attribute v. 歸因；歸咎
Hazel’s teacher attributed her learning difficulties to emotional problems.
海柔的老師將她的學習困難歸咎於情緒問題。
5. biological adj. 生物（學）的
One biological need that humans and animals share is that they both need to eat to survive.
人類與動物都有的一項生物需求是他們都需要進食才能生存。
6. regulate vt. 調節；控制；管理
The government regulates the food industry so people won’t eat things that harm them.
政府控管食品工業，這樣人們就不會吃到會傷身的東西。
7. combat v. 對抗；打擊；戰鬥
The army was sent to combat the terrorist threat in the region.
那支軍隊被派遣到那區以對抗恐怖份子的威脅。
8. drowsy adj. 昏昏欲睡的；困倦的
drowsiness n. 睡意；困倦
After the long drive, Rose felt drowsy and decided to pull over for a quick nap.
開了長途車後，蘿絲感到昏昏欲睡，決定靠邊停車小睡一會兒。
9. renewed adj. 恢復活力的；重新的
After a week on vacation, Vicky returned to work with renewed energy.
休假一週後，維琪恢復活力返回工作崗位。
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