What is it and how can we avoid it?
「睡眠債」還得清！？ 睡眠債是什麼， 我們又該如何避免？
For many students, shift workers and others, getting enough sleep each night presents a dilemma. There is too much to do and not enough time to do it, so people often try to catch up on the weekends. But researchers report that it takes longer than we think to replace missing hours of sleep. Sleep debt, deficit or deprivation is the difference between how much we get. And, while we spend our weekdays working around the clock, it takes a heavy toll on our bodies.
How many hours of sleep are really necessary? According to the Mayo Clinic, school-age children require nine to 12 hours a night. Teens need eight to 10, and adults need seven to nine hours nightly.
It's not hard to calculate your sleep debt. Suppose you require eight hours of sleep a night, but for one week, you only slept six hours nightly. As a result, you developed a cumulative sleep debt of 14 hours.
How can you make it up, and why does it matter? Many people use naps and their days off to replace lost sleep. Yet studies show that it can take up to four days to replace one hour of lost sleep and ward off its detrimental effects.
Language Lab
dilemma n.
a situation in which it is very difficult to decide what to do, because all the choices seem equally good or equally bad
- Amelia faced a difficult dilemma when choosing between two job offers because each one had advantages and disadvantages.
- The financial dilemma of paying for college led the student to explore financial aid packages.
- The brothers found themselves in quite a dilemma when deciding how to care for their elderly parents.
deprivation n.
the lack of something that you need in order to be healthy, comfortable, or happy
- The bad economy led to widespread deprivation among families that had a hard time making a living.
- Sleep deprivation can have a terrible impact on one's physical and mental health.
deprive v.
- Be careful of depriving your body of needed nutrition when you are trying to lose weight.
cumulative adj.
increasing gradually as more of something is added or happens
- The cumulative effect of years of pollution has affected the water and air quality of the country.
- The company's cumulative profits for the past ten years have allowed it to expand.
- The class is designed to build cumulative knowledge as each lesson builds on what was taught in the previous weeks.
detrimental adj.
/detrəˈmentl/
causing harm or damage SYN harmful, damaging
- It has been proven over and over that smoking is detrimental to people's health.
- The detrimental effect of the water pollution was very evident in the small town.
- The lack of concern that Vincent's parents have regarding his education is very detrimental to his future.
Info Cloud
Topic: debt
Rex: Hello friends, welcome to info cloud. Hi Garrett!
Garrett: Hey Rex! Today, I heard one of our coworkers talking about money problems. He said he had been running up of debt. It made me think that we should talk about debt terms.
Rex: That's a good idea Garrett. A running up debt is an interesting term. It means you are spending more money than you have. So you own more and more money. It's a lot like saying you are getting deeper in debt.
Garrett: Hmm. Being in debt isn't a good thing. But being in someone's debt isn't too bad.
Rex: What's the difference?
Garrett: Well, it means you owe someone a favor or you are thankful for something they have done for you. And, it's not always about money.
Rex: Like if your friend helps you fix your car, you might say: "I am in your debt" to show your appreciation.
Garrett: That's right. Really though! It's best to get out of debt as quickly as possible. You can do that by paying down your debt.
Rex: Paying down debt is the same as paying off debt, right?
Garrett: Yes. It just means you are paying back the money you owe. So go and pay off that debt right now.
running up debt
getting deeper in debt
in someone's debt
I'm in your debt.
get out of debt
paying down your debt / paying off your debt
