睡眠不足能夠對抗抑鬱症
For those who suffer from clinical depression, there could be an unexpected source of solace.
那些患有抑鬱症的人，可能馬上能得到一份意料之外的慰藉。
While long-term sleep deprivation and chronic insomnia can harm your mental and emotional health, in the short term, evidence suggests, going without sleep can help.
雖然長期的睡眠不足和失眠可以損害你的精神健康和情緒健康，但短期而言，有證據顯示：缺覺是有好處的。
Previous studies since the 1970s have noted a correlation between reduced REM sleep and improved depression symptoms.
1970年代的研究就顯示，減少快速眼動睡眠的時間，能夠緩解抑鬱症的症狀。
A 2002 study found that one whole night of sleep deprivation resulted in an improvement in 40-60 percent of patients, as did another one in 2010.
2002年的一項研究顯示，一整晚不睡覺，可以緩解40%-60%的病人的症狀；2010年的一項研究也得出了同樣的結果。
A 2013 study attempted to find the mechanism, linking the effect to a type of brain cell that releases a protein important for sleep.
2013年有一項研究企圖弄明白這個機制，他們發現這和大腦中的一種特定細胞有關，這種細胞能分泌一種對睡眠特別重要的蛋白質。
Now a meta-analysis of 66 independent studies conducted between 1974 and 2016 has found that sleep deprivation rapidly reduces the symptoms of depression in roughly half of patients, at least when conducted in controlled inpatient settings.
而現在，一項大數據研究對1974年到2016年間的66項獨立研究進行了分析，發現對於大約一半的病人來說，睡眠不足能夠快速緩解抑鬱症；至少在實驗環境下是這麼回事。
There were also different types of sleep deprivation represented, including total and partial, as well as short term and longer term.
研究中的睡眠剝奪有很多種，包括完全睡眠剝奪和部分睡眠剝奪，以及短期睡眠剝奪和長期睡眠剝奪。
The team found that partial sleep deprivation, in which the patient was only allowed to sleep for 3-4 hours for one night followed by forced wakefulness for 20-21 hours, was just as effective at reducing depression symptoms as total sleep deprivation for 36 hours.
研究人員發現，在緩解抑鬱症的效果上，部分睡眠剝奪和完全睡眠剝奪一樣有效；在部分睡眠剝奪中，病人只被允許睡3到4個小時，然後會被強制保持清醒20到21個小時，而完全睡眠剝奪則讓病人連續清醒36個小時。
But, hat there's a correlation between sleep deprivation and an improvement in symptoms doesn't mean that it can replace other treatments, though.
但是，雖然睡眠不足能緩解抑鬱症的症狀，但這並不意味着病人就不需要其他的治療。
Several studies have found that the effect only lasts as long as the patient stays awake following the sleep deprivation for up to 80 percent or more of respondents.
好幾個研究都發現，對於80%或更多的受試者來說，這個效果只在睡眠不足之後的那段時間有效。
Moreover, the researchers still don't know why sleep deprivation seems to result in a rapid and significant decrease in depression symptoms.
另外，研究者們依舊不知道爲什麼睡眠不足能夠這麼快速有效地改善抑鬱症。
The research has been published in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
這項研究是被刊登在《臨牀精神病學期刊》上的。
