Do you really know｜为什么我们在夜里更容易emo？
英音听力｜BBC & 经济学人等
Why do we have irrational thoughts at nighttime?
We've all been there. You wake up in the middle of the night and simply can't get back to sleep, no matter how hard you try to relax. Suddenly, a problem that seemed insignificant earlier feels enormous. You overthink it and imagine the worst.
Then morning arrives, and you realize you'd blown it out of all proportion. It's a very common experience. Anxious, irrational thoughts can feel much more intrusive at night.
Why does our brain react this way?
One possible explanation is known as the mind after midnight hypothesis. Researchers suggest that being awake during our biological night can change how we process emotions and make decisions. Negative feelings may become stronger, while the thinking skills involved in perspective, self-control and long-term judgment may be less effective.
That doesn't mean every nighttime thought is irrational, but when we're tired and awake at a time when our body expects to be sleeping, evaluating problems calmly can become more difficult.
A study led by university college London analyzed nearly one million survey responses from around 49,000 different people. It found that mental health and well-being were generally best in the morning and worst around midnight.
However, because the study was observational, it couldn't prove that the time of day directly caused the difference. At night, our usual distractions also disappear. There are no activities, conversations or tasks to occupy us, with nobody awake to offer reassurance or another perspective, our worries can feel much bigger.
Does this phenomenon have a name?
It's commonly described as nighttime anxiety, although that isn't one specific diagnosis. It can involve difficulty falling asleep, waking with a feeling of dread, physical symptoms such as a racing heart, or repeatedly worrying that you won't get back to sleep.
NHS guidelines, not that stress and anxiety can make sleeping harder. Lying awake, then creates more time to worry, producing a cycle in which anxiety disrupts sleep and poor sleep makes regulating our emotions more difficult.
Caffeine late in the day, and irregular routine, and using phones before bed can make matters worse. Some health conditions can also disturb sleep. So persistent problems shouldn't simply be dismissed as overthinking.
词汇表
overthink [ˌəʊvəˈθɪŋk] vt. 过度思考，反复琢磨
blown it out of all proportion 把某事严重夸大，小题大做
irrational [ɪˈræʃənl] adj. 非理性的，不合理的
intrusive [ɪnˈtruːsɪv] adj. 侵入性的，闯入的，烦扰的
mind after midnight hypothesis [haɪˈpɒθəsɪs] “午夜后心智假说”（认为人在生物性夜间保持清醒时情绪和决策会发生改变的假说）
biological night [ˌbaɪəˈlɒdʒɪkl] 生物性夜晚（人体生物钟认为应当睡眠的时段）
observational [ˌɒbzəˈveɪʃənl] adj. 观察性的，基于观察的
reassurance [ˌriːəˈʃʊərəns] n. 安慰，慰藉，使人安心的事物
nighttime anxiety [ˈnaɪttaɪm æŋˈzaɪəti] 夜间焦虑（指在夜间出现的焦虑状态）
racing heart 心悸，心跳加速
NHS 英国国民医疗服务体系（National Health Service 的缩写）
dismiss [dɪsˈmɪs] vt. 不予理会，对…置之不理
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