2006年VOA标准英语-Study: Grogginess Can Have Dangerous Conse

By Carol Pearson
Washington, DC
17 January 2006
 
watch Grogginess¹ report

It takes time for most people to really wake up once they’re out of bed. A new study shows that in the first few minutes after awakening², our decision- making ability is no better than if we had too much to drink. 

--------------------------------------------

It's no wonder so many people drink coffee in the morning to get charged up for the day.

Josh Rodgers   
  

A new study conducted at the University of Colorado finds that the grogginess you feel when you just wake up can be more debilitating³ than getting no sleep at all. Josh Rodgers is a student who participated in the study. Here he is deeply asleep in a university lab.

During an observation, Josh was ask to get out of bed and walk over to a desk to take a simple math test, he didn’t move quickly or think clearly.

Josh says he had difficulty, "It's difficult.  It's surprisingly difficult."

 
Professor Kenneth Wright
  
Professor Kenneth Wright led the study which has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"We found that when you first wake up, your performance is actually worse than anything that we see across 26 hours of being awake."

Professor Wright also found when the poorest test scores were likely to occur. 

"The most severe impairments are initially⁴ upon awakening with one's first few minutes."

Most of the grogginess -- called sleep inertia⁵ -- wore off within ten minutes of getting up.  But for some people, it can last for up to 2 hours.

Professor Wright and other researchers tested a group of patients first after getting a full night's sleep for several weeks. 

Then they tested them after staying up 26 hours straight. 

The patients did better with no sleep at all.

Ruth Meyler  
  
Ruth Meyler travels a lot and can vouch⁶ for the research. She shares her experience, "I've been up for 36 hours straight ... and it's no problem."

There's a reason for that.  Professor Wright says the pre-frontal cortex of the brain, like the rest of the body doesn't want to wake up when the alarm goes off.

"This is the area that is associated with our ability to think clearly, our ability to make decisions."

These findings are critical for doctors and other emergency workers and military personnel⁷ - people who often have to make important decisions -- sometimes life or death decisions -- while experiencing sleep inertia.

It's also something people who drive to work should consider.  Professor Wright says most traffic accidents occur early in the morning when people are on their way to work.

1 grogginess   

酒醉；东歪西倒

参考例句：

• We had to bushwhack through undergrowth. 我们只好在灌木丛中劈开一条路。
• The grogginess from the beer was wearing off. 因喝了啤酒而产生的醉意正在消退。 来自辞典例句

2 awakening   

n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的

参考例句：

• the awakening of interest in the environment 对环境产生的兴趣
• People are gradually awakening to their rights. 人们正逐渐意识到自己的权利。

3 debilitating   

a.使衰弱的

参考例句：

• The debilitating disease made him too weak to work. 这个令他衰弱的病，使他弱到没有办法工作。
• You may soon leave one debilitating condition or relationship forever. 你即将永远地和这段霉运说拜拜了。

4 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

5 inertia   

adj.惰性，惯性，懒惰，迟钝

参考例句：

• We had a feeling of inertia in the afternoon.下午我们感觉很懒。
• Inertia carried the plane onto the ground.飞机靠惯性着陆。

6 vouch   

v.担保；断定；n.被担保者

参考例句：

• They asked whether I was prepared to vouch for him.他们问我是否愿意为他作担保。
• I can vouch for the fact that he is a good worker.我保证他是好员工。

7 personnel   

n.[总称]人员，员工，人事部门

参考例句：

• The personnel are not happy to change these rules.全体工作人员对改变这些规定很不高兴。
• Personnel has lost my tax forms.人事部门把我的税收表格给弄丢了。