你的身體在24小時內的變化：英語精讀講義

Good morning body,

早安，身體，

time for another day.

新的一天又開始了。

Your alarm goes off, 片語動詞

鬧鐘響了，

you hit this snooze button and lay there for a few minutes

你按下貪睡按鈕，又躺了幾分鐘，

between the land of wake and sleep known as the hypnopompic state. 用詞

徘徊在清醒與睡眠之間，這就是所謂的「睡眠轉醒狀態」。

When you do finally get up, 文法

當你終於起床時，

you're groggy and disoriented thanks to sleep inertia. 講解

由於睡眠慣性，你仍然昏昏沉沉、暈頭轉向。

Most of it's shed in 10 minutes,

這種狀態大多會在10分鐘內消退，

but can sometimes linger for a few hours.

但有時也會持續好幾個小時。

During this time,

在這段時間裡，

your body temperature is still low,

你的體溫仍然偏低，

but your blood pressure is sharply rising.

但血壓卻在迅速升高。

There's a 50% increase in the stress hormone cortisol pumping through your bloodstream

在你血液中流動的壓力荷爾蒙皮質醇增加了50%，

in preparation for the stresses of your day. 片語搭配

為你應付一天的壓力做好準備。

Time for a shower.

該洗澡了。

It's also the best time to shave

這也是刮鬍子的最佳時機，

as clot-forming platelets are most abundant right now,

因為此時能形成血塊的血小板數量最多，

making your blood more sticky, 文法

會讓你的血液更容易凝固，

meaning less bleeding from cuts.

也就是說，刮傷後流血會更少。

But it's also the time of day when heart attacks most often occur.

不過，這也是一天中心臟病最容易發作的時段。

7:30 a.m. swings around 慣用語

到了早上7:30，

and it's time for coffee and breakfast.

該喝咖啡、吃早餐了。

Enjoy the smell before sipping, though. 語氣意圖

不過，先享受一下香氣再喝吧。

75% of how we enjoy flavor is not through the tongue, 文法

我們品嚐風味時，有75%的享受並非來自舌頭，

but through smell.

而是來自嗅覺。

The vapors pass through your mouth

香氣分子穿過口腔，

around the soft palate into the nasal cavity

繞過軟顎進入鼻腔，

and to the olfactory bulb.

再抵達嗅球。

Mmm, that's good.

嗯，真香。

Settling in at work 片語動詞

開始工作後，

and Your mental activity is actually at a peak in late morning.

其實，接近中午時你的大腦活動正處於巔峰。

Most of us are sharpest 2 and a half to 4 hours after waking, 用詞

我們大多數人在醒來2個半到4小時後思緒最敏銳，

but your memory is impacted as the day moves on. 片語搭配

但隨著時間推移，你的記憶力會受到影響。

In the morning,

早上，

we forget an average of 5 facts,

我們平均會忘掉5件事，

but by afternoon,

但到了下午，

we forget around 14.

會忘掉大約14件。

Not if you're a young adult, though. 語氣意圖

不過，如果你是年輕人，情況就不同了。

In fact, the reverse is true 片語搭配

事實上，情況正好相反：

with young people becoming more mentally alive in the afternoon and evening. 文法

年輕人到了下午和晚上，頭腦反而更活躍。

But at night,

但到了夜間，

our biological clock seems to turn off proteins involved in forming long-term memories,

我們的生理時鐘似乎會關閉參與形成長期記憶的蛋白質，

which is why it's best not to cram for a test all night. 講解

所以最好不要為了考試熬夜臨時抱佛腳。

It's noon

到中午了，

and it's time for lunch.

該吃午餐了。

Your stomach is able to expand as much as 2 and a half pints 文法

你的胃最多能擴張到2.5品脫的容量，

to receive a meal.

以容納一頓飯。

Here it stays for a few hours

食物會在這裡停留幾個小時，

before it's sent to your small intestine.

然後才被送進小腸。

We digest meals without even thinking about it.

我們甚至不用思考，身體就會自動消化食物。

In fact,

事實上，

there's a brain of sorts in your belly called the enteric nervous system, 片語搭配

你的腹中有一個類似大腦的系統，叫做腸神經系統，

which performs everything from sensing nutrients,

它的功能包羅萬象，從感知營養物質、

measuring acids,

測量酸度，

and coordinating the immune system

到協調免疫系統，

to defend your gut.

進而保護你的腸道。

Around 2:30 p.m.

下午2:30左右，

and lunch has left us a wave of fogginess and fatigue. 慣用語

午餐讓我們迎來一陣昏沉與疲憊。

After a meal,

飯後，

your body has a short boost in energy from the glucose, 片語搭配

葡萄糖會讓你的身體短暫獲得一股能量，

but is then followed by a wave of insulin,

但緊接著，胰島素也會大量釋放；

the hormone that transports sugar to your cells.

這種荷爾蒙負責把糖運送到細胞中。

Scientists believe that insulin might pull too much from your blood,

科學家認為，胰島素可能會從血液中帶走過多糖分，

causing an energy nosedive. 慣用語

導致能量驟降。

However,

然而，

this phenomenon occurs even if you don't have lunch, 文法

即使不吃午餐，這種現象也會出現，

which has led to much research on the power of naps,

這促使人們針對午睡的作用展開大量研究；

which increase productivity and safety.

午睡可以提升工作效率和安全性。

4:30 p.m.

下午4:30，

and it's time to hit the gym. 慣用語

該去健身房了。

Though many try to work out in the morning,

雖然很多人會選擇早上運動，

studies suggest that you may gain 20% more muscle strength

但研究顯示，你的肌力可能會多提升20%

by working out in the afternoon.

——只要把運動安排在下午。

Your airways are more open,

此時你的呼吸道更加暢通，

your heart works more efficiently,

心臟運作更有效率，

and your reaction time is at its peak.

反應速度也達到巔峰。

Much of this has to do with your core body temperature 片語搭配

這在很大程度上與你的核心體溫

peaking later in the day.

會在一天較晚時達到高峰有關。

Even most sports records are achieved between 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

甚至大多數運動紀錄都是在下午3:00到晚上8:00之間創下的。

Now you start off the evening by joining some friends for drinks. 講解

現在，你和幾位朋友一起喝酒，展開夜晚。

During cocktail hour,

在雞尾酒時段，

you're actually more tolerant to the effects of alcohol. 用詞

你其實更能承受酒精的影響。

In one study,

一項研究發現，

those drinking vodka at 9:00 a.m. 文法

早上9:00喝伏特加的人，

had significantly worse reaction time and psychological functioning

其反應速度和心理機能都明顯不如

than those who had the same dose at 6:00 p.m.

下午6:00喝下相同劑量的人。

It's around 8:30 p.m. now

現在大約是晚上8:30，

and you catch someone's eye in the bar. 慣用語

你在酒吧裡與某個人對上了眼。

Most of our mammalian ancestors

我們大多數哺乳類祖先

have had ways of advertising their fertility. 用詞

都有展示自身生育能力的方式。

It turns out that human women also give cues when they're ovulating. 表達脈絡

原來，人類女性排卵時也會發出訊號。

In fact,

事實上，

when looking at pictures of women,

觀看女性照片時，

studies show men find women in the fertile phase 文法

研究顯示，男性會認為處於易孕期的女性

to be more attractive.

更有吸引力。

You ask each other to dance,

你們相邀共舞，

which brings you close enough to get a whiff. 講解

距離近到能聞到對方的氣味。

After all, 表達脈絡

畢竟，

your sebaceous and apocrine glands release scents through the armpit,

你的皮脂腺和頂漿腺會透過腋下釋放氣味，

which potential partners may find attractive.

潛在伴侶可能會覺得這種氣味很迷人。

And because humans walk upright,

而且，由於人類直立行走，

the armpit is the ideal body part

腋下是最理想的身體部位，

to disperse scent.

可以用來散發氣味。

It's 11:00 p.m. now,

現在是晚上11:00，

which is the most popular time for sexual activity,

這是性行為最常發生的時段，

which has little to do with our bodies 文法

原因與我們的身體關係不大，

and more to do with societal schedules.

更多是由社會作息決定的。

In fact,

事實上，

levels of testosterone are much lower in the evening and peak at 8:00 a.m.,

晚上的睪固酮濃度低得多，並在早上8:00達到高峰，

while semen quality is best in the afternoon

而精液品質則在下午最佳，

with 35 times 10 to the 6 more spermatozoa per ejaculation.

每次射精的精子數量會多出3,500萬個。

As such, 表達脈絡

因此，

couples hoping to conceive 文法

想要受孕的伴侶

have better chances with midday sex than during the midnight hour. 片語搭配

在中午發生性行為，比在午夜成功率更高。

As you go to sleep and finally begin to drift off, 片語動詞

當你上床睡覺，終於開始進入夢鄉時，

melatonin is secreted by the pineal gland,

松果體會分泌褪黑激素，

which begins the sleep cycle,

由此啟動睡眠週期；

which happens multiple times through the night.

這樣的週期會在整晚重複多次。

A change from alpha wave drowsiness

從阿爾法波帶來的睏倦狀態

to lower frequency theta brain waves signify early sleep.

轉為頻率更低的西塔腦波，代表進入睡眠初期。

And as your sleep deepens,

隨著睡眠加深，

your brain moves to longer delta waves.

你的大腦會轉為波長更長的德爾塔波。

For children,

對兒童來說，

sleep is the time in which 90% of bone growth occurs.

90%的骨骼生長都發生在睡眠期間。

Finally,

最後，

as you move into REM sleep,

當你進入快速動眼睡眠時，

your brain is as busy as it was during the day,

大腦會像白天一樣忙碌，

firing theta waves with bursts of alpha and beta.

發出西塔波，並夾雜陣陣阿爾法波和貝塔波。

Though dreams occur in all stages of sleep,

雖然睡眠的各個階段都會做夢，

it's during REM 文法

但在快速動眼睡眠期間，

that our dreams are most vivid and intense.

我們的夢最鮮明，也最強烈。

Recent brain scans have shown that neurotransmitters like serotonin,

最近的腦部掃描顯示，血清素等神經傳導物質，

histamine, and noradrenaline

還有組織胺和正腎上腺素，

are shut off at this point, 片語動詞

此時都會停止活動，

turning off reason and logical sense of time,

讓理性和合乎邏輯的時間感一併關閉，

which explains some weird dreams.

這就解釋了某些怪夢。

We dream for an hour and a half to 2 hours each night,

我們每晚會做1.5到2小時的夢，

meaning you spend about 6 years vividly dreaming over your lifetime. 文法

也就是說，一生中大約有6年是在栩栩如生的夢境中度過的。

In the middle of the night,

到了半夜，

your body actually wakes up periodically in something called microarousals. 用詞

你的身體其實會週期性醒來，這種現象稱為「微覺醒」。

These can last only seconds,

每次可能只持續幾秒，

but occur between 200 to 1,000 times per night.

但每晚會發生200到1,000次。

Though most of us in the Western world sleep in all one go, 慣用語

雖然西方世界的大多數人會一覺睡到底，

many past cultures' sleep was broken up into two periods 片語動詞

但過去許多文化會把睡眠分成兩段，

with social activity in between.

中間穿插社交活動。

Some studies have even shown that we have two distinct 4-hour natural sleep periods,

一些研究甚至顯示，我們天生有兩個彼此獨立的4小時睡眠時段，

which in the past would have lasted between 8:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.

過去，第一段會從晚上8:00持續到午夜12:00，

and then again from 2:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.

第二段則從凌晨2:00持續到早上6:00。

By 4:30 a.m.,

到凌晨4:30，

your body temperature is at its lowest

你的體溫降到最低點，

and your sleep continues to move through the cycle.

睡眠則繼續經歷一個個週期。

In a few hours,

再過幾個小時，

it'll be good morning body, 表達脈絡

就又該說：「早安，身體，

time for another day.

新的一天又開始了。」