現代社會影響我們身體健康的10種方式(下)

es And Tablets

5.電話和平板

Of course, trouble sleeping isn't helped by a smartphone buzzing through the night because you forgot to set it to silent—and that's only the tip of the iceberg. Even if you seem to get enough sleep during the night, using bright electronics like phones, tablets, and e-readers right before bed can really mess with your body. Harvard Medical School conducted a study where people would read a real book before bed for five days and then use an iPad for the next five days. Reading on an iPad made it substantially more difficult for people to fall asleep. Once they did nod off, they experienced less REM sleep and were thus less alert in the morning.

當然，睡眠問題會因爲你忘了給智能手機設置靜音而在晚上嗡嗡作響變得更糟——而那只是冰山一角。就算你似乎在晚上得到了充分的睡眠，在睡前使用電話、平板或電子閱讀器也真的會傷害你的身體。哈佛醫學院做了一項研究，讓人們連續五天在睡前閱讀一本真正的書，接着換成連續5天睡前使用iPad。在iPad上閱讀後人們更難以入睡。一旦他們真的睡着後，他們會經歷更少的快速眼動睡眠期並因此在早晨更沒精神。

On a cellular level, participants who used an iPad before bed were found to have delayed the release of the sleep hormone melatonin by around 90 minutes. The specific kind of light given off by electronic devices confuses our internal clock by affecting the circadian pacemakers in our brains. According to PEW Research, 61 percent of Americans aged 18–29 reported keeping their cell phones next to the bed in order not to miss updates, calls, or texts during the night. But if you really do need a tech bump before bed, put down the smartphone and opt for something like the original Kindle, which doesn't emit light.

在細胞水平上來說，睡前使用了iPad的參加者被發現褪黑激素的釋放被推遲了大約90分鐘。電子設備發出的特有的光通過影響我們大腦裏的生理起搏器而打亂了我們的生物鐘。根據皮尤研究中心，61%的18-29歲的美國人被報告稱將電話放在牀邊，以防錯過晚上的更新、電話或短信。如果你確實在睡前需要什麼學習工具，放下手機，選擇像kindle之類的原始的東西吧，它不會發出光線。

ressing Anger

4.抑制怒氣

Being unwilling to engage in a constructive argument about something that's bothering you can wreak havoc on your health. Holding in anger increases stress, which in turn shortens lifespans. There is such a thing as healthy anger and it can be an effective coping mechanism. Anger is also an adaptive trait that can encourage risk-taking. On the flip-side, chronic anger expressed in explosive bursts is linked to high blood pressure, a weak immune system, strokes, cancer, heart disease, and digestive issues. A study by the University of Michigan found that couples who suppressed their anger had a higher mortality rate than couples who argued their problems out.

不願意參加一場和你的煩心事有關的建設性爭論會對你的健康造成嚴重危害。憋住怒氣會增長壓力，結果是縮短壽命。有種東西叫“有益健康的憤怒”，它是個有效的應對機制。生氣也是一種會鼓勵冒險行爲的適應特性。另一方面，以爆炸性方式爆發來出的慢性憤怒與高血壓、脆弱的免疫系統、中風、癌症、心臟病和消化問題有聯繫。密歇根大學的一項研究發現抑制住怒氣的夫婦比針對問題吵架的夫婦有更高的死亡率。

Learning to manage anger and conflict effectively is vital to health, but many people don't understand how to deal with their anger, repressing it and effectively punishing themselves for their feelings. Psychologists say that it is not uncommon for people to experience low self-esteem because they deal with anger ineffectively—which can in turn have disastrous consequences for relationships, work performance, and mental health.

學習有效控制住怒氣與衝突對健康至關重要，但許多人不知道怎麼應對自己的怒火，他們抑制住它並且實際上在用自己的感受來懲罰自己。心理學家說人們感受到自信心低的情況並不少見，因爲他們用無效的方法應對自己的怒氣——結果是在人際關係、工作業績與心理健康上一團糟。

biotics Can Kill Helpful Bacteria

3.抗生素會殺死有用的細菌

The development of antibiotics in the 20th century was one of the most important breakthroughs in human history—but it came with some unintended side effects. Humans are far more dependent on bacteria than science realized until quite recently (there are 10 times more bacterial cells than human cells in your body) and antibiotics tend to kill off the good bacteria with the bad. For example, bacteria in the human gut helps to digest food and boosts the immune system. That's why a course of antibiotics often results in diarrhea and other stomach problems.

抗生素的發明是20世紀人類歷史上最重要的突破之一——但它帶來了一些意料之外的副作用。科學界最近才意識到人類有多依賴細菌（你的身體裏的細菌細胞比人體細胞多10倍），而抗生素傾向於將好的與壞的一併殺死。舉例來說，人類腸道里的細菌幫助人消化食物並增強免疫系統。那就是爲什麼一療程的抗生素會引起腹瀉和其它胃部問題的原因。

Researchers from New York University have also found that giving antibiotics to newborn mice made them more likely to develop metabolic disorders later in life. At that age, their guts were still being colonized by bacteria and the antibiotics disrupted this process—with long-term implications. The study suggests that human babies who receive antibiotics might be more prone to obesity and diabetes once they grow up. Of course, in most cases, the potential consequences of using antibiotics are very mild compared to the alternatives. Used judiciously, antibiotics are still one of medicine's most important tools.

紐約大學的研究者們也發現給新生的小鼠注射抗生素會讓他們更可能在今後生活中代謝紊亂。在那個年齡，它們的腸道還正被細菌佔據中，而抗生素破壞了這一過程——這帶來了長期的影響。這項研究表明接受了抗生素的人類嬰兒長大後更可能患肥胖症和糖尿病。當然，大多數案例裏，使用抗生素所致的潛在後果比起其他方面來說是十分溫和的。明智而謹慎地使用的話，抗生素仍然是醫治時最重要的工具之一。

e Pollution

2.噪聲污染

Obviously, a sudden loud noise could damage your hearing, but what about the constant hum of noise that surrounds us every day? Spinning hard drives, passing cars, sirens in the distance, whirling fans—it is almost impossible to escape noise pollution in the modern world. Every year, around 30 million Americans are exposed to dangerous levels of noise as part of their job. But even people who don't experience occupational noise hazards suffer from secondhand noise pollution. Hearing loss can lead to communication issues, discrimination, poor performance at work and school, loneliness, and depression.

很顯然，一個突然發出的巨大聲響會損害你的聽力，那麼每天包圍我們的持續不斷的噪音呢？旋轉的硬盤，過往的車輛，遠處的警報器，迴旋的風扇——在現代社會裏幾乎不可能逃離噪音污染。每年，大概有3千萬美國人在他們的部分工作中暴露在危險水平的噪音之下。但即使沒有受職業噪音危害的人也遭遇了二手噪音污染。聽覺喪失會導致溝通障礙、歧視、工作和學業困難、孤獨和抑鬱。

Low-frequency sounds, such as vibrations caused by passing traffic, can have a direct effect on health. People living in areas with elevated noise levels have correspondingly high levels of stress hormones, and the World Health Organization has warned that noise pollution is a risk factor in developing heart disease. Noise pollution can also cause high blood pressure, sleeplessness, breathing problems, cardiovascular issues, increased heart rates, and even brain changes. Studies have also shown that high levels of noise can badly impact young children, having a significant negative effect on cognitive performance.

低頻的聲音，例如由道路交通引起的振動，能對健康有直接的影響。住在噪音水平高的地區的人們相應的應激激素水平也會升高，而世界衛生組織已經警告過噪音污染是心臟病的一個危險誘因。噪音污染也能引起高血壓、失眠、呼吸困難、心血管問題、提高心率、甚至引起大腦變化。研究也表明高水平的噪音會對幼兒造成很壞的衝擊，在認知表現上有重大的負面影響。

ring

1.退休

The dream for many Americans is to work hard enough to be able to retire and relax, but health-wise it isn't that simple. Working a job you hate can damage your mental and physical health, which is pretty worrying when you consider that only 13 percent of Americans report enjoying their work. Even if you're one of the lucky 13 percent, working too hard can still seriously damage your health. The average work week is now around 47 hours and a Gallup poll showed that 21 percent of full-time workers put in 50–59 hours a week, while 18 percent worked more than 60 hours a week.

許多美國人都夢想着努力工作以在退休後過上舒適的生活，但在健康方面可沒那麼簡單。做一份你痛恨的工作會對你的心理和生理健康都帶來傷害，當考慮到報告稱只有13%的美國人喜歡自己的工作時這一點尤其令人擔心。即使你是這幸運的13%中的一員，過度工作還是會傷害你的身體。現今每週平均工作時間爲47小時左右，而一項蓋洛普民意調查發現21%的全職工作者一週有50~59小時在工作，而18%的人一週有超過60小時的工作時間。

And while working hard for retirement might sound like a good tradeoff, retirement itself can cause a decline in mental and physical health. Compared to similarly aged people who are working, retired people are up to 40 percent more likely to suffer from clinical depression. They are also 60 percent more likely to have a diagnosed physical ailment, although it's not clear if that's because people with medical issues tend to retire earlier anyway. The lesson is that moderation is important and the healthiest choices involve a fair balance between rest and work.

而當爲了退休而努力工作聽起來像一筆不錯的交易時，退休本身就能引起心理和生理健康的衰退。與年紀相仿的在工作的人相比，退休的人有高達40%的可能患上臨牀憂鬱症。他們也有60%的可能患上物理診斷疾病，然而並不清楚這是否是因爲有醫療問題的人傾向於更早退休。這告訴我們適度是很重要的，並且健康的選擇中包含了工作與休息的平衡。

翻譯：bansu 來源：前十網