How breathing works - Nirvair Kaur

呼吸的運作 － 妮薇兒卡爾 Nirvair Kaur

Transcriber: tom carter Reviewer: Bedirhan Cinar

譯者: Jesse Chen 陳鉦翰 審譯者: 盧 曉天

We take a breath every few seconds.

我們每分每秒都在呼吸

Our life depends upon inhaling oxygen,

依賴著吸入氧氣生存

but we never think about how we breathe.

卻從來不會注意我們如何呼吸

It just seems to happen automatically.

呼吸就很自然的發生

How can something that seems so simple

看似如此簡單的一件事

be the key to keeping us alive?

卻是人類維持生命的重要關鍵？

Breathing starts with the environment around us.

呼吸始於我們周遭的環境

The air we breathe in, or inspire,

我們吸入的空氣

has a mixture of gases including nitrogen, carbon dioxide and oxygen,

是由氮氣、氧氣、二氧化碳 所組成的氣體混合物

which is the most important for our survival.

皆為生存最重要的氣體

It enters our body through the nose and mouth,

它們藉由口、鼻進入我們身體

moves down into the pharynx, trachea and bronchial tubes,

向下運行至咽喉、氣管、支氣管

and ultimately reaches the alveoli air sacs in the lungs.

最後到達肺部裡的肺泡

The alveoli use pressure to move oxygen and nutrients into the blood.

肺泡施加壓力 使氧氣及其他營養物進入血液

The diaphragm and intercostal muscles are a pumping system that facilitates this air exchange.

橫膈膜及肋間肌肉 是促進空氣交換的幫浦系統

How you breathe affects your energy level, especially when you are under physical or emotional stress.

呼吸方式會影響你的精力 尤其承受生理或心理壓力時

Think back to the last difficult test you had to take.

想想你在寫一張很難的考卷

It's likely that as you became more nervous, the tension in your body increased,

你越緊張 神經就越緊繃

and your breathing quickly sped up.

呼吸也越急促

The shallower our breath, the less oxygen that reaches our brain, and the harder it is to focus.

呼吸越淺 越少氧氣傳到大腦 進而越難專注

What's our response to physical stress, like a fast-paced game of field hockey after school?

我們身體如何應對生理壓力？ 例如放學後的曲棍球比賽

As we exert pressure on our bodies, the muscles require a great deal of energy and demand additional oxygen.

對身體施加壓力 肌肉就需要大量能量和氧氣

Our panting breath starts to kick in,

急促的呼吸開始推入氧氣

which creates pressure to draw in more air and oxygen to the body,

讓空氣和氧氣更快進入身體

and regulates body temperature by allowing it to cool down naturally.

也使身體溫度自然的調節下降

These aren't the only times our breathing is affected or altered.

影響呼吸的情況並不只有這樣

Think about the last time you got angry or emotional.

想想你上次生氣的時候

Anger creates a metabolic reaction in the body,

怒氣促成體內的新陳代謝

which stresses it out and heats up our internal temperature.

造成焦慮和體溫上升

Have you ever seen anyone lose their cool?

你有看過別人發怒嗎？

Ultimately, if we're breathing under stress over long periods of time, there are consequences.

如果長時間急促的呼吸 會有幾種後果

When the cells of a body aren't getting the oxygen they need,

身體裡的細胞如果沒有獲取足夠的氧氣

the nutrients available to the body decrease and toxins build up in the blood.

身體養分的供給就會減少 血液裡的毒素增加

It is thought that a hypoxic, or oxygen-poor environment, can increase cancerous cells.

也就是說 缺氧或低氧的環境會增加癌細胞的生成

The good news is that we can control our breath much more than we realize.

好消息是 我們控制呼吸的能力遠大於我們的想像

This means we can increase both the quality and quantity of the breath.

意思是我們呼吸時 可以自動節增加氧氣的品質及質量

The science of breathing has been around for thousands of years,

呼吸科學存在了幾千年

from ancient yogis in India to respiratory therapists working with patients today.

從古老的印度瑜珈修行者 到現今治療病患的呼吸治療師

Both would tell you that there are specific techniques that will help you improve your breathing.

兩者都傳授你藉由特定的方式改善呼吸

Breathing is all about moving air from a higher-pressure to a lower-pressure environment.

呼吸就是把空氣 從氣壓較高的地方運送到氣壓較低的過程

More breath means more oxygen,

越多呼吸 當然就越多氧氣

and ultimately a greater amount of nutrients that's available for our cells and blood.

細胞跟血液也能獲取更多營養

We naturally do this when we let out a big sigh.

深呼吸時我們自然而然地完成這個動作

Changing the air pressure going into the lungs is one of the main ways to alter breathing.

改變氣壓是主要呼吸方式之一

Our body automatically does this when we cough, sneeze, or have the hiccups.

咳嗽、擤鼻涕或是打嗝時 身體會自動進行這個動作

Here's a simple experiment.

一個簡單的小實驗

Close off your right nostril with your right thumb.

試著用右手大拇指壓住右邊鼻孔

Breathe in and out just through the left nostril.

只用左鼻孔呼吸

Notice how much harder it is to get the breath in.

注意需要費多少力吸氣

You have to focus your attention, and use your diaphragm and muscles much more than normal.

你要注意 橫膈膜跟肌肉的運用會比平常更頻繁

By decreasing the surface area of the airways, you're increasing the pressure of oxygen

減少空氣進入的通道

會使空氣從肺泡進入血液的壓力變大

moving from the alveoli to the blood.

Yogis often practice alternate nostril breathing to slow down the breath,

瑜珈修行者通常藉著 單一鼻孔呼吸方法減緩呼吸

increase oxygen, and activate the body's parasympathetic nervous system,

藉此增加帶氧量、活絡副交感神經

which deals with the body's operations when it's at rest.

副交感神經是負責休息時身體的運作

Let's try another exercise.

再試試另一個實驗

Visualize the way a dog pants when it breathes.

想像一隻狗氣喘吁吁的樣子

Now try doing the same type of panting,

現在試著學牠的樣子喘氣

first with your tongue out, then with your mouth closed.

先把舌頭伸出來 再把嘴巴闔起

You will find yourself using your stomach muscles to push the air out as you exhale.

你會發現你是用胃把空氣推出去

Place your hand under your nose,

把手放在鼻子下

and you'll feel the strength of the breath coming out.

會感覺到呼氣的力量

Breathing this way is hard because it requires an active movement of our diaphragm and intercostal muscles.

這樣呼吸是很困難的 因為要運用到橫膈膜和肋間肌

Our body temperature changes quickly during this exercise from the amount of pressure we are exerting on our breath.

身體藉由這樣的運動 和呼吸的空氣迅速改變體溫

It's no surprise that you'll find dogs doing this breath often to cool down on a hot day.

所以也不用驚訝 狗狗在大熱天一直吐舌頭喘氣

When we sleep at night, the medulla center of the brain makes sure that we keep breathing.

大腦裡的延髓中樞 確保我們睡覺呼吸不會中斷

Lucky for us we don't have to think about it.

慶幸的是我們睡覺不用去想這事兒

During the day, our breath is much more vulnerable,

在白天 呼吸非常容易受影響

especially under stressful or difficult situations.

尤其是處於高壓力或艱困的情況

That's why it's helpful to pay attention to your breathing.

所以專注調節呼吸對你很有幫助

If you can monitor and change your breath,

如果你能專心調整呼吸

you can improve both the quality and quantity of oxygen that enters your body.

就能改善進入身體的氧氣品質和質量

This lowers stress, increases energy, and strengthens your immune system.

這能讓你減輕壓力、增加體力和增強免疫系統

So the next time someone tells you to relax and take a deep breath,

所以下次有人叫你放輕鬆做個深呼吸

you'll know exactly why.

你就知道為什麼了。 －Translated by Jesse Chen 陳鉦翰