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美国国家公共电台 NPR Off Your Mental Game? You Could Be Mildly Dehydrated

时间:2018-08-02 02:38:26

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RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Summer heat can raise the risk of dehydration1. We all know this. Especially, this can be a risk for people who like to cycle, or run, or hike or basically do anything outdoors. And it's not just our bodies that are slowed down by the loss of water. There is new research showing that our mental performance can suffer, too. NPR's Allison Aubrey reports that being just slightly dehydrated can make complicated tasks a little more challenging.

ALLISON AUBREY, BYLINE3: Do you have any idea how long it takes to become mildly dehydrated in the heat? Not long at all, says Doug Casa. He's a professor in the department of kinesiology at UConn. It can happen in a half-hour run or a one-hour hike.

DOUG CASA: If I were hiking at moderate intensity4 for an hour, I could reach about 1.5 percent to 2 percent dehydration.

AUBREY: This equates5 to sweating out a little more than a liter of water for an average-size person. And at this level of dehydration, the feeling of thirst is just beginning to kick in, but already we can be affected6 in subtle ways from changes in mood to muddled7 thinking.

CASA: Dehydration can definitely negatively affect cognitive8 performance, which is really important and relevant because most people wouldn't even know or be able to perceive, normally, that they're 1.5 percent dehydrated.

AUBREY: So what exactly begins to happen when we're mildly dehydrated? Mindy Millard-Stafford of Georgia Tech says it's long been known that this affects our physical stamina9.

MINDY MILLARD-STAFFORD: The heart rate tends to be higher. The core temperature is also greater. And then the work just feels harder.

AUBREY: And there's new evidence about how this level of mild dehydration influences mental performance.

MILLARD-STAFFORD: We find that when people are mildly dehydrated, they really don't do as well on tasks that require complex processing or in tasks that require a lot of their attention.

AUBREY: Take, for example, a recent study that included a bunch of young, healthy, active women. Some were students. Others had jobs. And they all agreed to take a bunch of cognitive tests. Nina Stachenfeld of Yale School of Medicine and the Pierce Laboratory led the research. She says, during the study, the women restricted fluids for one day. They were told to drink no more than 6 ounces.

NINA STACHENFELD: We did manage to dehydrate2 them by 1 percent just by telling them not to drink for that day.

AUBREY: One of the tests they took is designed to measure cognitive flexibility10. It's a card game that requires a lot of attention since the rules keep changing throughout the game.

STACHENFELD: Even in these kinds of tests where there's no physiological11 effects, really, you can see with mild dehydration effects on executive function.

AUBREY: When they were dehydrated, the women made more mistakes. The complex game seemed to trip them up.

STACHENFELD: When the women were dehydrated, they had about 12 percent more total errors.

AUBREY: But, after they rehydrated...

STACHENFELD: We were able to improve executive function back to normal. In other words, to the baseline day when they rehydrated.

AUBREY: This is just one small study, but a body of evidence points to similar findings. And UConn's Doug Casa thinks it's worth paying attention to.

CASA: I absolutely think that there could be big implications of having a mild cognitive deficiency with just small amounts of dehydration.

AUBREY: Whether you're a pilot, a soldier, a surgeon or a student - think of how many jobs depend on people's abilities to be precise and pay attention. Allison Aubrey, NPR News.

MARTIN: Oh, man. Allison Aubrey joins us now in the studio to talk about this. And you're hearing despondency in my voice, Allison, because after your piece, I realize that I'm basically walking around in a state of total dehydration at all times.

AUBREY: OK. Are you drinking four water bottles' worth of water each day? That's what I have in front of me.

MARTIN: Definitely not. You have brought props12. There are all these water bottles. I mean, we hear this all the time, that we're supposed to be drinking water, but what your piece illustrates13 that it really doesn't take that much to dehydrate us.

AUBREY: That's right. And so the question people ask is, well, how much am I really supposed to be drinking so I don't end up dehydrated?

MARTIN: Right. What's the answer?

AUBREY: So there's no exact daily requirement. I know this is going to be more complicated than anybody likes, but several years ago, the National Academies looked at this issue. And they came up with basically ballpark recommendations. They said women in general need about 91 ounces of fluid a day. So that's what I've got in front of me, these four water bottles, 91 ounces here.

MARTIN: OK.

AUBREY: But, here's the thing. We get a lot of our fluid from our diets. Fruits and vegetables have a lot of water weight. On average, we get about 20 percent of fluids from food. And then there are all these other factors that can make my water needs different from your water needs - your size, your muscle mass. Also, weather conditions, your activity level. So if you're out there in the heat and you're sweating and exercising, this will obviously increase your water loss.

MARTIN: What if you're just sitting in your air conditioned office?

AUBREY: Right. Well, you know, in the study that we just heard about, that's exactly what was happening. These women weren't athletes. They weren't endurance athletes. They were people who had jobs, and they just restricted fluid for a day. So you're not going to become dehydrated as quickly. But what the evidence shows is, no matter the setting, no matter if you're exercising in the heat or exercising in a temperate14 climate or just restricting fluids, no matter how you become dehydrated the effects are the same. You still see these ill effects on cognition.

MARTIN: Selfish question. I drink a ton of sparkling water. Does that count?

AUBREY: You know, absolutely, it counts. So no matter how you get these 91 ounces of fluid a day - you know, it could be from any beverage15. It can be from coffee. People tend to shy away from coffee or think that coffee isn't...

MARTIN: That it dehydrates you.

AUBREY: Right. But that the evidence shows that if you're habituated to drinking caffeine, that diuretic effect isn't really there. You can count your daily cup of coffee towards your hydration needs, or your tea or whatever you happen to be drinking.

MARTIN: OK. Really, the big question is how do you know you're dehydrated?

AUBREY: Well, you often hear use thirst as your guide, right? But as we age, we're not as good at sensing our thirst. So I think one easy way to know if you're dehydrated is to pay attention - you ready for this? - when you go to the bathroom. You've got to look at the color - you're giving me this really funny look.

MARTIN: Yeah. Well, you know.

AUBREY: You've got to look at the color of your urine.

MARTIN: Right.

AUBREY: The darker the color, the more likely you are to be dehydrated. And the color you want to aim for has been described to me - are you ready for this? It sounds like paint palettes (laughter) - pale lemonade or the color of straw. (Laughter). So we actually have this nice link to a color chart online, if you want to check it out.

MARTIN: You can measure the color of your urine. Thank you, NPR's Allison Aubrey. I'm going to go get some water.

AUBREY: Thanks, Rachel. And I'm going to leave one of these behind for you. You need to drink up.

MARTIN: Let's see if I can get that done. Thank you so much, lady.

AUBREY: Thank you.


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 dehydration UYkzX     
n.脱水,干燥
参考例句:
  • He died from severe dehydration.他死于严重脱水。
  • The eyes are often retracted from dehydration.眼睛常因脱水而凹陷。
2 dehydrate nmoyq     
vt.使脱水
参考例句:
  • People can very quickly dehydrate in the desert.人在沙漠里很快就会脱水。
  • Without these structures, many warm-blooded animals would quickly dehydrate,especially in dry climates.没有这样的结构,许多温血动物将很快脱水,特别是在干燥的气候条件下。
3 byline sSXyQ     
n.署名;v.署名
参考例句:
  • His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
  • We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。
4 intensity 45Ixd     
n.强烈,剧烈;强度;烈度
参考例句:
  • I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
  • The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。
5 equates 7b5a7f0640b2cedfd39d5d5473d911d4     
v.认为某事物(与另一事物)相等或相仿( equate的第三人称单数 );相当于;等于;把(一事物) 和(另一事物)等同看待
参考例句:
  • He equates success with material wealth. 他认为成功等同于物质财富。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • This equates to increased and vigor, better sleep and sharper mental acuity. 也就是说可以起到增强活力,改善睡眠,提高心智的作用。 来自互联网
6 affected TzUzg0     
adj.不自然的,假装的
参考例句:
  • She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
  • His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。
7 muddled cb3d0169d47a84e95c0dfa5c4d744221     
adj.混乱的;糊涂的;头脑昏昏然的v.弄乱,弄糟( muddle的过去式);使糊涂;对付,混日子
参考例句:
  • He gets muddled when the teacher starts shouting. 老师一喊叫他就心烦意乱。
  • I got muddled up and took the wrong turning. 我稀里糊涂地拐错了弯。 来自《简明英汉词典》
8 cognitive Uqwz0     
adj.认知的,认识的,有感知的
参考例句:
  • As children grow older,their cognitive processes become sharper.孩子们越长越大,他们的认知过程变得更为敏锐。
  • The cognitive psychologist is like the tinker who wants to know how a clock works.认知心理学者倒很像一个需要通晓钟表如何运转的钟表修理匠。
9 stamina br8yJ     
n.体力;精力;耐力
参考例句:
  • I lacked the stamina to run the whole length of the race.我没有跑完全程的耐力。
  • Giving up smoking had a magical effect on his stamina.戒烟神奇地增强了他的体力。
10 flexibility vjPxb     
n.柔韧性,弹性,(光的)折射性,灵活性
参考例句:
  • Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
  • The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。
11 physiological aAvyK     
adj.生理学的,生理学上的
参考例句:
  • He bought a physiological book.他买了一本生理学方面的书。
  • Every individual has a physiological requirement for each nutrient.每个人对每种营养成分都有一种生理上的需要。
12 props 50fe03ab7bf37089a7e88da9b31ffb3b     
小道具; 支柱( prop的名词复数 ); 支持者; 道具; (橄榄球中的)支柱前锋
参考例句:
  • Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
  • The government props up the prices of farm products to support farmers' incomes. 政府保持农产品价格不变以保障农民们的收入。
13 illustrates a03402300df9f3e3716d9eb11aae5782     
给…加插图( illustrate的第三人称单数 ); 说明; 表明; (用示例、图画等)说明
参考例句:
  • This historical novel illustrates the breaking up of feudal society in microcosm. 这部历史小说是走向崩溃的封建社会的缩影。
  • Alfred Adler, a famous doctor, had an experience which illustrates this. 阿尔弗莱德 - 阿德勒是一位著名的医生,他有过可以说明这点的经历。 来自中级百科部分
14 temperate tIhzd     
adj.温和的,温带的,自我克制的,不过分的
参考例句:
  • Asia extends across the frigid,temperate and tropical zones.亚洲地跨寒、温、热三带。
  • Great Britain has a temperate climate.英国气候温和。
15 beverage 0QgyN     
n.(水,酒等之外的)饮料
参考例句:
  • The beverage is often colored with caramel.这种饮料常用焦糖染色。
  • Beer is a beverage of the remotest time.啤酒是一种最古老的饮料。

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