美国国家公共电台 NPR--It's summer and people are hot. We answer some questions about sweat

It's summer and people are hot. We answer some questions about sweat

Transcript¹

As part of our summer series on sweat, we get answers to the questions: Do we need to sweat during sleep? And, why does a warm bath help you sleep, even if it makes you sweat?

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

It's summer, it's hot, and so people are sweating. The NPR Science Desk has taken it upon itself to explain the science of sweat. Today, NPR's Joe Palca tells us about sweat and sleep.

JOE PALCA, BYLINE²: People sweat when they exercise. Exercise warms the blood. Evaporating³ sweat cools the blood. The body temperature stays just right. When you sleep, there is no exercise, so do people really need to sweat when they're asleep?

ED HARDING: Yes, they do.

PALCA: Ed Harding studies sleep and temperature regulation at the University of Cambridge. Turns out our bodies want to be cool while we're sleeping.

HARDING: We are sort of hardwired, if you like, to have a lower temperature during sleep than we do during wakefulness.

PALCA: That means you could start sweating while you're asleep if you're under too many blankets because your body wants to stay cool, man.

HARDING: If you're overheating, what's going to happen is you sweat a lot. Then you take off the bedding, and now you're freezing. And you wake up literally⁴ in a cold sweat.

PALCA: Now you know why that can happen. And here's a fun fact. Harding says it helps to take a warm bath before going to sleep.

HARDING: At face value, it seems quite paradoxical.

PALCA: But remember, your body wants a lower temperature during sleep than during wakefulness. And a warm bath actually helps you cool off, at least after you get out. The water on your skin evaporates⁵, just like sweat would, cooling the blood vessels⁶ near the skin and cooling your body. It does take a while for the cooling to occur.

HARDING: If you try to sleep immediately after your bath, that's not going to work.

PALCA: But if you wait a bit, maybe an hour, you'll be rewarded.

HARDING: You will fall asleep quicker. And actually, if you measure the EEG, you sleep deeper.

PALCA: How about that? Some news you can use from the NPR Science Desk's summer series on sweat.

Joe Palca, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "GONNA MAKE YOU SWEAT (EVERYBODY DANCE NOW)")

C+C MUSIC FACTORY: (Singing) Come on let's sweat, baby. Let the music take control.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 byline   

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。

3 evaporating   

adj.蒸发用的，蒸发作用的v.（使某物）蒸发掉( evaporate的现在分词 )；消失，不复存在；使脱水

参考例句：

• She went on separating, bolting, evaporating, filtering and mixing. 她不断地进行分离、熬煮、蒸发、滤清、调制。 来自辞典例句
• You transfer the solution to an evaporating basin. 转移溶液至一蒸发皿中。 来自辞典例句

4 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

5 evaporates   

v.（使某物）蒸发掉( evaporate的第三人称单数 )；消失，不复存在；使脱水

参考例句：

• Heat evaporates water into steam. 水受热变成水蒸气。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• As the water evaporates, a crust of salt is left on the surface of the soil. 随着水分的蒸发，地面上留下了一层结晶盐。 来自辞典例句

6 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》