But does this sexual excitement before competition influence an athlete's performance?

但比賽前的「性」致勃勃會影響運動員的表現嗎？

Many ancient civilizations, including the Greeks, believed that semen was divine and contained a man's strength.

許多古老文明，包括希臘人，都相信「精液」十分神聖且蘊藏男人的力量。

Today, some athletes hold the belief that sexual frustration, driven by abstinence, ultimately increases aggression, which is valuable for many sports.

現今，一些運動員仍相信禁慾造成的欲求不滿最終能提升戰鬥力，而戰鬥力對許多運動來說至關重要。

Testosterone, in particular, is responsible for aggression and sexual desire in both men and women and there has long been the belief that ejaculation draws testosterone from the body.

特別是睪固酮素，其掌管男性及女性的戰鬥力與性慾，而人們長久以來相信睪固酮會因射精而排出體外。

Muhammad Ali, for example, wouldn't make love for six weeks before a fight.

以拳王阿里為例，比賽前六週內他都會禁慾。

But modern science sees things differently.

不過現代科學持有不同看法。

In fact, many studies have shown the exact opposite.

事實上，許多研究提出相反的例證。

Testosterone increases after sex.

睪固酮會在性愛後增加。

Go without for three months and testosterone drop to levels near that of a child.

三個月沒性愛，睪固酮就會下降至接近小孩的水平。

So, from a biological perspective, sex may actually increase performance, particularly in sports where a bit of extra aggression could be the deciding factor.

所以從生物學的觀點來看，性愛其實會使表現提升，尤其是那些致勝關鍵在於些微爆發力差距的運動。

Like ski-cross, short track speed skating, or, of course, hockey.

像是滑雪越野賽、短距離競速滑冰，當然還有曲棍球。

So, what about sex tiring the body out?

那關於性愛會使人精疲力盡的說法呢？

The honest truth is that the average sex session burns only about 50 calories, the equivalent to running up a few flights of stairs.

事實上，做一次愛平均只會消耗約 50 卡路里，等同於爬幾階台階所耗的熱量。

On the contrary, studies have found that sex the night before has no noticeable effects on strength, power and endurance, or any other fitness variables.

相反地，研究指出，競賽前一晚性愛對力量、體力、肌耐力或其他體能因素並無顯著的影響。

Though sex has been documented to trigger the release of pain blockers in the brain.

但性愛已被證實會誘發腦部釋出止痛激素。

These can help modulate chronic pain with effects lasting upwards of 24 hours.

能舒緩慢性疼痛持續 24 小時以上。

The biggest unknown lies in the psychological effects, which is much harder to study and may actually play a bigger role in major competitions.

最大的未知在於心理影響，這部分較難去探討，且可能是重大的比賽關鍵因素。

An athlete's best performance is achieved with a particular balance of alertness and anxiety.

運動員藉由維持注意力及焦慮平衡來達到最佳表現。

Of course, staying up all night chasing sexual escapades tips the scales against alertness the next day.

當然，徹夜狂歡會破壞隔天部分警覺性。

On the other hand, sex can be a great stress release for nervous athletes,

另一方面，「性愛」對於容易緊張的選手是個釋放壓力的好方法，

while other personalities simply desire more focus and concentration, in which case, a good night's sleep is ideal.

但如果是注重專注力的運動員，好好睡一覺或許才是好選擇。

At the end of the day, science says it depends on how sex affects each individual.

總之，科學證實性愛的影響因人而異。

If you need that extra kick of testosterone, then you just might want to get your game on a night early.

如果你需要額外的睪固酮素，那或許該在前一晚開始活塞運動！

Don't forget! We have a new video out every day during the Olympics.

別忘囉！我們在奧運期間每天都會推出新影片！

Can't wait? Our amazing partners at the CBC already have five of the videos up now for you to binge on.

等不及了？在我們的合作夥伴 CBC 那邊已經有五部影片可以讓你大看特看了！

Just head to cbc.ca/olympics/ScienceSays to watch them before anyone else.

前往 cbc.ca/olympics/Sciencesays 搶先別人一步觀看吧！

Link in the description.

點擊說明欄連結前往。

But we also want to know your questions for this special series.

我們也想了解你對於這個特別系列的問題。

Use the hashtag #ScienceSays and let us know your burning Olympic questions.

用 #ScienceSays 讓我們知道你對奧運的提問吧。

And subscribe for more awesome science videos!

別忘了訂閱觀看更多科學影片！