But with 80% of adults in the US reporting daily stress, what's this chronic stress doing to all of us?

但美國有 80% 成年人表示每天都感到壓力，那這樣的長期壓力對我們造成了什麼影響？

What happens when you're stressed every day?

當你每天都深陷壓力之中，會發生什麼事呢？

Within seconds of any stressor, your body goes into fight-or-flight mode.

在壓力源出現的幾秒內，你的身體會進入「戰鬥或逃跑模式」。

First, your eyes and ears send information to your amygdala, the emotional processing center of the brain.

首先，你的眼、耳會傳送訊息到杏仁核，大腦中的情緒處理中心。

Then, from your amygdala, the information moves to your hypothalamus, which communicates with your autonomic nervous system and adrenal glands.

訊息再經杏仁核傳送到跟自律神經系統及腎上腺溝通的下視丘。

These glands then release a burst of the neurotransmitter, adrenaline.

這些腺體接著便會突然釋放大量的神經傳遞素，也就是腎上腺素。

This causes the classic feeling of stress: increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, and faster breathing.

這會導致典型的壓力症狀：心跳加速、血壓升高和呼吸急促。

The adrenaline also triggers the release of the stress hormone cortisol.

腎上腺素也會刺激壓力賀爾蒙皮質醇的分泌。

We always hear about the danger of cortisol.

我們總會聽到皮質醇的危險性。

But it's actually released to protect your brain from the nerve damage associated with trauma.

但它的目的其實是為了保護你的大腦免於創傷導致的神經損傷。

Within 10 minutes of being stressed, behavioral changes likely take place, including increased aggressive behavior.

當持續感受壓力 10 分鐘，你的行為可能出現一些改變，包括變得較具攻擊性。

Around 30 minutes, you may become forgetful, as stress can decrease long-term memory and impair concentration.

大約 30 分鐘，你可能會變得健忘，因為壓力會讓長期記憶減退並損害集中力。

And after days of consistent stress, your sex drive will likely decrease.

連續幾天的壓力，很可能會讓你的性慾下降。

Why? From an evolutionary perspective, getting out there and mating would increase the odds of predation.

為什麼呢？從演化的角度來看，離開窩裡到外頭交配會增加被捕食的風險。

So, one theory is, we may have evolved to decrease our sex drive when stressed to avoid potential threats.

因此有個理論是說，人類可能演化到當感受壓力時，會降低性慾以躲避潛在的威脅。

But after months of being stressed, your cognitive function will really start to decline.

但好幾個月都陷於壓力之中，會使得你的認知功能開始衰退。

Longitudinal studies of employees in stressful work environments show increased incidences of depression and poor circulatory health.

長期研究顯示，處於壓力型工作環境的員工罹患憂鬱症的機率會提升以及較差的循環系統狀態。

A study on rats showed that six months after being chronically stressed, the rats had increased levels of anxiety and decreased abilities to navigate a maze.

一項研究老鼠的實驗結果顯示，在承受六個月的長期壓力後，老鼠的焦慮感提升，而破解迷宮的能力同時下降了。

This was due to changes in their hippocampus all linked to increased levels of cortisol.

這是因為海馬迴的運作模式改變都與皮質醇分泌過多有關。

This highlights that, although we know cortisol is meant to protect your brain from trauma, long-term exposure to it can be detrimental.

這強調了一件事：即使我們知道皮質醇是為了保護大腦免於創傷，但長期接觸也是有害的。

With all this in mind, it's no surprise that chronic stress has been linked to many diseases such as obesity, depression, and heart disease.

知道這些後，對於長期壓力與許多如肥胖、憂鬱症及心臟病等疾病之間的關聯性也就不再意外了。

And, suppression of the immune system with increased susceptibility to colds, sleep issues, GI issues, fertility issues, memory problems, and even cancer.

壓力也會抑制免疫系統，讓我們較容易感冒、產生睡眠問題、腸胃問題、受孕困難、記憶衰退，甚至癌症。

So, trying to minimize your stress might be a good idea.

所以說，試著把壓力降到最低應該是個好主意。

But what can you even do to lower your stress levels?

但要怎麼做才可以降低自己的壓力值呢？

Our latest podcast goes into some tactics that you can do to reduce your stress right now based on studies and some of our own personal experiences.

我們最新一集的播客內容根據研究以及親身經驗，整理出一些可以立即減壓的小技巧。

You can click on the screen or use the link in the description to check that out.

你可以點擊畫面中連結，或是使用下方的資訊欄內的連結去一探究竟。

And subscribe for more weekly science videos every Thursday.

並訂閱頻道以收看每週四的科學影片。