夏天沖涼居然有這麼多好處！聽專家爲你一一道來
有人認爲，剛鍛鍊完不能馬上衝冷水澡，會增加心臟負擔。但是外國專家卻指出，衝冷水澡對身體非常有益，無論是鍛鍊前還是鍛鍊後。
Perhaps you already heard about the benefits of ice baths. Actually they’re one of the most effective ways to reduce delayed onset muscle soreness, perceived fatigue, muscle damage, and inflammation after physical exercise, according to a 2018 meta-analysis of 99 studies looked at the effectiveness of recovery methods.
也許你已經聽說過冰塊浴的益處。2018年的一篇對99項恢復方法有效性研究的薈萃分析顯示，事實上冰塊浴是緩解體育鍛煉後延遲發作的肌肉痠痛、疲勞感、肌肉損傷和炎症的最有效的方法之一。
But let’s be real: It’s a total chore to fill your tub up with bags of ice. What’s the next best thing? An ice cold shower seems obvious, but are there any benefits of cold showers?
不過我們還是現實點吧：將浴缸裝滿冰袋可是個苦力活。那麼有什麼僅次於冰塊浴的方法嗎？顯然是冷水澡，但是冷水澡有什麼好處嗎？
While it’s not quite the same as immersing yourself in icy water (and you won’t get the same intended effect), even a few minutes under that cold water can affect how you perform and recover.
儘管冷水澡和將全身浸在冰水中不完全一樣（你也不會收到同樣的效果），但即使在冷水下衝幾分鐘也能影響你的表現和恢復情況。
First thing’s first: A cold shower pre-workout could do wonders for you, especially when you’re, for example, running in the heat. “You feel better, but your body temperature would also be a little bit lower to start the run,” which affects how high it might rise during the run, says Doug Casa, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of The Korey Stringer Institute. “There’s no question that your performance could be better, and that you’ll be safer.”
首先，在鍛鍊前衝個冷水澡能產生讓你意想不到的效果，尤其是在你打算在熱天跑步時。科利・斯金格研究所的首席執行官道格·卡薩博士說：“你會感覺更好，而你開始跑步時體溫也會低一點。”他指出，起跑時的體溫較低，跑步過程中體溫也不會升得過高。“毫無疑問你的表現會更佳，也更安全。”
But you’re more likely to crave that cold water post-workout, when it can provide relief for soreness and inflammation and give almost every system in your body a boost, a recent review of the science in The North American Journal of Medical Sciences found. “Jumping in a cold shower immediately after exercise is a great idea, because the faster you get your body temperature down after activity, the better you’re going to recover,” Casa says.
但是你可能會更渴望在鍛鍊結束後衝個冷水澡，近日發表在《北美醫學雜誌》的一篇科學評論發現，鍛鍊後洗冷水澡能緩解肌肉痠痛和炎症，讓身體的各個系統都爲之一振。卡薩說：“鍛鍊後立刻衝個冷水澡是個好主意，因爲你在活動後越快把體溫降下來，你就能恢復得越好。”
“When you use water to cool your skin, your body can send blood back to important areas like your stomach and your intestines, so you can handle hydration and nutrients better. Then your fatigue will be less later on.” explains Casa.
卡薩解釋道：“當你用水來給皮膚降溫時，你的身體會把血流送到胃腸等重要區域，從而能讓你更好地補充水分和營養。然後你的疲勞感就會減少。”
That exposure to cold water also causes vasoconstriction, which is when your blood vessels become more narrow and, along with the heart, need to work harder to continue moving blood flow, says Aaron Drogoszewski, a NASM-certified personal trainer. “This increased demand strengthens the heart and blood vessels, translating to improved circulation longer term,” he explains. “Improved circulation benefits overall health, performance, and recovery by helping to deliver key nutrients and energy to muscles and organs while simultaneously removing exercise-related metabolic waste products such as lactic acid more efficiently.”
海軍航空醫學院認證的私人教練阿倫·德若果斯邱斯基說，接觸冷水還會造成血管收縮，也就是血管變細，血管和心臟都要更努力地繼續讓血液流動。他解釋道：“這種更高的需求會增強心臟和血管，長期來看會改善血流。血流改善有助於將重要營養物質和能量輸送到肌肉和器官，同時還能更有效地將乳酸等與鍛鍊相關的新陳代謝廢物排掉，對整體健康、運動表現和恢復情況都有益。”
vasoconstriction[ˌveɪzoʊkənˈstrɪkʃn]: n. 血管收縮
Taking a cold shower for up to five minutes, two to three times per week, has also been shown to help relieve symptoms of depression, according to research published in the journal Medical Hypotheses. “That cold water exposure helps to decrease cortisol levels and increase the levels of the feel-good neurotransmitter serotonin,” says Drogoszewski. Even better: The adrenaline rush you get from immersing yourself in cold water helps to increase energy, focus, and performance outcomes, he adds.
發表在《醫學假說》上的研究指出，每週洗兩到三次冷水澡，每次洗五分鐘以上，有助於緩解抑鬱症狀。德若果斯邱斯基說：“接觸冷水有助於降低皮質醇水平，提高讓人感覺良好的神經遞質血清素的水平。”他補充道，更妙的是，衝冷水澡帶來的腎上腺素飆升有助於提升你的精力、注意力和表現。
Everyone’s definition of what’s cold is different. “Generally, the colder the water the better, and the longer you can stand it the better,” he says.
每個人對寒冷的定義是不同的。德若果斯邱斯基說：“通常來說，水溫越低越好，衝得越久越好。”
The best practice is to start slow and build up to longer exposures, says Drogoszewski. “The goal is to engage in the practice long-term, so if it’s absolutely miserable, the likelihood of sticking with it is pretty slim. I now do five to 10 minutes straight every morning, but I started with 30 seconds of cold at the end of my shower then built up from there.”
德若果斯邱斯基說，最好的做法是一開始慢慢來，逐漸增加時間。“我們的目標是長期洗冷水澡，所以如果一開始就難以忍受，堅持下去的機率也很渺茫。我現在每天早上都衝5到10分鐘冷水澡，但我最開始時是在洗完澡後衝30秒鐘冷水，然後一點點增加。”
What you don’t want to do is turn the faucet so far to the cold side that you end up shivering—and using more energy—under the spray. “I would not want to induce a shivering response in someone after they just exercised in the heat,” says Casa. “You have enough stress your body’s dealing with already.” And in the dog days of summer? A nice, cold shower might be the actual cooldown your workout needs.
你也不要將水溫調得太低，在淋浴頭下凍得直哆嗦，這樣會用掉更多能量。卡薩說：“我不建議人們在熱天裏剛鍛鍊完就用太冷的水洗澡。你的身體要應對的壓力已經夠多的了。”那麼在三伏天呢？好好洗個冷水澡來降溫也許正是你鍛鍊完所需要的。
