How Swimming Reduces Depression游泳是如何减轻抑郁的
By Therese J. Borchard作者：Therese J. Borchard
I’ve always known that I climb out of any pool a lot happier than when I dove in.每当我从游泳池中上来时，我总是能察觉到我又比跳进它之前快乐了许多。
Yes, I know any kind of aerobic exercise relieves depression.是的，我知道任何一种有氧运动都能减轻抑郁
For starters, it stimulates brain chemicals that foster the growth of nerve cells; exercise also affects neurotransmitters such as serotonin that influence mood and produces ANP, a stress-reducing hormone, which helps control the brain’s response to stress and anxiety. But swimming, for me, seems to zap a bad mood more efficiently than even running. Swimming a good 3000 meters for me can, in the midst of a depressive cycle, hush the dead thoughts for up to two hours. It’s like taking a Tylenol for a headache! It was with interest, then, that I read an article in “Swimmer” magazine about why, in fact, that’s the case.对初学者来说，它能够刺激促进神经细胞生长的大脑化合物；运动也会影响到神经递质，如能影响精神状态和生产ANP(atrial natriuretic peptide,心钠肽-译者注）的血清素，一种减轻血压的激素，有助于控制大脑对于压力和焦虑的应答。但是游泳对于我来说，貌似在干掉糟糕情绪方面甚至是比跑步还要有效。我游上实打实的3000米后，能在抑郁的包围圈中让那些死气沉沉的思绪沉寂长达2小时。这就像在头痛时服上一片泰诺（一种感冒药，能缓解头痛-译者注）。这是很有趣的现象，然后，我还在《游泳者》中读到一篇解释了为什么会这样的文章，实际上，那也正是我要说的重点。
Here’s the gist, excerpted from the article “Staying Happy?” by Jim Thornton in the Jan/Feb issue of “Swimmer” magazine.这里是一些要点，是从Jim Thornton发表在《游泳者》杂志一/二月刊的文章《你快乐吗？》摘录出来的.
Regardless of cause, a growing number of researchers and psychologists alike have become true believers in the efficacy of swimming. “We know, for instance, that vigorous exercise like swimming can significantly decrease both anxiety and depression” says sports psychologist Aimee C. Kimball, director of mental training at the Center for Sports Medicine at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. “Currently, there’s a ton of research looking at the various mechanisms by which it works.”不知道什么原因,越来越多的研究者和心理学家一致地成为了游泳强效论的忠实信徒。“我们知道，比如说，例如游泳这样的剧烈运动能够明显地减轻焦虑和抑郁”,匹兹堡大学医学中心的运动医学中心的心理训练指导员`心理学家Aimee C. Kimbal说,"目前,有大量的研究在寻找游泳产生功效的各种途径。”
On the physiological level, hard swimming workouts release endorphins, natural feel-good compounds whose very name derives from “endogenous” and “morphine.” Swimming serves, as well, to sop us excess fight-or-flight stress hormones, converting free-floating angst into muscle relaxation. It can even promote so-called “hippocampal neurogenesis” – the growth of new brain cells in a part of the brain that atrophies under chronic stress. In animal models, exercise has shown itself to be even more potent than drugs like Prozac at spurring such beneficial changes.在物理层次，刻苦的游泳训练过程中会释放出内啡肽，一种会让你感觉很自然很舒服的化合物，名称来源于“内源性”与“吗啡”。游泳也会让我们被大量的“战逃反应”激素淹没，将躁动着的忧虑转变为肌肉放松。它甚至能促进所谓的“海马神经发生”--新的脑细胞在大脑中一个处于慢性压力下萎缩的区域的生长。在动物模型中，促进这类有益改变时，运动展示出了它甚至比Prozac（抗抑郁药-译者注）这类药物还要强效的一面。
Moby Coquillard, a psychotherapist and swimmer from San Mateo, Calif., is so convinced that he prescribes exercise to depressed patients. “I absolutely believe swimming can serve as a kind of medicine. For me, it represents a potent adjunct to antidepressant medications and, for some patients, it’s something you can take in lieu of pills.”一位来自美国加州圣马特奥市心理治疗师和游泳者Moby Coquillard，他是如此地坚信这一点以至于他给他的抑郁病人开出了“运动”这剂药方。“我完全相信游泳能够作为一种药物起作用。对于我，它是一个抗抑郁剂曾用药物的强有力的助手，对一些病人来说，它是能够代替药丸的东西。
Besides possible biochemical changes in the brain, swimming requires the alternating stretch and relaxation of skeletal muscles while simultaneously deep-breathing in a rhythmic pattern. If this sounds familiar, it’s because these are key elements of many practices, from hatha yoga to progressive muscle relaxation, used to evoke the relaxation response. “Swimming, because of its repetitive nature, is incredibly meditative,” Coquillard says. There’s even a built-in mantra, be this the slow count of laps, or self-directed thoughts like “relax” or “stay smooth.”除了在大脑中可能发生的生化转变，游泳还要求我们在骨骼肌交替延伸和放松的同时以有节奏的模式深呼吸。如果这听起有点耳熟，那是因为这些是许多锻炼用来引起放松反应的的关键元素，这些锻炼包括哈他瑜伽和渐进式肌肉放松。
“I teach a mindfulness-based cognitive therapy class for depression,” he adds, “and we use focus on the body here in the moment to keep past thoughts or future worries from invading our consciousness.” By concentrating on different aspects of their stroke mechanics, from hip rotation and kick patterns, to streamlining and pulls, regular swimmers practice this intuitively. The result: On a regular basis, most get a break from life’s not always pleasant stream of rumination.‘我教一个重性抑郁障碍认知治疗班关于抑郁的课”，Moby Coquillard补充道，“然后我们把焦点放在此时此刻的身体，以此来防止过去的思绪或未来的忧虑侵略我们的感知。”通过专注他们划臂动作的力学原理的不同层次，从髋部用力到踢水模式,再到身体流线型和深吸，一般游泳者都会直观地练习这个。结论是：在正常基础上，大部分在生活中得以喘息的人不总是属于愉快沉思流。
Moreover, since most pools have set times for lap swimming and coached Masters workouts alike, regular swimmer usually find themselves settling into a schedule that becomes automatic. There’s no need to decide if you should go exercise now or later. For stressed out people, this lack of options, says Coquillard, is paradoxically comforting because it removes the burden of yet another decision. “All you have to do is show up at the regular time,” he says, “and you know there’s a good chance you’ll end up leaving the pool feeling a little better than when you arrived.再者，因为大多数游泳池都有为泳道游泳设定时间和经过训练的专业人员在测验，普通游泳者一般会发现他们在适应一个会变成习惯的计划表。没有必要去决定你是否应该现在或之后去运动。“对那些筋疲力尽的人们来说，他们没有选择，” Coquillard说，“这是一种自相矛盾的享受，因为这卸下了还有一个决定的负担。”“你所需要做的就是在规定的时间内出现，”他说，“然后你就会知道这是个好机会，一个你能达到离开泳池时感到比来之前的心情好点了的状态的机会。"
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