Seasickness happens when a person’s body struggles to grow accustomed to a boat’s motion patterns, causing them to feel unsteady and often nauseated. But land sickness happens in reverse: A person’s body adapts to the motion of the waves, then struggles to return to homeostasis after reaching solid ground. Someone might sway or rock after leaving a boat; they may even begin to feel ill.
暈船是指人體難以適應(yīng)船的擺動(dòng),導(dǎo)致身體重心不穩(wěn),還常伴隨著惡心。但登陸病則相反:人體適應(yīng)了海浪帶來的晃動(dòng),到達(dá)陸地后體內(nèi)卻難以恢復(fù)平衡。有些人下船后可能會(huì)前后左右搖晃,他們甚至可能會(huì)開始感到身體不適。
What is land sickness?
什么是登陸病?
One of the earliest known references to land sickness came from Erasmus Darwin in 1796, who wrote: “Those, who have been upon the water in a boat or ship so long, that they have acquired the necessary habits of motion upon that unstable element, at their return on land frequently think in their daydreams, or between sleeping and waking, that they observe the room, they sit in, or some of its furniture, to librate like the motion of the vessel. This I have experienced myself, and have been told, that after long voyages, it is some time before these ideas entirely vanish.”
關(guān)于登陸病的最早記載來自伊拉斯謨斯·達(dá)爾文,他于1796年提道:“那些在船上待了很長時(shí)間的人,他們已經(jīng)習(xí)慣了這種不規(guī)律的晃動(dòng)。當(dāng)他們回到陸地上后,時(shí)常在幻想或半夢半醒時(shí)感覺到他們所在的房間或周圍的一些家具會(huì)像船一樣晃動(dòng)。我親身經(jīng)歷過,也有人告訴過我,在遠(yuǎn)航之后,這些感覺要過一段時(shí)間才會(huì)完全消失?!?/p>
As Darwin’s description suggests, land sickness typically happens after someone has been out at sea for an extended trip, although the duration of their time on the water doesn’t necessarily correlate to the severity of their symptoms. Boats aren’t the only things to blame; airplanes and trains can also cause people to feel this sense of imbalance and unease.
據(jù)達(dá)爾文的描述可知,登陸病通常發(fā)生在人們長時(shí)間出海后,盡管他們在海上待的時(shí)間長短并不一定與癥狀的嚴(yán)重程度相關(guān)。輪船并不是唯一的原因,飛機(jī)和火車也會(huì)讓人產(chǎn)生這種不平衡和不適的感覺。
Some estimates suggest between 43 and 73 percent of people experience land sickness. The disorder can happen to anyone, but women from the age of 30 to 60 are more susceptible to it, as are those who experience migraines.
一些估計(jì)顯示有43%至73%的人患有登陸病。任何人都可能表現(xiàn)出這種病癥,但30至60歲的女性和偏頭痛患者更容易有這種病。
What causes land sickness?
什么原因?qū)е碌顷懖。?/p>
The exact cause of land sickness is still unknown. One of the leading theories is that consistent motion disrupts a person’s vestibular system. The vestibular system, which is located in the inner ear, is what helps people stay balanced and remain aware of their body’s position in space.
登陸病的確切病因尚未可知。目前有一種主流言論:持續(xù)性的晃動(dòng)會(huì)擾亂人的前庭系統(tǒng)。前庭系統(tǒng)位于內(nèi)耳,幫助人們的身體保持平衡并保持對空間的感知。
After prolonged exposure to a wave-like motion, a person’s body is typically able to adapt to the new environment. They’ll get used to the continual rocking movement. But once that motion stops, the person’s brain may continue reading the environment as if the waves are still rolling. This conflicting sensory information confuses the body and disrupts the vestibular system, making a person prone to feeling nauseated, unsteady, and generally unwell.
長時(shí)間待在海浪翻涌的環(huán)境中后,人體通常能夠適應(yīng)這種新環(huán)境,他們會(huì)習(xí)慣這種持續(xù)性的晃動(dòng)。但這種晃動(dòng)一旦停止,人的大腦可能會(huì)繼續(xù)感知環(huán)境,就好像海浪仍在翻涌一樣。這種相互矛盾的感覺信號(hào)會(huì)使身體接收到錯(cuò)誤信息,擾亂前庭系統(tǒng),使人容易感到惡心、不穩(wěn)和身體不適。
Land sickness typically disappears after a person has spent a few days on land, but there have been documented cases of the condition lasting for months or even years.
通常人們在陸地上待上幾天之后,登陸病的癥狀就會(huì)消失,但也有記錄顯示,這種癥狀會(huì)持續(xù)數(shù)月甚至數(shù)年。
Word Bank
sway /swe?/ v. (使)搖擺,搖動(dòng)
correlate /'k?r?le?t/ v. 相互關(guān)聯(lián)影響
susceptible /s?'sept?bl/ adj. 易受影響(或傷害等)
prone to易于遭受……的;傾向