It's no secret that Christmas is a stressful time.

圣诞节是一个充满压力的节日，这并不是什么秘密。

But scientists say the season's hectic schedule and excesses of festive eating can wreak havoc upon hormones, driving even the sanest person slightly cuckoo come Boxing Day.

但科学家们发现繁多的节日安排和不规律的节日饮食会导致荷尔蒙分泌紊乱，让最理智的人也变得疯狂起来。

Writing in the Journal of Neuroendocrinology earlier this year, the University of Edinburgh's Mike Ludwig, predicted that come December, 'it is inevitable that, once again, we will again totally surrender to the effects of our Christmas hormones.'

今年早些时候，爱丁堡大学的迈克·路德维格（Mike Ludwig）在《神经内分泌学杂志》撰文预测道：到了十二月，“我们会不可避免的再一次成为圣诞荷尔蒙作用的俘虏。”

He goes so far as describing their effects as 'traumatic.'

他甚至将这种作用定义为“创伤性的”。

Just how much those 'Christmas hormones' take hostage of our bodies is described by Dr Robert Lustig from the University of California at San Francisco.

加州大学旧金山分校的罗伯特·勒斯蒂格（Robert Lustig）博士向我们介绍了“圣诞荷尔蒙”对身体会产生何种程度的影响。

He told ABC's Good Morning America that the season is fraught with hormonally-driven behaviour - driving irrational actions and thoughts.

在荷尔蒙的影响下，我们会产生不理智的思想和行动。在ABC电视台的早安美国节目中，他这样说道。

'Certainly, it brings out the best and worst of us in every which way,' said the neuroendocrinologist and professor of paediatrics. He says a potent mix of cortisol, serotonin and dopamine are at play over the holiday season.

按照这位神经内分泌学导师和儿科导师的说法，“圣诞荷尔蒙会让我们的一面和最坏的一面都展现出来。”这其实是我们体内的皮质醇， 血清素和多巴胺在作怪。

While the togetherness of Christmas - ultimately what the day is all about - fosters surges in the happiness hormone, serotonin, the build up is characterised by high levels of stress, or cortisol.

圣诞节家人团聚的幸福感会使血清素水平升高，伴随而来的高度紧张感又会使得皮质醇水平升高。

We seek quick contentment fixes in food, for example, which boost dopamine levels temporarily.

从食物中获取的快速的满足感，会使多巴胺水平短暂上升。

And the more that dopamine is triggered, the larger the amounts of food that are needed to feel the hormone's pleasurable effects - which leads to over-eating, peaks and troughs of insulin and sugar highs and lows.

多巴胺水平越高，我们就需要越多的食物来维持多巴胺带来的愉悦感——这样的暴饮暴食会导致胰岛素和血糖水平忽高忽低。

In the meantime, high stress levels see rises in blood pressure, suppression of the immune system and increased sugar production, he told the show.

与此同时，高度紧张感会使血压升高，免疫系统受抑制，血糖水平上升。

It's only to be expected that mood swings - and arguments - may ensue.

可以预料，情绪波动和争吵会随之而来。

It's perhaps no surprise, then, that close to 70 per cent of Americans say they are fatigued by Christmas, says the American Psychological Association.

这样看来，美国心理协会称有近七成美国人在圣诞期间感到身心疲惫就不足为奇了。

Some comfort, though, can be taken in another finding by the American Psychological Association, as cited by GMA, that almost 80 per cent of Americans feel positive and happy around the holidays.

令人欣慰的是，在早安美国节目所引用的该协会另一项调查中，有近80%的美国人称他们在节日期间感到快乐。

Rather than let the holiday's excesses defeat and traumatise, the secret is to make the most of your companions, family and friends over the period, suggests Dr Lustig.

勒斯蒂格博士建议，想要远离节日的挫败和失落感，秘诀是与朋友和家人一起过圣诞。

'Happiness has nothing to do with money. It has nothing to do with food,' he told the show's site.

“快乐与金钱无关。快乐与食物无关。”

'The best is to have a community and to be happy with what you've got.'

“重要的是和大家一起，并能知足常乐。”