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If you're a parent, a school teacher, or anyone who's frequently around kids, you probably know that kids throw up a lot.
如果你是一位家长、一名教师或是任何经常和孩子接触的人，那么你或许知道小孩子经常呕吐。
And at seemingly weird times. Yes, kids have developing immune systems, so they do tend to catch more stomach bugs.
并且时机非常奇怪。没错，小孩子们的免疫系统还在发育，所以他们确实容易患胃病。
But many times, there's more to it than that.
但是很多时候，不仅仅如此。
Turns out, kids's bodies are just a little more aware of what's going on in the outside world or inside themselves.
事实证明，小孩子的身体更容易感受到体内和内外的变化。
Biologically speaking, vomiting is triggered by groups of afferent neurons nerves that bring information to your brain and spinal cord.
从生物学角度上来看，有成群的传入神经元可以触发呕吐，这些神经将信息带入你的大脑和脊髓。
In both kids and adults, these nerves can be activated by multiple things, from chemicals to pressure to motion.
孩子和成年人体内的这些神经可以被很多事物触发，比如化学物质、压力和运动。
But children's afferent neurons are more sensitive to input, and their brains are still learning to regulate their bodily processes.
但是小孩子的传入神经元对输入更加敏感，并且他们的大脑仍在学习管控他们的身体新陈代谢过程。
That ultimately means that their threshold for throwing up is lower. And that can show up in a few ways.
这意味着他们呕吐的阈值更低，并且其表现形式多样。
For example, stimulating the vagus nerve,
例如，刺激交感神经（连接大脑和心脏）
which among other things connects the heart and brain, has been shown to trigger nausea and vomiting in adults.
可以引发成年人头晕和呕吐。
So if that nerve is more sensitive in kids, it might explain why those heart-racing games of tag or hours on a bouncy castle can lead to messy results.
因此如果小孩体内的这种神经更加敏感，或许就能解释为什么那些让心跳加快的捉人游戏或是蹦蹦城堡可以导致呕吐。
That kind of stimulation might be normal for grown-ups, but in children, it could be enough to ultimately activate the vomiting reflex.
那种刺激或许对成人是常事，但是对小孩子来说，这足以刺激呕吐反射。
Another reason kids might puke more is because they're still learning to be aware of their emotions and can easily become overwhelmed.
小孩子老是吐的另一个原因是因为他们仍在学习感知自己情感，且很容易不知所措。
In childhood, the emotion centers in the brain, like the hippocampus and amygdala, are still forming connections with each other.
童年时期，大脑中的情感中心，如海马区和杏仁体，仍在与彼此形成联系之中。
But even before that's finished, they're already connected to parts of the brainstem that start the vomit reflex.
但即使是在这种联系形成前，他们也已经与开始呕吐反射的脑干部分相连接了。
That means their brains might misinterpret emotional signals, like intense fear or joy, as sickness and trigger vomiting when it's not really needed.
这意味着他们的大脑可能误将极度恐惧或欢乐等情感信号理解成疾病，并触发了不必要的呕吐。
Along with that, kids also typically have a harder time expressing their feelings,
此外，孩子们通常也不擅长表达自己的感受，
which could lead to a buildup of adrenaline and the stress hormone cortisol.
因而导致肾上腺素和应激激素皮质醇增强。
And some studies suggest that, too, could make them feel nauseous or get sick.
一些研究也表明这会让他们感觉呕心或生病。
A final thing that might lead to all this vomiting is that kids have a lower pain threshold.
最后一个可能会导致呕吐的原因是孩子们的疼痛阈值更低。
According to research, nausea and pain inside the body, also called visceral pain, share some nerve pathways,
研究表明，体内的呕心和疼痛（也被称为内脏痛）共享一些神经通道，
and scientists even think one sensation might influence the other.
并且科学家甚至认为一种感觉可能会影响其他感觉。
Since children have a lower pain tolerance to start with,
由于孩子从一开始就对疼痛的忍受力更低，
pain signals coming from near the stomach might be misinterpreted by the brain as nausea and bring on vomiting.
因此来自胃部的疼痛信号或许会被大脑错误地理解成为恶心并导致呕吐。
That's why getting hit in the stomach with a soccer ball might leave a kid winded or they might puke.
因此被足球击中胃部的孩子会喘气或者呕吐。
Meanwhile, an adult with a higher pain threshold might not be as bothered.
同时，疼痛阈值更高的成年人可能不会受到影响。
Now, one caveat to all these explanations is that they mostly lack experimental evidence.
现在，对于所有这些解释的一个警告—它们大部分都没有实验证据。
Mainly because no one wants to make a kid throw up.
主要是因为没人想要让一个孩子呕吐。
Instead, we rely on correlations or, occasionally, case studies of children who are already sick, like ones who just got an operation.
而我们的依据是相关分析，有时也会有一些患儿（比如那些刚刚做过手术的儿童）的案例研究。
The good news, though, is that even if there are tons of reasons kids barf a lot, most of the time, it's nothing to worry about.
好消息是即便小孩子呕吐的原因有千万种，也没什么好担心的。
Pediatricians say to watch out for anything in the vomit that's not supposed to be there, like blood or bile.
儿科医生表示要警惕那些不应该存在于呕吐物中的物质，如血液或胆汁。
But otherwise, a good hug and some water go a long way.
但是一个拥抱和一些水对此大有帮助。
Thanks for asking, and thanks to our patrons on Patreon who helped us make this episode!
感谢提问，感谢Patreon的赞助人帮助我们制作了本期视频！
If you want to help us keep making episodes like this and support free science education online, you can go to patreon.com/scishow.
如果你想帮助我们制作像这样的视频并支持线上免费科学教育，可以登陆patreon.com/scishow。
