10 Things You Didn't Know About Your Body

Those weird stuff that your body does which you find disturbing, are actually life savers. This article sheds light on ten ‘annoying’ things that our body does to protect itself.

1. Shivers: Often appears when we’re frightened, cold, experiencing strong emotions, or just irritated. Goosebumps are generally activated by adrenaline. The main aim being to conserve the amount of heat that is released from the skin. It is said that people who experience goosebumps are higher achievers, healthier and more empathetic than their peers. Also, the body is easier to warm up in climatic conditions that are unsuitable.

2. Yawning: By yawning, we get a double dose of oxygen, and our brains start to work better. When we don’t sleep, face constant tension, or work a lot, our bodies specifically start this protective mechanism; Yawning.

3. Hiccups: The most annoying one right? Well, it happens because you probably overate, or swallowed food in large chunks. Hiccups are our body’s way of signaling us to eat more carefully.

4. Erasing Memories: The brain can cut off images of sad/bad moments, leaving only the pleasant ones. Through this, we can maintain our mental health and peace of mind.

5. Myoclonic Cramps: Myoclonic Cramps are caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain, which triggers the myoclonic muscle movements. The respiration rate when we begin to fall asleep, drops sharply, all muscles relax, and the pulse slows down sharply. The brain can sometimes misinterpret this as death. Hence it sends the signal to save you.

6. Crying: Crying helps distract the brain from pain, making it easier to bear. Crying further helps the body in numerous ways which include;
- Reduces pain
- Improves mood
- Helps self-soothe
- Helps relieve grief
- For babies, it helps them sleep and breathe (The baby’s first cry is what helps a baby’s lungs adapt to life in the outside world. It also helps them clear out any extra fluid in the nose, lungs, and mouth.
- Detoxifies the body
So next time you feel like crying, don’t hold back, let it all out.

7. Stretching: Our body prepares for the day’s physical activity, thanks to stretching. Stretching is very important for our body to function normally. It improves flexibility, helps release tension, increases energy, creates a calmed mind, and is also beneficial to improve your posture.

8. Blush: This accompanies strong emotions like, shame, embarrassment, intense happiness, or shyness. At this point, the blood vessels expand, the blood rushes to the face, and you begin to blush.

9. Sneezing: Once the sensors in our noses and sinuses detect the irritants it sends a signal to the cilia that line our nasal passages to expel them. Sneezing helps with clearing our lungs, bronchial and nasal passages of pollen, dust, and other irritating substances.

10. Skin wrinkling in the water: Ever stayed in a bathtub or pool so long your skin begins to wrinkle and you wonder why? So here’s what happens. While in the water, Osmosis occurs and water flows into the upper skin cells. Shrinking and expanding effects take place simultaneously in these skin cells, causing wrinkles. This is another protective reaction of the body. At the time when the skin wrinkles, the blood outflow/vessels contract and the body volumes decrease in the wrinkled areas.