Contributed by – Healthians Team
Our bodies work in mysterious ways. Although science has figured out a lot about it, it still does some weird things that leave us scratching our heads. You must have experienced them too – like a sharp headache just after having ice cream or eye twitches when you are giving a presentation. Although these reflexes are involuntary and show how little control we have over our bodies, they can give clues about what the body might need at that moment. So, let us here try to understand some weird body quirks and see if there’s anything that you can do about them.
The contagious yawns
Even thinking about yawning can make you yawn. Everybody does it – from babies to your great grandparents. Animals yawn, too. It’s just one of the most contagious, uncontrollable actions that your body does. The theory about yawning with most scientific backing says that we yawn to regulate brain temperature. If the brain temperature goes too far outside the normal, inhaling air helps it to cool down. In fact, when you are tired or bored, the brain slows down causing the temperature to drop, and yawning helps to warm it up a bit. As far as the contagious nature of the yawns is concerned, it may be related to a phenomenon called social mirroring, wherein organisms imitate the actions of others. No matter how much you try, you cannot stop a yawn. But you can try deep breathing, or get up and get moving to at least reduce the frequency of your yawns.
Sneeze when looking at the sun
Sneezing is a natural body response when there’s something irritating the nose. But, how can bright light, such as that of the sun, cause you to sneeze? Well, believe it or not, it’s genetic. In fact, it’s called Autosomal Dominant Compelling Helioopthalmis Outburst (ACHOO) Syndrome. Since sneezing is a regular occurrence, you may not even know that you have this trait. While the actual cause is unknown, there are a few theories behind it. The one is that sneezing involves the optic nerve and a change in light can stimulate it creating the same sensation as having an irritant in the nose. The other one says that exposure to light causes eye tears that briefly empty into the nose, acting as an irritant and causing you to sneeze. So, to prevent it, you can protect your eyes from direct bright light by wearing sunglasses.
Ice cream brain freeze
It’s a hot summer day. You’re at your favorite cafe and just took a big gulp from a cold drink. And the next thing you know, your forehead and temples hurt like crazy. Well, don’t worry, the pain will not last for more than a couple of minutes. It’s actually called brain freeze. It happens when cold food or drink touches nerves in the roof of your mouth, stimulating blood vessels in your head. As a result, they swell and cause your head to ache. You can try easing the pain by pressing your tongue against the roof of your mouth, or by drinking warm water.
The fun of hitting the funny bone
If you have ever mistakenly banged your elbow against furniture, then you know how painful hitting the funny bone can be. But, first things first. Why is it called funny bone when there’s no ‘fun’ in it? Well, there are a couple of theories. The first one says that the bone between your elbow and shoulder is called humerus, which sounds more like humourous and someone found fun in that. And according to the second theory, the tingling sensation that you feel is kind of odd and ‘funny’. Now, coming to pain that you feel – actually, you don’t hit a bone. You hit a nerve called the ulnar nerve which runs from your neck all the way to your hand. This nerve is mostly protected by the body, except when it goes through the elbow. It’s just the skin and fat there that doesn’t do a good job keeping it safe. The only advice here to prevent this numbing pain is to just stay safe and extra careful.
Awkward eye twitches
In reel life, eye twitches could be a giveaway of a shady character, but in real life, this blinking can be really irritating. Basically, it’s just an involuntary spasm of the eyelid muscles caused by an abnormal nerve function. If you’re having eye twitches, they may sometimes mean that you are tired, tensed, or sensitive to bright lights. Episodes of eye twitching can be unpredictable but consuming less caffeine and getting adequate sleep may help you in dealing with them.
There’s never anything to worry about these reflexes of the body. They are normal and happen to every one of us. However, if the point comes where your day-to-day life gets hampered by them, then take that as a clue and consult a doctor. Besides, getting regular health checkups can help you understand if your body is functioning well or not.
