16 Unbelievable Things You Never Knew About Your Body
Have you ever taken a moment to think about all the unbelievable things you body does for you each day? From breathing to regenerating cells, your body is constantly at work for you.
Below are 16 unbelievable things you never knew about your body.
1. Your liver has the unique ability to grow back.
No, you are not seeing things. This article does claim that, because it is true. If this vital detoxifying organ is damaged by illness, trauma, or surgery. There will be a rapid regeneration at the cellular level and on the structural level as well, whereby the same functions of the liver are restored.
There is even some potential to use a portion of one’s liver to transplant into another person, however there are serious complications that may occur, in tissue rejection by the recipient, so great care is taken to ensure compatibility in these individuals.
2. A healthy person produces 0.5 -1.5 liters of saliva daily.
We frequently have a negative response to the thought of copious amounts of saliva. Instead of thinking “Eewww” at it’s occasional messiness, let us see that it is a generally healthful substance that goes largely unappreciated. Saliva is mostly water but does contain enzymes that aid in digestion, too.
The moisture that lubricates the mouth also permits us to reduce the amount of odor causing bacteria in our mouth as we swallow saliva, and eliminate it through the digestive tract. In fact when certain medications cause a drying of one’s mouth, they frequently must begin treatment to restore the moisture to their mouth.
3. You are up to 1/2 inch taller when you wake up in the morning and lose height throughout the day.
In the course of the day gravity takes a toll on the vertebrae and spinal chord. Sleep removes pressure that gravity has applied throughout the day. There is a loss of water from the spinal fluid during the activities of the day which sleep restores.
Relief for this pressure in the spine can be achieved through yoga and Pilates exercises at least 3 times per week. It has been seen that regular use of these exercises can give an individual an added inch of height, along with a significant reduction in discomfort.
4. Sadness changes the way we see color.
Sadness generally lowers one’s sense of arousal and this will include even color perception, due to the reduced chemical input from the brain, required to perceive color and form as one usually would. Even the amount of light that enters the retina is diminished.
Dopamine, a neurotransmitter is also reduced and as a result causes a reduction in other neurotransmitters that interpret visual data. Generally distinguishing between various shades will be reduced, and appearances will, in general appear rather bland in times of sadness.
5. Pupils dilate when in love.
If you are happy to let your feelings be known, it is fine to show your eyes to one you are attracted to. It is a mechanism of the sympathetic nervous system for the pupils to dilate in the presence of anything which gives one feelings of pleasure or delight. It may be a sunset, a garden, and adorable puppy, or the love of your life.
It should also be noted that reduced lighting may also cause the same effect, as a way to allow more light into the retina when in darkness. If you are comfortable with your emotions to be visible, then relax and enjoy the moment. If not, you may wish to be a bit more discreet with your eye contact.
6. Painless cracking of joints such as knuckles, neck, back, or knees is not terribly harmful.
The cracking sound made by knuckles, necks, backs, and other joints when they’re cracked is the sound of bubbles popping in the joints’ fluid. Not terribly. But cracking a joint too often can hurt the cords, called ligaments, that surround the joint.
Furthermore if this frequent cracking of the joint is also painful, it may well be due to a more serious process, such as loose cartilage or injured ligaments, as in an inflammatory process like arthritis or bursitis in which case swelling would often be evident.
7. About 10,000 human cells can fit on the head of a pin.
While cells vary greatly in size depending on their structure and function, on average human cells are at a size to fit this huge number on the head of a pin. However their size and shapes vary greatly according to their function in the body.
A small red blood cell is usually about 0.00076 mm in diameter and a liver cell, is usually about 10 times the size of that. It is in looking at the average size in these very diverse cells that science has assessed this number.
8. Believe it or not, sweat doesn’t smell bad.
It is the waste products of the bacteria that feed upon the sweat that produces the odor. That is why it is often noted that when we first are exerting ourselves or are staying in intense heat, we will not notice any odor, which will only become evident if the individual hasn’t showered or bathed before the waste products are being produced.
For example, construction workers for long periods in intense heat may have to deal with this. Treatment and prevention is pretty simple, of course, and is the same for both. Bathing or showering as soon as possible, preferably before the bacteria can cause you embarrassment.
9. Heart rate can predict the future.
It is a strange phenomena that has been discovered in a research study performed by scientists from 3 cooperating universities, exposing subjects to different images to monitor heart rate as a response to the images. Images that brought intense response, such as excitement or fear would bring a significant change in heart rate.
What also occurred, however was a significant acceleration of heart rate for subjects in the study for as much as 10 seconds before the arousing image would be shown. The heart was able to sense its coming before it had occurred.
10. Smells can evoke memories.
Smells come to us not only through the olfactory nerve, but also through a sort of fragrance memory bank, the olfactory cortex. If you visit a shop that sells scented candles and you pick up a peach scented candle, you may be flooded with memories of events dealing with eating, cooking, or picking peaches. And the emotions of remembering the event, and the people you shared the time with will make this memory especially potent.
11.Your body cleanses itself of toxins when you sleep.
There is a substance called cerebrospinal fluid that has a greatly increased flow around our brain when we are sleeping. We might compare it to a dishwasher or an automated car wash. This cleansing of our brain is said to even have a positive effect for our mental clarity long term, such as the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.
In lab studies of mice it was found that the washing action of the brain involved the flow to the brain as well as from the brain, at which time the old stuff that forms mental clutter is washed away.
12. A matchbox-size piece of bone can support over 9 tons of weight.
It is a fact, that in a healthy adult the skeleton is on average only about 14% of the body’s weight, yet it is capable of carrying so much more. Bones in good health have been compared to granite in the strength they possess. In aging or poor health this often changes.
In women especially in later years, the bones may become more porous. Staying physically active, and as necessary, Calcium supplements may be used to maintain good bone health.
13. Breathing through right nostril activates the logical side of your brain.
Breathing through left nostril stimulates creativity. Most of us have learned that it is the left side of the brain that engages in logical processing, busy mental activity and energy expenditure, and the right side of the brain is involved in creativity, artistic endeavors, feeling, and loving.
Breathing through the right nostril feeds the left brain primarily and the right brain is primarily aided by left nostril breathing. It is recommended that we ensure a balance in our breathing to create maximum support for our daily functions.
14. Even if you’re just cold, your nose will produce more mucus.
This is done to keep us warm. Our noses have a response to feeling cold that appears the same as having a cold. But what occurs is an increased blood flow to the nasal membranes to warm the air as we breathe it in.
The side effect of this is that the mucous secreting gland in the nose also receives the enriched blood supply and thus is triggered into increased production of mucous. It becomes more or less wakened by the increased blood flow.
15. Your skin makes up 12 percent of your overall body weight.
Try to see your skin as living, organic packaging that holds your physical self together. There is so much more to a person than that which we can see, but the health, cleanliness and integrity of all other organs is dependent upon skin that is in good enough health to contain it, and for it’s proportionally large size, it is only approximately 12% of our overall body weight.
16. 100 trillion different bacterial organisms live inside your gut.
It is true and that number is more than ten times the number of cells we have in our entire body, and there are approximately between 300 1000 different species of these flora in our gut, for the most part rendering a good and worthwhile service for our over all health. About 90% of these busy flora are found within only about 30-40 types and do most of the work on our gut health.
