The human body comprises various systems that work hand in hand to produce a single move. Even when we are asleep or at a standstill, our body continues to function 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our body is like a hard shell filled with many functions, some we might not even be aware of. It only fits to pay tribute to our hardworking body and know the very mechanism that allows you to, say, read this article, at the very least, and understand what it says.
So for this week’s #TIL, we are giving you some facts about our body and hacks that may come in handy. Things we can do with our body that we may have been overlooking for God-knows-how-long. To keep the ball rolling, hold your breath for as long as you could before releasing it. Please do not follow the light while reading this bit, or as Millennials and Gen Zs would say, stop sleeping on it!
#TIL 1: DIZZY? FEET ON THE GROUND, PLEASE?
Finding a stable ground is almost always the safest thing to do. So, when you feel like your world is spinning, literally and figuratively, a solid, stable ground is going to be your savior. If you feel dizzy even when you are in your bed, you can have your brain reassess or adjust your body’s orientation by placing one foot on the ground. If you have been enjoying yourself at a party and had a little too many drinks, find a table or a flat surface where you can put your hands on. This will do the same trick with your feet, allowing your brain to recalibrate your position and prevent you from losing your balance.
#TIL 2: TONGUE TIED IDENTITY
When you hit the legal age in the country, chances are, you have already experienced, at least once, leaving your fingerprints on forms and documents(hopefully for good reasons). But our fingerprints are not the only thing that can identify us. Everyone has a unique tongue print. Having said that, when you lick an envelope to seal it, you are lowkey stamping it with your uniqueness. Let’s just hope smartphone manufacturers won’t think about using it as an authentication key in the future.
#TIL 3: HIT THE BOOKS, BEFORE HITTING THE SACK
We said it before; we’ll say it again. Go hit the books; they don’t hit back. But most especially, hit them before hitting the sack. Reading a book for at least six minutes before going to bed does not only reduce your stress level by 68%, it also aids in insomnia and improves your brainpower. If your heart gets cardio exercises, your brain needs it too, by reading. As we age, our memory declines due to poor brain functions. While this is an inevitable phase, you can trick your brain into thinking you are not aging by giving it a good dose of daily exercise.
#TIL 4: FACE YOUR FEAR OR GET RID OF THEM, LITERALLY
Now, for a not-so-handy hack, one of the triggers of epilepsy is fear. About one-third of people suffering from epilepsy or seizure attacks are drug-resistant. One way to control seizure attacks is by undergoing a surgical operation. But it involves getting rid of a portion of the Amygdala – no, not the princess in Star Wars, but that part of our brain that triggers fight-or-flight, our body’s response to various emotions, including fear. The procedure is called amygdalohippocampectomy. Breaking that name down, Amygdalo– pertains to the Amygdala, which is the brain’s emotion center. Hippocamp– pertains to the Hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for the changes in emotional reactivity. The suffix –ectomy means to cut out. So, when you undergo this surgical operation, you are not only removing a portion of your brain, you are also taking your sense of fear with it.
#TIL 5: 17 IS EASIER THAN 43
For our last piece of trivia, this one you might already know, it takes only 17 muscles to smile and 43 to frown. Frowning does not only exhaust more muscles – doubling the effort needed versus smiling, it is also physically harder to do. Try it out! Frown for a second. Do you feel the strain? Now, smile for a few seconds, then hold it. There, you look better when you smile. No strains. High five!
That’s it for this week’s #TIL. Always remember that understanding how our body works and what we can do to optimize it would not only do us good in the long run. It would also improve our way of living, leading us to take care of our bodies even more. Our bodies work efficiently towards order and comfort without us even trying to do anything. The least we could do is to reward it. Hydrate, get enough sleep, and never cease to nourish your mind and soul.
