So the other day I was googling “human body wonders” (don’t ask why) and came upon an article entitled “18 Tricks to Teach Your Body.” After reading it, I decided that it was one of the coolest things that I had ever read and that it needed to be shared with everyone. So, in this post I’ve included five of my personal favourites and a link to the actual article at the end. Read them – seriously, you may never be the same again.
1. Quell those stomach butterflies
Are you freaking out over a first date? A massive test worth 50% of your overall grade? Blow on your thumb like you would a straw. Research has shown that this action will stimulate the vagus nerve, which plays a role in controlling heart rate – it’ll slow your heart rate and make you calmer. Just don’t let your date see you do this.
2. Flex away your near-sightedness
Let’s face it, having myopia sucks. I’ve always envied those with 20/20 vision and have never had the good fortune of nearly poking their eyes out while trying to put in contacts or experienced the pain of glasses bouncing up and down on their noses while playing sports. Research has shown one of the main causes of near-sightedness to be the result of prolonged near-point stress (as in, staring something close to your face for way too long). So, while you’re making your way through that labyrinth of a social project with your eyes glued to the computer screen, take a couple seconds each hour to tense up your entire body. Take a deep breath, scrunch up your face and imagine every fibre of your being contracting. Hold for a few seconds and release. Trust me, it feels good.
3. Roll your head at sleeping arms
Next time your arm starts feeling like it’s sitting in a bed of pins and needles, rock your head back and forth. The tingly sensation is often the result of compression located in the bundle of nerves in your neck – rolling your head back and forth will loosen up these muscles and release the pressure.
4. Breathe your running cramp away
Most people exhale as their right foot hits the ground. This puts pressure on your liver (which is usually on the right side of your body unless you have condition known as situs inversus) which pulls at the diaphragm and may result in one of those annoying side stitches. To solve this problem, exhale every time your left foot hits the ground.
5. Right ear for speech, left ear for music
Can’t tell what the mumbler is saying above the din of the party? Lean in with your right ear – it’s better than your left ear at following speech rhythms. Contrarily, turn your left ear towards that softly playing song to better identify the musical tones.
If you want to learn more about how to clear a stuffy nose, temporarily overcome the need to go pee, or thaw a brain freeze, check out the full eighteen tips here.