20 Facts About The Human Body You’ll Wish You Could Unsee
When you think about the human body and all that happens under the skin and bones, it’s actually mind-fuckingly phenomenal. Though, given that we all carry our bodies around us daily – it’s quite surprising to realise how little we actually know about them.
These 20 facts about the human body definitely aren’t glamorous but – it happens guys – it’s time we all faced up to what’s really going on in there.
1. The human heart can keep beating outside of the body
2. And while we’re on the heart, did you know it pumps with enough pressure to squirt blood 30 feet across a room
3. You know those eyebrows chilling there on your forehead? Well, they also have mites living in them – I imagine they’re pretty chill there too
4. The average human has 10x more bacteria than human cells living in their body
5. If you laid your blood vessels end to end, you could circle the globe with them more than twice
(Mind. Blown.)
6. There could well be more bacteria living in your mouth than there is humans living on the planet.
I’ll give you a moment to let that one sink in
7. In some cases, when people have sustained injuries to their right interior cerebral hemisphere (no idea), they can develop ‘gourmand syndrome’ – an eating disorder in which the person becomes obsessed with eating and thinking about the finer foods in life.
8. While we’re on the topic of rare disorders, people with exploding head syndrome will hear a loud bang in their head – literally like a bomb exploding – just as they’re about to go to sleep. Which isn’t what anyone wants.
9. Broken heart syndrome is an actual thing – it mimics a heart attack and is spurred by tragic or stressful situations
10. When you blush, did you know that the lining of your stomach does too? Yep
11. There’s a type of tumour that can grow teeth and hair – yes – teeth and hair, you read that correct
12. You’re shorter when you go to bed than when you wake up. Yep.
13. And from the age of 30, you should lose half an inch of height every 8 years.
14. And you can wave goodbye to half of your tastebuds by the age of 60
15. Kissing (the proper type, with tongues) fights cavities. Anyone for a snog?
(Anything that increases saliva)
16. Humans actually glow – but the light is too weak to be seen by the human eye.
17. In the 1940’s, Americans claimed they rarely (pretty much never) dreamed in colour. Experts say it has to do with growing up with black and white TVs.
18. Humans have a ‘diving reflex’ which uses instincts to shut down certain parts of the body to conserve energy when submerged in cold water. Mammals have the same – so if there was ever another point of the theory of evolution…
19. Tears that are shed for different reasons (anger, happiness, sadness) are actually made up of different compositions
20. The brain of a pregnant woman will shrink during pregnancy and it takes around six months after the birth for it to return to normal size
So – how many of these would you rather not have seen? Pretty or not, it’s hard to deny it’s bloody fascinating. What’s even more fascinating is the fact that we’re still discovering new things, like the whole new system that scientists have recently discovered in the human body.