10 Human Body Tricks That Can Make Life Easier

Psychology
year ago

Our body is an amazingly complicated machine that can be very hard to control at times. It seems that some things just happen on their own, such as sneezing or the hiccups — or maybe we can actually control them.

Bright Side put together a few tips on how to keep your body under control if you want to avoid awkward situations. And for those who have always dreamed of meeting the White Rabbit and finding Wonderland, there is a bonus for you at the end.

10. You don’t want to sneeze? Press the skin on the bridge of your nose with your fingers.

When you irritate the skin on the bridge of your nose, your brain receives an alarm signal and puts the brakes on other processes, including the sneezing reflex. On the contrary, if you want to sneeze and can’t do it, look at a bright light.

If our recommendations don’t work for you, then try to stay optimistic. There is a woman who got into the Guinness World Records for sneezing 976 days in a row.

9. For better hearing, close your ears.

When you are in a club or at a concert, the music is loud, and you can’t hear your friend speaking. Push the tragus into your ear, and turn your other ear toward your friend. This life hack is regularly used by singers, though it seems that they are just fixing their earphone.

8. Suck your thumb if something worries you.

This reaction can be explained by vagus nerve stimulation, which makes your heart beat slower and decreases blood pressure.

If a worrying situation finds you when you’re in a public place, just press your fingers into a fist with your thumb up, and simply blow on it.

7. To get rid of the hiccups, press an ice cube to your tongue.

Everyone has their own recipe against the hiccups: pull the tip of your tongue, press ice to your tongue, or swallow a sugar cube. Try to close your ears with your palms and drink a glass of water through a straw in one breath. Or bend over a sink and drink water right out of the glass.

If your hiccups still don’t pass, then you might end up like this man. He had hiccups for 68 years but still managed to marry and have 8 children.

6. If you have a cramp in the right side of your body while running, exhale when you step on your left foot.

The same rule applies when your left side is hurt — just exhale when you step on your right foot and massage your hurt side slightly.

When you run, blood flows to the working muscles. Without a proper warm-up, blood does not spread evenly and this overflows the liver and the spleen. These organs then start pressing on the diaphragm.

5. Hold your breath if you want to sleep faster.

This technique is also known as 4-7-8 and it starts with breathing for 4 seconds, holding your breath for 7 seconds, and exhaling for 8 seconds. It’s said that the exercise will help those who have trouble sleeping fall asleep in just 1 minute.

4. You’re moody? Gnaw on a pencil.

The secret is simple. You put a pencil between your teeth and hold it there. This small action can help reduce or even eliminate headaches. However, not all people will see the calming effects since it might be harmful to some.

3. Activate your supermemory with a sprig of rosemary.

If you need to learn something by heart, the best way to do it is by using the hidden potential of your memory. Learn it by night, lying in bed and smelling rosemary. This simple trick will help you to memorize the necessary information faster and with better results.

2. When your leg falls asleep, shake your head.

Do you remember that unpleasant feeling when your leg or arm falls asleep? Those terrible pins and needles! But all you can do is just wait until it passes. Next time, try to shake your head during those unpleasant moments. Your muscles will relax, and the “pins and needles” sensation will pass within a minute.

1. Pinch your nose if you want to deceive a polygraph.

If you are nervous and your heart is beating way too quickly, pinch the tip of your nose and close it with your fingers. Then close your mouth. You will feel that the pressure inside your ears has changed.

Bonus: How to deceive your brain and see the world around you as if you entered a parallel universe

  • Turn on the radio, and tune it to hear “white noise.”
  • Cut a ping-pong ball in half. With the help of adhesive tape, stick the halves to your eyes.
  • Now you need to lie down beside the radio and relax. In 10-20 minutes, you will experience the Ganzfeld Effect.

Your brain will start to interpret sounds and light in a new way, creating unusual sensations and even hallucinations. This remarkable phenomenon of reality perception has been known for a long time, but scientists only became interested in it in the twentieth century.

Did you find this article useful? Share your opinion in the comments below. And don’t forget to share the article with your friends. They should be aware of these tricks, shouldn’t they?

Please note: This article was updated in September 2022 to correct source material and factual inaccuracies.
Alena Sofronova for Bright Side

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