Guess what? Your body has 206 bones! And believe it or not, the human body is one of the weirdest and most fascinating things on Earth.
Crazy? ABSOLUTELY!
It’s really just one of the many facts you’ll find about your body and as you’d find out about crazy bodily functions and real-life cases, here are 15 weird and creepy facts (plus explanations) about your body, inside and out!
- Period cramps is LITERALLY your womb suffocating itself.
To shed the uterine lining during your period, your uterus has to contract. When these contractions get intense, they squeeze the blood vessels so tight that oxygen can’t get through, causing pain signals to hit your brain (ouch!). And that also ramps up the production of chemicals called prostaglandins, which encourages more contractions.
- Earwax is actually a type of sweat!
Believe it or not, earwax and sweat come from the same type of glands! Earwax is made by ceruminous glands in your outer ear canal. These glands pump out a waxy substance called cerumen, which we know as earwax. They’re pretty similar to the apocrine glands in your armpits, breasts, and groin that produce sweat.
- Adults blink at least 10 times in a minute while a baby only blinks once or twice.
Babies blink way less than adults! Blinking keeps our eyes moist and clean, but newborns have underdeveloped eyelids and tear glands, so they can’t make enough tears. That’s why they blink less. As they grow, their eyelids and tear glands develop, and they start blinking more often to keep their eyes nice and lubricated. Creepy but cool, right?
- You didn’t have a ‘heavy period’ you actually miscarried.
About a third to half of all fertilized eggs don’t lead to a viable pregnancy. Instead, they flow out as a “heavy period”, and most women don’t even realize they’ve just had a miscarriage. This is called a “chemical pregnancy” or “early miscarriage.” It happens when a fertilized egg implants in the uterus but isn’t viable, ending the pregnancy before the woman knows she’s pregnant. These are quite common and usually happens before a missed period, often due to chromosomal issues, hormonal imbalances, or other issues.
- A human heart can beat outside the body too!
It’s true! The human heart is so amusing that is capable of beating even when it’s not inside the body. In fact, heart transplants are possible because the heart can continue to beat even when it’s outside of the body for a short period of time. The reason why the heart can beat outside the body is because the cells in the heart’s pacemaker region are self-excitatory, which means they can start and maintain a heartbeat without any external help.
- Your stomach acid is so strong that it can digest your stomach itself.
The hydrochloric acid (HCl) in your stomach is super strong. It’s made by stomach cells to break down food. This acid is SO powerful it could damage your stomach lining if not for some special protections. Your stomach produces a thick mucus layer that acts as a shield against the acid. This mucus also has bicarbonate ions to neutralize the acid.
- You are about 1cm taller in the morning.
Your height can fluctuate a bit during the day. The discs between your spine’s vertebrae, the hutch are made of cartilage, are slightly elastic and can compress under pressure. As you stand and walk, these discs get squished by your body weight, making you a bit shorter. But don’t worry, when you lie down at night, the discs expand back to their normal size, making you a bit taller in the morning.
- Malnutrition eats your bones and insides until there’s no more to eat.
That’s a chilling description of malnutrition. When your body doesn’t get the nutrients it needs, it starts breaking down muscle, bone, and other tissues to survive. This can lead to serious health issues like osteoporosis (weak, brittle bones), organ failure, and even death. In extreme cases, malnutrition can make your body “eat” itself just to stay alive. Yikes!
- There are mites living in your eyelashes.
Demodex folliculorum, or eyelash mites, are tiny creatures living on your skin and in the hair follicles around your eyelashes. These microscopic arthropods, like spiders and ticks, munch on oils and dead skin cells. Most people have them, and they’re usually harmless. But sometimes, they can cause inflammation and irritation of the eyelashes, a condition called demodicosis. Wild!
- Every minute you shed over 30,000 dead skin cells.
Your body sheds about 1.5 million skin cells every hour, or 30,000 to 40,000 every minute. This process, called desquamation, gets rid of old, dead skin cells to make room for new ones. It happens all the time and is important for keeping your skin healthy and functioning well. You’re literally a regeneration machine! 😂
- You fart after you die.
Morbid but true. After death, the body can expel gases. This happens during putrefaction, when cells break down and release gases like methane, hydrogen sulfide, and carbon dioxide. These gases build up, causing bloating and eventually escaping through the mouth, nose, or other openings. It’s just a natural part of decomposition for all animals, humans too.
- Your period blood can flow backwards. So you probably didn’t miss your period, it just didn’t flow out in the right way.
Retrograde menstruation is a rare but serious condition where menstrual blood flows backward into the pelvic cavity instead of out through the vagina. Normally, the uterine lining sheds and exits the body, but sometimes, the blood and tissue flow backward through the fallopian tubes and get trapped in the pelvic cavity. It is mostly harmless and goes unnoticed.
- Your mind will do anything to survive.
The human mind is really tough and built to help us survive anything. When it senses danger, it triggers the fight-or-flight response, an automatic reaction. This activates the sympathetic nervous system, releasing hormones like adrenaline and cortisol to help us react quickly and as needed.
- Your brain will protect itself even if it means death.
The human brain is amazing and always looks out for itself FIRST. This self-preservation instinct kicks in automatically when it senses danger. For example, if the brain thinks the body is in trouble, it releases chemicals that can shut down functions like digestion to save energy and protect itself. This can be life-saving, but it can also cause serious pain or even death.
- Humans shed their entire outer layer of skin every two to four weeks. That’s about 500 million skin cells a day.
Your skin is always renewing itself, shedding about 30,000 to 40,000 cells every minute. Over a day, that’s around 500 million skin cells! The outer layer, called the stratum corneum, is made of dead, flattened cells that get replaced by new ones from deeper layers. These dead cells turn into dust, which is why you might see dust or “dander” around your home, on your clothes on on your bed after sleeping.
What’s that one creepy or weird fact about the human body that you’d like to share?
