Let’s be real, it’s hard to keep up with all the latest health news balling out every day. To make it easier, we’ve compiled 21 surprising health facts that you might not know.
- Stress can make you more likely to get a heart disease and type 2 diabetes. This happens because stress raises the level of a hormone called cortisol in your body. When cortisol goes up, it also makes your blood sugar levels higher.
- Every hour, your body makes energy like a 100-watt light bulb. This energy is so much that it can heat up half a gallon of water to boiling in just half an hour.
- Animals might cry, but it’s not because they feel sad or happy like humans do. Crying in animals is usually a response to something physical, not an emotion.
- The average person can remember about 50,000 different smells. Even though a dog’s nose is stronger, that’s still a lot of scents to remember.
- The brain uses about 12 to 25 watts of power, which is similar to the power needed to light up an LED bulb.
- Doing some exercise during the day can help you get more deep sleep at night. But don’t exercise right before bed if you want to sleep well. It’s better to work out earlier in the day to help you sleep better at night.
- Getting enough sleep is important because it affects how you grow, your hormones, your immune system, your heart health, blood pressure, hunger, and breathing.
- You might not feel thirsty until you’ve lost about 3% of your body’s water. Instead of waiting to feel thirsty, look at your pee. If it’s almost clear, you’re good. If it’s darker, drink some water.
- The idea that you need eight glasses of water a day isn’t always true. Some people might need that much, but others might need more or less. It depends on how active you are, how much you weigh, and how hot it is.
- About 20% of the water you need can come from the food you eat. Foods like soups and fruits and veggies have a lot of water in them, which helps keep you hydrated.
- It’s possible to drink too much water, which can lead to a condition called hyponatremia. This happens when there’s too much water in your body, causing your cells to swell and your sodium levels to drop dangerously low.
- Lemons are really good for you. They’re full of vitamin C and can help you lose weight and keep your immune system strong. Putting lemon in your water is also an easy way to make your day healthier.
- Being in the sun helps your body make vitamin D, which is important for your health. So getting some sun is like eating a healthy part of your diet.
- Having a dog might help keep your heart healthy. It’s not just that they make us happy, but also that people who have dogs often have lower blood pressure and cholesterol, which is good for the heart. The American Heart Association says this is true.
- It might seem strange, but drinking a hot drink can actually help you cool down when it’s hot outside. This is because your body makes sweat to cool you off, and the sweat evaporating from your skin lowers your body temperature. So, even though the drink is hot, the sweating it causes helps you stay cool.
- The jaw muscle, known as the masseter, is the strongest pressure muscle in your body. It’s so strong that it can close your teeth with a force of up to 200 pounds! That’s like lifting a small dog with just your jaw. The calf muscle, called the soleus, is the strongest in terms of force, but when it comes to pressure, the jaw takes the top spot.
- Your feet can be a sign of bigger health issues. As people get older, they might face foot problems that can affect their health and independence. Paying attention to your feet can alert you to serious conditions like diabetes, nerve damage, poor blood flow, and arthritis.
- You can actually see signs of high cholesterol on your body. Xanthelasmata are yellowish bumps under the skin that show you might have high cholesterol. They can be a sign of heart disease and often show up on older people with diabetes or other heart problems.
- Living in a cold place might be better for your health. The cold can help with allergies and swelling, and it might make you think more clearly and do things better. It can also lower your chances of getting sick because mosquitoes that spread diseases like Zika, West Nile virus, and malaria don’t live in the winter.
- A banana gives you about 30% of the vitamin B6 you need each day. Vitamin B6 helps your brain make serotonin, which keeps your mood steady. Serotonin affects how you move and feel, and it helps you sleep and digest food. Eating a banana can make you feel less depressed and anxious by boosting serotonin in your body.
- Being optimistic might help you live longer. Research shows that people who are more positive tend to have a lower chance of dying from cancer, diseases, infections, and strokes. This is especially true for heart disease. The most optimistic people had about a 40% lower risk of heart problems.
