8 weird body hacks you never knew about
The human body is an incredible thing, and while we’ve cracked most of its secrets, there’s still a whole lot we don’t know. From how to stop a sneeze to REALLY curing the hiccups, BuzzFeed has found eight little body tricks you probably never knew about – but will make life so much easier.
1. Stop a sneeze – Generally speaking, you shouldn’t suppress a sneeze, but if you’re in a situation where you desperately need to stay quiet (e.g. a wedding), you can stop it in its tracks by pressing a finger down on the area right above your top lip (see image above).
2. Ease a brain freeze – Simply press and hold your tongue against the roof of your mouth. Otherwise, sipping a warm beverage is also good for extreme cases.
3. Drain your sinuses – Congested? Alternate between these two tricks: press your tongue to the roof of your mouth, then press a finger between your eyebrows. It doesn’t work for everyone, but it’s worth a shot!
4. Listen better – If you’re speaking to someone in a loud room and can’t hear them, lightly pull back on the little flap near the opening of your ear canal (the tragus), then push them in. It’ll block out peripheral sounds, making it easier to hear the person next to you.
5. Prevent heartburn – If you can’t wait the recommended three to four hours after eating before going to bed, you can prevent getting heartburn by lying on your side after eating a big dinner.
6. Calm down – Feeling stressed, anxious or panicky? Pop your thumb in your mouth, close your lips and try to blow out air, letting your cheeks puff up. It’ll help slow your heartbeat, calming you down – just don’t do it for too long.
7. Cure the hiccups – You don’t need a friend to scare you! All you have to do is inhale deeply, hold it, swallow twice, then exhale through the nose. You may need to do this a couple of times for it to work.
8. Get a song out of your head – Can’t get that catchy jingle out of your head? Chew some gum! Just don’t try and block it out – according to Harvard researchers, that’ll only make it worse.
Tell us in the comments below, how many of these strange tricks did you know?