17 Absolutely Mind-Blowing Facts About The Human Body

It’s not always easy to love your body. In fact, sometimes it feels like a chore.

Our bodies are these amazing entities. While it’s easy to get caught up on our imperfections, there are so many processes going on inside our bodies that make them truly systems of design.

While many of us know a lot about our bodies, I bet you didn’t know these 17 facts that will make you appreciate your body just a little bit more!

1. Every day you breathe up to 30,000 times.

That’s a lot of opportunities to inhale, exhale, and be present! This number changes based on the amount of time you spend resting versus the amount of time you’re doing physical activity.

For example, runners will breathe more than someone who is sedentary.

2. Your feet contain ¼ of all the bones in your body.

Your feet contain a whopping 52 bones. They also have 33 joints, over 100 ligaments, and 19 different muscles. That’s one complex part of your body, but it makes sense—our feet have an important job to do.

3. Every day, your heart produces enough energy to power a truck for 20 miles.

Your heart generates the largest electromagnetic field in your body. Your heart pumps 2,000 gallons of blood every single day. That’s a lot of power!

4. 90% of diseases are caused by stress.

This is a great time to take that mental health day because you’re stressed out. Most doctors’ visits are related to stress in the body. Relaxing and proper management of stress has never been more important.

5. If you sleep in a cold room, you might have bad dreams.

It’s not exactly proven why this happens, but a study of 1,000 people showed that ¾ of them had bad dreams when sleeping in a room that was just a little too cold. Which is too bad, because sleeping cooler has lots of health benefits for you!

6. We have no sense of smell when we’re sleeping.

This seems maladaptive simply because smelling a gas leak or smoke could help wake us up!

7. Your stomach acid is strong enough to dissolve razor blades.

Say what? This is absolutely not a warrant for you to swallow razor blades of any kind.

8. 20% more people die of a heart attack on Mondays.

Here’s a new reason to hate Mondays—you somehow increase your risk of dying of a heart attack on this special day of the week!

9. Get less than 7 hours of sleep? You just lowered your life expectancy.

8 hours of sleep is ideal; of course, this will depend on your age (babies need lots of sleep while older adults may only need a few hours). If you’re an adult who consistently gets less than 7 hours of sleep, you’re more likely to die prematurely.

10. The brain is 75% water and 60% fat.

The brain needs hydration and fat! So don’t dis fat just because it’s rumored to be bad for you. Healthy fats such as olive oil, avocadoes, walnuts, and fish are so important for your brain!

11. Your brain is more active at night.

While you’re asleep, your brain is essentially revitalized: it gets rid of toxins, catalogues information, and prepares both brain and body for the next day. Never underestimate the value of sleeping.

12. You are 1 cm taller when you wake up.

So for real, get that beauty sleep!

13. Your lungs have a surface area that’s probably bigger than your apartment.

Up to 810 square feet!

14. Your eyes are the most active muscle of your body, moving about 100,000 times per day.

This is the equivalent of 50 miles a day for your legs!

15. Your eyes stay the same exact size as when you were born.

Your eyes actually never grow. This is part of the reason why babies are so adorable: their eyes are huge compared to their faces. The eyes stay the same size and begin to look a bit more normal as babies enter adulthood.

16. If you’re pregnant and have organ damage, your fetus will send out stem cells to try and help.

This is an interesting phenomenon in which the baby can actually save the mother if major organ damage occurs.

17. Your brain’s joined neurons looks just like the structure of the universe.

It’s almost like the universe is living in you through your body!

Our bodies can do these things and so much more. From storing the memory of 50,000 different scents to replacing our stomach lining every few days, the human body is truly a masterpiece. Love yours and get healthcare screenings through your doctor to keep your body in the best shape.