15 Useful Body Hacks You Can Apply in Your Daily Life

Do you know your body is one of the greatest working mechanisms on this earth?

Its a wonder of systems, networks, and complex structures that work hand-in-hand together to create a superior living being.

Just like any other mechanism, you can actually tweak your body to do better, perform better, and simplify its functions to help you feel great and improve your mood.

Here are 15 body hacks for your body you can start doing immediately:

#1. Scratch Your Ear to Stop a Sore Throat

A sore throat usually starts with a tickle. You can prevent the annoying tickle from progressing into an all-out sore throat by manipulating the nerves in your ear that cause those throat muscles to spasm in the first place. Scratch your ears to get rid of the tickle immediately.

#2. Use Your Right Ear to Hear Better

If you want to make sure you understand what’s being said loud and clear, turn your right ear to the source of the sound to hear more clearly. Your right ear is directly connected to that part of the brain that identifies speech, musical notes, and tones. Make sure you get optimal auditory processing by using your right ear.

#3. Cough Just Before Getting a Shot

A lot of people fear the needle. Not only because of the resultant prick, but also because of the anticipation of pain. One trick to lessen that pain is to cough just before the sharp metal point enters your skin. Research has shown coughing increases blood pressure, which lessens the spinal cord’s ability to transmit pain. So cough that injection away.

#4. Your Tongue and Eyebrows Hold the Secret to Unclogging Your Nose

Cryptic, but true. If you’re suffering from a clogged nose due to a cold or seasonal allergies, alternately press your tongue against the roof of your mouth, and press a finger between your brows. Doing so stimulates the vomer bone running through your nasal passage. After 20 seconds of this, your stuffy nose will be able to breathe better.

#5. Lie on Your Left Side to Prevent Heartburn

If you’ve eaten too much just before bed, avoid the dreaded acid reflux by lying down on your left side. This position places your esophagus way above your stomach and prevents acid from flooding into your laryngx. Of course, it would be a better idea not to eat two to three hours before bed to avoid heartburn altogether.

#6. Ditch a Toothache By Rubbing an Ice Cube with Two Fingers and a Palm

Improbable, but true. If you’re plagued by a toothache, one temporary method for relieving the pain is to rub an ice cube held by your thumb and index finger right on the palm of your hand. Numbing the nerves on these small body parts will cut your pain in half, guaranteed.

#7. Stop a Nosebleed With Your Gums

The best way to stop that gusher is to take a piece of cotton ball and hold it on your upper gums, just behind your philtrum – that indent over your upper lip. It works like a tourniquet, blocking the artery that causes nosebleeds. If the bleeding doesn’t stop within five to 10 minutes, then it might stem from a more serious cause, and you should head to the hospital straightaway.

#8. Press a Burn to Reduce the Pain

Minor burns can hurt like the very devil. To diminish the pain until you can get some first aid, put pressure on the injury with your finger. It may sound counterproductive, but it works. Next, run water on the burn immediately.

#9. Blow on Your Thumb to Counter Nervousness

Nerves got the best of you? Try blowing on your thumb. It slows down your thumb’s pulse rate (yes, fun fact: your thumb has a pulse of its own!), which in turn regulates your cardiac rhythm, slowing down your heartbeat. Plus, blowing out air necessitates deeper inhales, which also helps to calm you down.

#10. Use Your Tongue to Get Rid of Brain Freeze

If you love your icy drinks or desserts a little too much, getting brain freeze may be a normal occurrence. To deal with this, simply press your whole tongue against the roof of your mouth to avoid the headache that follows brain freeze.

#11. Do Neck Stretches to Liven Numb Hands

Hands fall asleep on you? The numb feeling stems from tight nerves. Do some neck stretches to loosen the bundle of nerves running through it that transmit signals from your hands to your brain, and vice versa.

#12. Fall Asleep Faster by Jumping Out of Bed in the Mornings

You don’t have to count sheep to be out like a light once you hit your bed at night. One trick to falling asleep faster is to leave your bed the moment you wake up in the morning, and don’t come near it again until its time to sleep at night. This move will help your subconscious associate your bed only with sleep, and with time, your body will fall into snooze mode as soon as your head hits the pillow. Unfortunately, this wouldn’t be such a good idea if you also plan to use the same bed to be intimate with your partner.

#13. Do Your Memory Work Just Before Bedtime

If you’ve got a big test or presentation to do the next day, review serious memory work just before you sleep. While you sleep, your brain will be working overtime to store this information in your long-term memory, and you should be able to know a piece or passage by heart when you get up in the morning.

#14. Exhale to Prevent That Stitch on Your Side

If you’re a runner or jogger, you’re likely familiar with that ache in your side in the middle of a long run. To keep this from happening, exhale just as your left foot hits the ground to keep the pressure from your liver.

#15. Hyperventilate to Hold Your Breath Longer

Divers and swimmers know this little trick. In order to last longer underwater by as much as 10 seconds more, do several short and quick breathes before going underwater. This fools your brain into thinking you have sufficient oxygen in your body to help you stay submerged longer.

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