We'd like to think that we walk through our lives completely conscious, free to choose whatever we like, totally completely in control. Not even close.
Our bodies leave a lot to autopilot, which is a good thing, because imagine having to regulate your heartbeat and your breathing and your digestive system and your body temperature, all while not peeing your pants or falling down. That would be hard.
Many of those involuntary actions are mysterious, annoying, just plain weird. Here are five of the human body's strangest out of control behaviors.
Start typing"why does my"into Google and the top result is an eye-opener. Involuntary twitching of the muscles around the eye has a number of causes including dry eyes, caffeine, bright lights, and just like during a tough workout, from simple fatigue.
It's usually totally harmless and eventually goes away on its own and is a good hint that you've probably been looking at that screen enough for one day. Looking at bright light can cause more than an eye twitch.
In Aristotle's"Book of Problems"he asks"Why is it that one sneezes more after one has looked at the sun"proving that people have been asking a lot of the same questions for a long time and that no one told Aristotle that you're not supposed to stare at the sun. Like, ever.
The so-called photic sneeze reflex, AKA the Autosomal Cholinergic Helio-Ophthalmic Outburst, abbreviated"ACHOO"… yes, seriously… is experienced by about 1 in 4 people, leading scientists to believe it is genetically heritable. While the exact cause hasn't been pinpointed, many scientists think it's due crosstalk between the optic nerve and nerve that feeds the tickling sensation in your nose.
The visual cortex of sun-sneezing people is also prone to overstimulation, which might send the sneeze sensing parts of their brain haywire. Have you ever been just about to go to sleep, walking through the gates to Dreamland, only to have the floor pulled out from under you and you're suddenly falling and then you wake up!
This frustrating sleep starts have another cool medical name, hypnagogic myoclonus. When we drift off, the areas of our brain that control motor function are inactivated in favor of those that control our sleep cycles, which is why you can dream about riding your bike without actually moving your feet.
As the sleepy part of your brain fight with the awake and moving parts of your brain, the battle can spontaneously tip back in favor of the motor control side and suddenly you're like… WHOA, I'm awake. Sleep starts aren't the only myocloni that we experience.
