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The human body can miraculously heal cuts and other injuries even without our help. But sometimes we want to be fit as soon as possible and give the body a little help. Try these tips for faster healing of everything, from hiccups to an itchy throat.
One eye closed
An amazing and at the same time simple trick. Try keeping one eye closed during your nighttime trip to the toilet. When you expose an eye’s retina to bright light, you trick your brain into thinking it’s daytime and make it harder to fall back asleep. By closing one eye you ensure a faster adjustment to the dark and will fall back asleep like a baby.
Move your neck
If you’ve ever rested the weight of your body on your arm for a long time, you know what it feels like when your limbs go numb and forget how to function. This happens because you’ve been compressing the nerves too long and they didn’t get enough oxygen. Instead of frantically moving your hands, try waking up the frozen limb by tilting your head back. It works because the nerves in your neck run straight through the entire upper limb and are therefore the cause of the tingling.
Hiccups, hiccups and hiccups again
Sometimes you just can’t get rid of them. The reason is contractions of the diaphragm, when the air you normally breathe gets blocked and causes this familiar sound. Hiccups themselves can be caused by eating quickly, excessive swallowing of air, a sudden change in temperature in your stomach, or too much excitement. If you too have become a victim of this annoying condition, try opening your mouth and instinctively swallowing. Repeat several times with your mouth open. This exercise will help calm the diaphragm’s contractions and the hiccups will disappear for good.
Hold back tears
At certain moments in life you’ve probably already experienced an emotional breakdown, whether it was good or bad news, a nostalgic memory, or stress at work. It can happen anytime you least expect it. If you start to feel tears welling up in your eyes, try this simple trick. Look around and find some objects to focus on. Slowly, one by one, name their colors. By concentrating on other things you’ll calm your breathing and your pulse. It will help you hold back your tears and spare you potential embarrassment in public.
Pull your ear
You may have tried massaging your temples to ease a headache, but there are other pressure points on the body that work much better. If you begin to feel a headache coming on, pull your ear. Unlike massaging the temples, which relieves pressure only in the forehead area, stretching the earlobe provides overall relief. Hold your earlobe, gently stretch it and then release. This exercise moves the temporal bone enough to allow the area to be nourished and cleared and to permit the entrance of fresh cerebrospinal fluid.
Fear of the needle is a thing of the past
For some people, a flu vaccination or a blood draw can induce fear and anxiety. The good news is that German scientist Taras Usichenko found that if you cough during the needle insertion, you will feel no pain. According to the study, it’s either due to diverting your attention or because of a temporary increase in blood pressure. So next time a big needle comes your way, go for it and cough a few times.
Warm up your brain
Many of you have experienced this. You were looking forward to drinking that delicious ice cream shake, but you drank it too fast. The moment of pleasure is quickly followed by a sudden and intense headache. This happens when your brain senses a rapid drop in temperature and wants to protect itself. It causes the vessels in the palate to swell to provide heat, but the opposite effect will be a sudden cooling of the brain. The quickest solution to get rid of the headache is provided by your tongue — press it to the roof of your mouth and warm it.
Swallow tablets with ease
Swallowing horse-sized pills can cause trouble for many people, even those who don’t have problems swallowing larger bites of food. If you have prescription medication, you may have no other option to take them. So place the pill in your mouth, take a sip of water, and tilt your head back while swallowing. By doing this, a reflex in your body will take control of the situation and naturally move the pill further down your throat. Problem solved!
Scratch your ear and clear your throat
But before you start scratching behind your ears, make sure you blow your nose. Clearing your nostrils will reduce the chance of mucus running down your throat. Plain water is also suitable for an itchy throat. Drinking it keeps your throat in a more humid environment and helps relieve irritation.
