By: Alessa Diaz
Children, especially from the age of 3, begin to ask a lot of questions about all kinds of topics. Sometimes these questions surprise us and make us feel unable to answer them. We propose a series of reasons that children usually do about the human body so that you can answer your children’s questions.
1. Why do we close our eyes when we sneeze? If you have ever tried to open your eyes during a sneeze, you will have found that it is really difficult. The answer is that it is a protective response of the human body since the air that leaves our lungs and reaches the nose travels at great speed. If that air were to escape through the eyeballs, it could cause damage to them. The eyes are not going to shoot out, but that air as it passes through the eyes could infect us with some bacteria.
2. Why do we sweat when it’s hot? Sweat is that salty liquid that our sweat glands secrete and that is made up of 99 percent water. We can sweat through our hands, scalp, armpits, or even our groin. It occurs when the body temperature increases due to heat, physical exercise, fear, fearful situations, nervousness or even during food intake. It is a response of the human body to regulate body temperature and cool us down.
3. Why do we get goosebumps? Each hair on our body has a muscle at its root. When it’s cold, that muscle contracts and the hair stands on end. In this way, a layer of air is created around us to help protect us from the cold. It is what we know as goosebumps, chicken skin or, in Anglo-Saxon countries, duck meat. The hairy muscle also reacts to other stimuli such as fright or a change in mood, in such a way that if something Our skin also reacts emotionally.
4. Why do fingers wrinkle in water? In the past, it was believed that the wrinkles that appear on the palms and fingers and toes were due to the fact that water seeped through the outer layer of the skin, causing it to swell. However, recently researchers have revealed that the answer lies in the evolution of the human being. Wrinkled fingers improve grip on objects that are underwater or wet, and this may have helped our ancestors gather food that was wet or in water.
5. Why do we hiccup? The person responsible for hiccups is a muscle: the diaphragm. It is located between the thorax and the abdomen and moves with the breath. Hiccup attacks happen because sometimes the abdominal muscles press too hard on the diaphragm and irritate it or, on other occasions, the diaphragm rises suddenly causing us to breathe abnormally. This causes involuntary contractions of the diaphragm followed by contraction of the epiglottis, the incoming air is then interrupted and causes a very characteristic sound: hip, hip.
6. Why do we yawn and why is it contagious? Scientists do not give a clear answer about the reason for yawning. Some theories indicate that we yawn due to lack of oxygen in the brain, others suggest that it is a warning mechanism since the brain tells us that we should rest, get up or simply change activity. Some researchers believe that it is an alarm that comes from the ancient tribes of prehistory to warn us that we are letting our guard down. It is believed that yawning is contagious because the effect is to cause sleep, if it is contagious, all members of a group will have patterns of waking and sleeping at the same time.
7. Why do we shiver when it’s cold? When the body experiences or feels cold, the temperature begins to drop rapidly and the brain reacts by commanding the muscles to contract and expand to generate heat. This means that the body begins to shiver as a signal to try to stay warm. This same reaction is experienced when a person is afraid. The brain keeps the fearful person focused only on fear, and to deviate from danger, the muscles react, receive more blood and neurotransmitters, and generate tremors.
