Our body is a complex system. Sometimes, we don’t quite understand why it behaves a certain way. While some common body changes can be explained to an extent, others may seem like a mystery. Until now.
Why does my butt itch sometimes? What causes me to have goosebumps even when it isn’t cold? Why are some people ticklish and others not so much? Let’s explore some of these questions and more in this article.
Why Does Your Butt Itch?
There are several, well-known causes of a persistent butt itch. Infections in the area due to tight clothing and sweat accumulation can all cause a rash. However, sometimes, we have an itch that disappears soon enough.
Known as folliculitis, it occurs when dead skin cells cause the hair follicles on the butt to be trapped and unable to grow. This causes us to scratch the area. It is nothing serious and can certainly be gotten rid of with a natural scrub to remove the dead skin cells.1
Why Do You Get Goosebumps?
Goosebumps are considered the body’s natural response to cold weather or chilling incidents. Each hair follicle comes attached to a tiny muscle. When we experience a stimulus, such as a cold breeze, these muscles contract in order to help the follicles rise and insulate your body.
However, in human beings, the response is quite insufficient – it may have been a remnant from our ancestral days of extreme body hair. Since it is only a response to some sort of a stimulus, goosebumps can also be triggered by mild irritation to the skin, such as running your fingers softly over it.2
Why Do You Feel Ticklish?
The fact that we laugh when tickled doesn’t mean that it is a pleasant experience for us. Evolutionary biology theorizes that we feel ticklish and squirm when touched as a natural response, and a means to protect ourselves from harm.
That said, some people have a milder sensory response to tickling than others. It is believed that some people have skin that is more sensitive to the touch, and therefore they are tickled easily. A general rule of thumb – if you know it is coming, you won’t be tickled that easily.3
What Is A Brain Freeze?
The theory surrounding a brain freeze is still very vague, but the general explanation is that when we eat something that is unbearably cold, or we eat cold food in cold climates that we aren’t used to, the nerves in our mouth send a signal to the brain that it is too cold, thus causing it to want to shut down.4
Now, why does the brain shut down when it is too cold? It is a way to prevent energy losses due to perceived, prolonged coolness. In other words, the brain believes that we are ready to freeze, and shuts down as a way to save energy for a long period of “hibernation”.
Why Do You Have Calf Cramps?
Ever tried to stretch your leg while asleep, only to have a painful cramp wake you? You are not alone. Most people experience a calf cramp at least once in their life.
There are several different causes of leg cramps. Dehydration and menial deficiency are one possible cause. Too much exercise and hampered blood supply in pregnancy can also cause a sudden cramp. Unless they are persistent, there is nothing to worry about.5
Strange, isn’t it? Sometimes, it is perhaps just better not to read too much into the way our body behaves and let it do its thing.
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