CuriositiesFEB 26, 2023

“If You Have A Leg Cramp, Pull Back Your Big Toe”: 40 Human Body Cheat Codes That You Might Not Have Known You Needed

Mindaugas Balčiauskas and Adelaide May Ross

152

Considering the fact that we have to exist in the same vessels for our entire lives, it's interesting how little most of us actually know about the human body. Why am I always getting hiccups, and how the heck do I eliminate them? Why does my leg fall asleep every time I lay on my side? Even if you hit the gym every day and are in excellent shape, you can likely still benefit from learning more about that complex body you’re in.

So below, we’ve gathered some of the most useful “human body cheat codes” Redditors have shared to help you pandas get the most out of that mysterious body of yours. Keep reading to also find an interview with the curious Redditor who started this conversation, and be sure to upvote the hacks you plan to utilize in your own life!

#1

“If You Have A Leg Cramp, Pull Back Your Big Toe”: 40 Human Body Cheat Codes That You Might Not Have Known You Needed

I have fairly low blood pressure and I often get dizzy if I get up too abruptly. If it happens, clench your abdominal muscles to force blood back upwards and it goes away immediately.

Abraneb, Towfiqu barbhuiya

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210points

To learn more about what inspired this fascinating thread to start in the first place, we reached out to Alex Clark, the Redditor who posed the question, "What's the best human body cheat code you know?" And he was kind enough to have a chat with us.

"I started this conversation after following AskReddit for a short while," Alex told Bored Panda. "I wanted to test different ways of sparking a conversation and luckily for me, there were others who were keen to answer my question!"

#2

If you don't have your glasses and need to read or see something far away, make an "OK" sign with your hand but with the hole made with your thumb and forefinger as small as possible. If you look through the tiny hole, you'll be able to see much clearer.

WAwelder

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197points

#3

Stretch every day.

90% of the problems that people get later in life, whether it is muscle related or not, usually stems from muscles being too tight & pulling where/when they should not.

Chinstrap_1

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191points

We were also curious about the best "human body cheat codes" Alex knows. "This seems like an obvious one, but drinking water when you wake up is a must," he shared. "It’s such a simple ‘hack’, but is an amazing habit to build into your daily routine."

"Another one, which is kind of cheating as it’s my own comment, but when people are together in a group, look at the direction of people's feet to see who they are interested in talking to," Alex added. "It’s not always the case, but it’s a good way of reading body language."

#4

Sick with clogged sinuses?

Put your head between your legs while standing for 10 seconds, and then shoot back to a upright position and blow your nose, you'll be able to breath for a few minutes.

I call it the "Bend and Snot"

drflanigan, Brittany Colette

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181points

#5

Your legs will move as fast as your arms. If you're walking and want to speed up, start swinging your arms just a little faster. Your legs will start moving faster without you telling them to. If you're tired and feel like you can't go faster, try the arm trick and be amazed.

BladeofDaNorf

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180points

"One of my other favorite hacks is if you have a sneeze that's on the edge but needs that extra push to get it to go, look into a bright light, which is called the Photic Sneeze Reflex," Alex went on to note. "What’s interesting is the trait is genetic, so if you have it - one or both of your parents have it too!"

Finally, we asked Alex if he thinks it's wise for all of us to have some of these hacks up our sleeves. "I think it’s a great idea to learn some cheat codes - we all have the same human body, and it’s incredible that there’s still so much we don’t know about it!" he told Bored Panda.

#6

Take an espresso right before a power nap. The caffeine will kick in about 20 minutes later and make you feel more energised after waking.

wanton_noodles, Alfred Kenneally

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155points

#7

If you're hungry, drink some water, you might not actually be hungry.

SWEnglandAddick, Andrea Piacquadio

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148points

#8

Drink enough water - keeping hydrated helps so much.

Statscollector, Giorgio Trovato

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144points

#9

Clench your left fist to subdue your gag reflex. Helps me with brushing my tongue and others with other things.

Shangiskhan, Zacke Feller

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133points

#10

When you wake up, drink some water. It will help reduce drowsiness.

kukukele, Kinga Cichewicz

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117points

#11

If you enter a room and forget what you have to do, move your eyes sideways, it helps jog your memory.

Barack-YoMama, Matt Reiter

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113points

#12

Water. Drink water and drink a lot of it.

Thirsty? Drink water.

Hungry? Drink water.

Headache? Drink water.

Tired for no good reason? Drink water.

Trying to lose weight over more than a few hours? Drink water.

ZenRage

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111points

#13

If you have a leg cramp - pull back your big toe and it will alleviate the cramp

anon, Ketut Subiyanto

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106points

#14

If you have a sneeze that's on the edge but needs that extra push to get it to go, look into a bright light.

mrking944, Maggie Zhan

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104points

#15

Lift with your legs, not your back.

Xygen8, Ketut Subiyanto

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102points

#16

Wake up with sunlight whenever possible. Your body automatically says "Oh! Sun! I should wake up now! It's morning!"

nythnggs4590, Kinga Cichewicz

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94points

#17

Push yourself to do something good for yourself even if you dont want to (something like diet or exercise) and stick to it. Doing it once or twice you wont want to do it again because your body is still adapting. But after a while it will become a habit.

I went on a bike ride every day during my summer break and when winter rolled around I started to realise that I relied on that ride as much as eating. I got really jittery if I didn't ride that day.

anon, Mikhail Nilov

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86points

#18

Take fiber before bedtime.

I used to get really nervous when traveling and it upset my stomach. Getting "regular" calmed my body immensely.

pope0476

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72points

#19

To quickly stop a nose bleed put something cold at the point where your neck meets your back. Haven't had a nose bleed last more than 5 minutes since learning that.

wildkat57

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69points

#20

Make a habit of always doing some exercise while you're at something casual. Sorry about my english, but to make an example: You go in through a specific door or hallway, and then you just start doing random jumper jacks in a specific amount. After some time, your brain will turn that into a habit, so that it becomes routine, and it'll keep you exercised.

MommysBigBoii

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66points

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