Is It a Sneeze or a Fastball?

A sneeze may start in your nose, but it requires a lot of cooperation from other parts of your body. Your nose sends a message to a special part of your brain to trigger the sneeze (your body's way of getting rid of an irritant in the nose), which requires a quick response from muscles in your chest, belly, throat, and even your eyes. Yes, it's true you always close your eyes when you sneeze. A sneeze is so effective that it can send irritating particles out of your nose at a speed of about 100 miles per hour.

A Cup of Water for Your Hiccups

Researchers know how the body makes hiccups, but they don’t always know why. Unlike sneezes, hiccups offer no obvious benefit. A hiccup occurs when a big abdominal muscle called the diaphragm is irritated. It contracts suddenly, sucking air into your windpipe. In some cases, hiccups can last so long that they require medical treatment. Many of the home remedies your mom prescribed to stop hiccups actually do work, including holding your breath, drinking cold water, and eating a spoonful of sugar. Possible hiccup triggers include anxiety, drinking a carbonated beverage, and eating hot, cold, or spicy food.

Saying Whoa to a Charley Horse or Cramp

Cramps typically occur in muscles that stretch between two joints in your body and are common in the lower legs, feet, arms, hands, and stomach. One known cause of cramping is not getting enough blood to your muscles. The best way to get rid of a painful muscle cramp is to stretch and massage the muscle.

Defrosting the Ice-Cream Brain Freeze

It's a hot summer day, you just took a big lick of ice cream or a big gulp from a cold drink, and suddenly your forehead and temples hurt like heck. Don't worry — you haven't frozen any brain cells. A so-called brain freeze, or ice cream headache, occurs when cold food or drink touches nerves in the roof of your mouth, which then stimulates blood vessels in your head to suddenly swell and cause your head to ache. The pain doesn't last long or do any damage to your brain or any other part of your body.

When a Foot or Leg Falls Asleep

Most people think the tingling that happens when a body part “falls asleep” comes from cutting off the circulation, but it is usually due to putting too much pressure on a nerve. In most cases the body part — typically the legs, feet, arms, and hands — will "wake up" as soon as you change position and relieve the pressure. The medical term for those pins and needles you feel is parestheisia. Paresthesias that keep coming back, or don't go away, could be a sign of a neurological problem and need to be investigated.

When Your Body 'Falls' During a Dream

Have you ever had the feeling of your body falling through space shortly after you fall asleep? Don't worry — you won't die if you hit the ground in a dream, as urban legend speculates. This feeling of falling is a common sleep sensation known as a hypnagogic hallucination. These sleep hallucinations include sensations like falling, being touched, paralysis, hearing voices, or seeing strangers in your room. Sleep hallucinations are more common in children and usually occur soon after falling asleep. Although severe and persistent hallucinations may be a sign of a sleep disorder, most night terrors decrease with age.

Frightful Body Chills and Goose Bumps

A good scare really can give you goose bumps and raise the hair on the back of your neck. Goose bumps can be caused by strong emotions like fear or by exposure to cold. Your body produces the bumps by contracting the muscles around your hair follicles, pulling the hairs into an upright position. Chills that result from exposure to cold or a fever also cause goose bumps, but you can get them without having chills. Another cause of chills and goose flesh is withdrawal from certain drugs, which is where the term "going cold