7 Gross Things Your Body Does That’s Actually Good For You

Waking up with sticky or crusty discharge in the corner of your eyes is fairly normal. Everyone gets eye boogers, known as rheum – a mucus-based discharge from your eyes.

According to the National Eye Institute, your eyes are constantly bathed in a tear film that helps them stay moisturised. During the day, each time you blink, the eyes flush away the secretions of rheum. However, at night, while you sleep and there is no blinking, the mucus builds up.

It is a sign of healthy eyes but should there be a change in colour, consistency or amount, it could indicate an infection or something more serious.

There is a massive misconception that visiting the washroom more than once a day indicates some digestive problem. In fact, a normal healthy bowel movement could be anything from a few times a day to a few times a week. It varies from person to person.

Active bowel movements are considered to be healthy as it gets rid of your body’s waste and possible toxins. Most healthy adults do experience diarrhoea or constipation every once in a while, but should there be other signs and symptoms, it should be discussed with a doctor.

If you have calluses under your feet or flaky skin on your scalp and body, it is a sign of healthy and good circulation. Calluses are thick, hardened layers of epidermis that protects your skin against friction and pressure.

Flaky skin on the other hand, is a result of the epidermis, the outermost layer of skin, shedding the older layer of skin to make way for the new. This natural exfoliation increases cell turnover to reveal newer, healthier skin cells. 

Passing gas is a natural part of the human digestive process. Silent or deadly, intestinal gas can indicate healthy gut bacteria. While passing gas 5 to 10 times a day is normal, excessive flatulence can be caused by a variety of highly nutritional foods including beans, dairy products, oats, soy and certain greens like cabbage and broccoli. If it disrupts your daily life, it could be a sign of gastrointestinal illnesses, like Crohn’s disease. 

On any hot day, everyone is likely to experience perspiration or sweating, though some may sweat more than others. It is a normal bodily function that helps to regulate your body temperature. Sweating protects the skin from overheating and also removes the toxins that clog pores.

You will be surprised to discover that sweat itself does not have any smell. The familiar smell of body odour comes from normal skin bacteria breaking down the sweat secretions released from the sweat glands. Either an absence of sweat or an excess of it can be damaging to your health, so keep a track on your sweat!

Our ears naturally self-clean. Earwax, or cerumen, is a normal substance produced to help keep the ears clean and healthy. It prevents debris, dirt and other things from entering into the ear canal and also helps to fight infection.

Sometimes our bodies overproduce earwax, especially if we’re stressed or afraid. Earwax can vary in colour and texture, all depending on your health, diet and even ethnicity. 

While your bodily functions may not always be attractive features, and may at times even be repulsive, it does not mean that there is something wrong with your health.  There are many gross things about the human body that are totally normal and necessary. The most important thing is to pay attention to any changes as our bodies are always giving us clues about our health.