Our bodies are a complex collection of numerous biological cycles and systems that can often be difficult
to fully understand. The body’s set of defense mechanisms constitute one such system. They protect us from
harm 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from a whole number of things that could potentially harm us. Here are nine fascinating things your body does which you may not have even realized were ranked among
those defense mechanisms.

1) Yawning
The main purpose of yawning is to cool down the brain after it’s been overheated or overloaded.

2) Sneezing
Usually, we sneeze when our nasal passages fill up with too many allergens, microbes, dust, or other irritants.
Sneezing is the body’s way of getting rid of this "trash."

3) Stretching
We instinctively stretch in order to prepare our bodies for the physical loads we expect them to take during the
day. At the same time, stretching works the muscles, restores blood flow, and improves our mood.

4) Hiccuping
When we eat very quickly, swallow large pieces of food, or simply overeat, our pneumogastric nerve can
become irritated. This is closely connected to our stomach and diaphragm. The result is a bout of hiccups.

5) Myoclonic jerks
This refers to that strange feeling when you lie down to go to sleep, and as you start to drift off your body
is jolted for a second by what seems like an electric shock. In this moment, all of your muscles spasm
so strongly that you almost fall out of bed, and you wake up straightaway. This phenomenon is the result of the fact that when you begin to fall asleep, the frequency of your breathing rapidly falls, whilst your pulse slows down only very slightly and your muscles are relaxed. Amazingly, your brain interprets these developments as heralding death. So it tries to save you by giving you a jolt.

6) Wrinkling of the skin
The wrinkles that appear on the skin of your hands play an important role. This phenomenon is caused by the
fact that when your body encounters an increased amount of moisture it understands that the environment might
be slippery. So the skin on your hands immediately begins to change in a way that will make it easier for you
to grip smooth surfaces.

7) Loss of memory
Loss of memory often happens after the occurrence of the most unpleasant experiences. Our brains literally
delete the most terrible moments from our memories.

Goosebumps
The primary function of goosebumps is to reduce the amount of heat our bodies lose through the pores of our
skin, which then makes it easier to warm ourselves in inhospitable climatic conditions.

9) Tears
Apart from acting as protection for the mucous membrane of our eye when foreign objects come into contact
with it, tears serve as an instrument of "emotional defense." Scientists believe that in stressful situations the
body creates a new, powerful source of irritation in order to distract a person from the pain they’re currently
experiencing.

These are just some of the reasons why we should all be very grateful to our bodies for working to protect us every single day. Remember to relax — your body’s got everything covered!

source:https://brightside.me/wonder-curiosities/9-strange-things-your-body-does-that-you-never-knew-were-defense-mechanisms-263110/

Nice & insightful. i love the work of the myoclonic jerks.

Are there any dangers in trying to suppress any of these actions? e.g sneezing

Havilah93:
Are there any dangers in trying to suppress any of these actions? e.g sneezing

Yes there are. Suppressing a sneeze can potentially amplify pressure in the sinus and ocular cavities, which can burst blood vessels in the eyes, brain and in rare cases, rupture eardrums. It's best to let it out