5 amazing facts about our hands

1. The fingers on one hand are bent and stretched about 25 million times over the course of a lifetime.
2. There are a total of 17,000 touch receptors and free nerve endings in the palm. These pick up sensations of pressure, movement and vibration, so it is with good reason that the sense of touch is often associated with the hand. The skin on our fingertips is especially sensitive to touch.
3. 1/4 of all our body’s bones are found in our hands: 27 total
4. The right and left hand are each controlled by the opposite side of the brain. The left brain is more analytical often associated with reading, writing, and computations. The right brain is more visual and intuitive often linked to imagination, non-verbal cues, and the arts. Mobilizing and activating right or left hand can help stimulate each respective hemisphere.
5. Soon, you might be able to understand how someone far away feels just by reaching out your palm.

Most of us spend hours on end typing, scrolling, grabbing, and holding on to something. And yes, repetitive strain hurts and is never great. Most of us say or think the phrase “I should stretch more” at least a few times a week, but life happens and we don’t always get to it, and it’s not like we want to stop doing all these things. What we can do is acknowledge and celebrate the literal and figurative power of our hands every now and then.

Tension and relaxation are types of tactile information, and tens of thousands of touch receptors are really good at transporting that information throughout our whole body. As we release the tension in our hands our whole body receives a signal to relax. Try it for yourself. Next time you’re nervous about a big presentation or an important conversation massage the insides of your palms and you’ll notice an almost immediate effect.

And let’s not forget the role our hands play in our non-verbal communication. We squeeze our fists when things get tense. We point at objects, we mimic the qualities of the things we are talking about… I gesticulate so much, you’d think I was Italian. Bottom line, our hands help us fully express our thoughts and feelings sometimes with more efficiency than our words do. We don’t have to give it up.

Join our live sessions for 5-minute strategies that activate and care for your hands and other parts of you 3 times a day, Monday-Friday!

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