Interesting Facts About Pain You May Not Know

Pain! There’s no question about it that no one likes to suffer from any kind of pain. But, pain is also very important for you. I know, I know, wait, let me put some light on it. You feel pain when there’s something wrong with your body. Or in other words, pain is a message from your body that you need to pay attention to that particular part of your body. Maybe you suffered an injury that’s causing the pain. And thanks to Google, we all can find some online pain management tips, but it’s always better to consult a doctor for your pain. This is important especially if you are suffering from chronic pain. What is chronic pain? Any pain that lasts for weeks, months, or even years comes under the category of chronic pain. More than 76 million Americans suffer from chronic pain, that’s more than cancer, heart disease, and diabetes combined together. This was simple to understand, and chances are that you have heard about chronic pain before also. But, there are some more mysterious facts about the pain that you might not be familiar with. So, read along and learn about some fascinating facts about pain.

Table of Contents

1. Your Brain Can Interpret Pain, But Cannot Feet it

Well-well, what do we have here? The brain is the organ that gets the signal that you have stubbed your toe somewhere (for example) through nerve fibers. Then your brain sends the signal of pain back to your toe that hurts. And while your brain works as an interpreter, it is an organ that does not have pain-sensitive nerves. You feel pain only for the structures surrounding your brain. That’s why surgeons can operate on the brain without anesthesia once they are inside the brain. Now, that’s interesting.

2. Your Thoughts And Attitude Can Affect Pain

I know, it sounds a bit weird, but there is much evidence that proves that meditation can help in reducing pain. In fact, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can also help in managing the pain. You can frame your pain in a different way with the help of CBT. This helps you in changing your behavior. Therapy can help you provide the reality check you need to overcome your fears about pain. Many people suffering from chronic pain tend to believe things like exercising can cause damage to their bones. But, that’s not true at all. In fact, you need to exercise to get stronger.

Also, dwelling on your pain is not going to help you either, instead, it will make you feel even worse. Consult a doctor and find a solution to your pain. Here’s a trick for you, your brain can not focus on more than one sensation at a time. So, if you are suffering from some kind of pain, try to focus on different things, and distract your brain from the pain. That’s why rubbing on the area that’s hurting can help, as you override the sensation of pain by rubbing it.

3. The sensation of Pain is Different For Men And Women

It’s true, women feel more pain than men, at least that’s what doctors say. According to doctors, they see more women than men telling them about being in pain. But, when it comes to processing pain in the brain, there’s not much difference between the two sexes. This happens maybe because of the hormonal differences, and conditions and experiences like menstruation and childbirth. The role of gender and how we perceive pain may also play a role here. Although, more research is needed on this topic.

4. Sex Can Relieve Pain

It won’t be the first thing that would come to your mind when you are feeling some pain and trying to find ways to alleviate your pain. But, many studies show that people suffering from migraines saw improvement in their symptoms when they had sex during an attack. This could be because of the release of feel-good endorphins in the brains when aroused. These endorphins can act as natural painkillers in your body.