Why am I ticklish?

Note: Please follow previously shared guidelines.

We humans, usually feel ticklish because our skin is full of tiny sensors. When we touch something or vice-versa, these touch sensors get activated and alerted and send signals along the nerves to the brain.

A tickle can feel nice, but in some instances, if it is aggressive, it can become painful and the brain will send a message to the body to move away.

The Nervous System

The sensory system of our body is a part of the larger nervous system.

There are billions of nerves running in our bodies, all of which are connected. They connect to the spinal cord, which then connects to the brain. Nerves carry information to and from our brains at lightning speed, telling our bodies exactly what to do.

Skin Sensors

Billions of sensors on our skin help our brain to decide if the things we touch feel cold or hot, smooth or sharp, pleasant or dangerous. According to this feeling, our brain sends a signal so that we can remove our body parts from the source of the discomfort.

From Foot To Brain

Nerves in our foot pass their signals up through the leg, to the spine and then to the brain. The longest nerve is the sciatic nerve. It runs from our foot, all the way up to our leg, to our spine.

Muscle Messages

Nerves also carry signals back from the spinal cord and the brain to our muscles, telling them to move.

Being Tickled

When a feather tickles at our feet, our touch sensors fire off and send a lot of little signals to the brain. The brain reacts by making us laugh.
This doesn’t happen if we try to tickle ourselves, because our brain already knows how it will feel and stops its responses.

Fun Facts

• A pain signal can travel from our toe to our brain in a fraction of a second.\
• It is believed that there are more nerve cells in our human bodies than the number of stars in the Milky Way Galaxy!

Related Questions:

1. What happens to our senses when we die?
2. Why don’t we respond when we faint?
3. How many sensors are there in our skin?

Objective Questions:

• The longest nerve is called the ________.
• Most nerves originate from our ________.
• The _______ controls all the signals sent through the nervous system.
• There can be _______ number of sensors in our body.
• Our _______ sensors are always activated for any immediate response.

True Or False:

1. We cannot feel ticklish if we tickle ourselves. :_______
2. The longest nerve is present in our thighs: ______
3. Nerves are uncountable: ________
4. Our skin has a lot of touch sensors on it: ________
5. Nerves can carry back messages to and from from the brain: ______