Is This Normal? 10 Most Popular Health Questions Searched On Google
Certain health questions are just too embarrassing, or obscure, to ask your friends. Thankfully, that’s where your friend Google comes in. The search engine is no replacement for a doctor, but sometimes it can be the next best thing. A simple search for something like, “What if my,” turns up a whole list of things others like you have typed in, revealing what is weighing on the minds of our neighbors (hint: mostly weird poops).
One main concern is whether something our body is doing is normal, or warrants a clinic visit. These are 10 of the most popular health questions searched in Google beginning with the phrase, “Is it normal?”
Is it normal to talk to yourself?
Yes. Everybody talks to themselves to a certain degree; we remind ourselves of everything from grocery lists to tips for staying calm in a tense situation. It goes way back to childhood, when talking to ourselves was important for our growth — “Private speech is kids’ external version of thought, the Huffington Post explains. “Kids start out their verbal life just playing with words, but eventually start to narrate tough tasks like learning to tie their shoes.” Even though kids eventually learn to keep their thoughts on the inside, that so-called private speech continues into adolescence and adulthood when “we learn new things or find ourselves in a difficult situation.” Talking to yourself is generally only bad if it comes with other symptoms of mental illnesses or contains entirely negative commentary about yourself.
Read: 4 Health Myths and Stereotypes to Forget
Is it normal for hair to fall out?
Yes. According to the Mayo Clinic, people lose 50 to 100 hairs a day, so your lost hairs are likely nothing to worry about. Even seeing a receding hairline or going bald, on a medical level, is nothing to worry about. It’s when your hair is falling out in patches or you see irritated skin on your scalp that you may have an underlying issue — the Mayo Clinic notes that patchy hair loss can be associated with an autoimmune condition, an infection or a skin disorder.
Is it normal that I poop/pee/sweat a lot?
Well, how much exactly are you pooping, peeing and sweating? Normal amounts vary from person to person. In the case of poop, Live Science explains that the average is once a day, but diet and lifestyle play a role and anywhere from three times a day (!) to three times a week is normal as long as the poop itself is a fine consistency and your personal pooping frequency has not drastically changed all of a sudden. Peeing typically occurs more often than pooping, but again is affected by diet. You know you are peeing too much when it disturbs your sleep, your work and your life in general. Finally, sweating too much is a condition called hyperhidrosis, but to reach this level the sweat will be dripping off your hands, soaking through your shirts and affecting your social life.
Is it normal if your breasts hurt?
Yes. Your breasts will be sore on and off with your menstrual cycle because of hormonal changes, Women’s Health magazine reports. You can also have pain if you have overworked the muscles underneath the breasts or you are wearing the wrong bra size.
Is it normal if your heart hurts?
It depends on the kind of pain. A little heartburn is normal, when stomach acid backs up into the esophagus; frequent heartburn is a sign of gastroesophageal reflux disease, or sometimes stomach or esophageal cancer. The kind of hurt that includes pressure or squeezing in your chest could be a heart attack, the American Heart Association explains. “Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back.” Chest tightness can also come with asthma attacks. If your heart hurts in an emotional way, yes, that is normal sometimes, but it’s helpful to talk to someone about your feelings.
Is it normal if you don’t dream?
The most important thing is to actually get sleep — if you are sleeping you have nothing to worry about. And it may just be that you are dreaming, yet you simply cannot remember your dreams once you wake up. Dreaming is generally universal, but “some individuals recall few or no dreams over many years,” Psychology Today says. “These individual suffer no ill consequences from their apparent inability to dream. Dream recall apparently is not necessary for mental, physical or cultural health.”
Is it normal when your period is brown?
Sure. Blood and discharge from your period can be all sorts of shades, from bright red to pinkish to dark brown, because it’s made of the tissue that lines your uterus. The darker-colored blood is older, in that it takes longer to exit your body, Bustle notes. The only color that should alarm you is gray, because that discharge is a sign of an infection.
Is it normal when pregnant to have cramps?
Yes. According to pregnancy website The Bump, early during pregnancy you may experience lower abdominal cramping, because everything is stretching out. You should only be alarmed if the pain is intense or there are other signs of trouble, like bleeding. Even some bleeding, however, is sometimes normal as well.
Is it normal to feel your heartbeat?
If you feel your heart pounding or racing, in your chest as well as your throat or neck, you are having palpitations. The U.S. National Library of Medicine describes this as having “an unpleasant awareness of your own heartbeat” or feeling skipped or stopped beats. Palpitations are often not serious — and may be linked to stress or your coffee intake — but if the heart’s rhythm is abnormal it could be tied to an errant heart valve, a low potassium level, heart disease or other conditions.
Is it normal that I don’t feel pregnant?
If you are sure you are pregnant, probably. Pregnancy symptoms and side effects vary from person to person. The Bump says “feeling good doesn’t make you any less pregnant,” so if you don’t have morning sickness or fatigue, enjoy it. Symptoms like morning sickness also tend to fade in the second trimester, while heartburn may get worse, Healthline explains. If you are still worried, you can always talk to your doctor.
