UNCOVERING YOUR SIXTH SENSE
The term ‘sixth sense’ can conjure up thoughts of the supernatural. In some ways our bodies might actually be tuned to the workings of the paranormal or able to predict the future. While science is yet to prove the existence of a clairvoyant sixth sense, we do have a sixth and even seventh sense that we all experience every day, perhaps without realising. As well as using our senses to understand the world around us, the human body employs another sensory ability to understand what’s happening within itself, called interoception. This is the body’s way of making sure everything is working, patrolling through the body and taking stock of how internal systems and organs are functioning. For example, interoception alerts us when a hungry stomach needs filling or our full bladder needs emptying. Receptors within almost every piece of tissue in the body use the nervous system to communicate updates to the brain on their wellbeing, such as when making you aware that your heart is beating fast.