Your Sense of Touch

While your other four senses (sight, hearing, smell, and taste) are located in specific parts of the body, your sense of touch is found all over. This is because your sense of touch originates in the bottom layer of your skin called the dermis. The dermis is filled with many tiny nerve endings which give you information about the things with which your body comes in contact. They do this by carrying the information to the spinal cord, which sends messages to the brain where the feeling is registered.

The nerve endings in your skin can tell you if something is hot or cold. They can also feel if something is hurting you. Your body has about twenty differnt types of nerve endings that all send messages to your brain. However, the most common receptors are heat, cold, pain, and pressure or touch receptors. Pain receptors are probably the most important for your safety because they can protect you by warning your brain that your body is hurt!

Some areas of the body are more sensitive than others because they have more nerve endings. Have you ever bitten your tongue and wondered why it hurt so much? It is because the sides of your tongue have a lot of nerve endings that are very sensitive to pain. However, your tongue is not as good at sensing hot or cold. That is why it is easy to burn your mouth when you eat something really hot. Your fingertips are also very sensitive. For example, people who are blind use their fingertips to read Braille by feeling the patterns of raised dots on their paper. To learn more about Braille, click on the word "Braille" located on the left-hand side of this page!

You have more pain nerve endings than any other type.

The least sensitive part of your body is the middle of your back.

The most sensitive areas of your body are your hands, lips, face, neck, tongue, fingertips and feet.

Shivering is a way your body has of trying to get warmer.

There are about 100 touch receptors in each of your fingertips.

Rattlesnakes use their skin to feel the body heat of other animals.

Family Fun Magazine - Interesting site that deals with the sense of touch!

Minutes From ME - Good website by Franklin Institute that has general information about the sense of touch, plus good activities.