The part of human body that can produce electricity is not just one or shall I say, this does not just rest on a single part of the body as almost every significant part of the human system produces heat or energy which in turn becomes electricity.
Alternatively, the average human body produces about 100 watts of power at rest, which would be enough to power a light bulb, and that we produce even greater watts of power during high-intensity activities.
The Significance of the Electric Power to the Human Body
The human body is constantly using electric signals to communicate, move & think. The communication occurs as signals in the nervous system.
Our whole bodies are using e-impulses, which can travel up to 120 meters per second. But unlike our power networks and electricity at home, which work with free electrons, electricity in our bodies comes from charged chemical signals which lets our human cells use that power.
The Human Brain: Producer of the Electric Heat
Electrical signals can be generated from your brain, where they travel to different areas of your body – or it can work the other way around. You can dip your toes into water, and even if your eyes are closed, your brain will understand what’s happening, because those sensory signals traveled through your body.
But the body likes to use multiple senses together, so that you’re not fooled. Think about those children’s games at Halloween, where your friend’s mom tells you that you’re touching slimy eyeballs – but it’s really peeled grapes.
These signals travel from wherever they are produced, through the body by way of the cells with the help of the axons, which are a part of the neuron that transmits signals, like wires from the cell body to the next neuron.
Read Also: The Energy Humans Produce Per Day
These signals flow through the nervous system in the body, using a system of chemical neurotransmitters, which are created by neurons. Neuron is another word for nerve cell and these cells can communicate with each other through connections called synapses.
How the Neurons of the Brain Work for Electric Production
There are different types of neurons like sensory neurons, motor neurons, interneurons – but when they group together they can form a neural circuit. Individually, they are made up of different parts, called soma (the cell body), dendrites and an axon.
And as previously mentioned, they send signals to one another through both electrical and chemical processes. Sodium and potassium ions move in and out of the cell, across the membranes, which causes the electrical signal to increase and the neurons to fire.
The brain has around 86 billion neurons, which are interconnected by around a quadrillion synapses. Those are some big numbers! Although we’ve said that the electrical systems in the body are different from our own distribution networks, they do share one thing in common.
The Importance of Glucose to the Production of Electricity
The brain produces its internal power from glucose. Other organs in your body require different types of fuel, but the brain really wants glucose and consumes around 120 g daily.
Glucose is nothing more than a simple sugar. It falls into the category of monosaccharides and is naturally occurring in such foods as fruits and honey. It can also be converted by the liver from other types of sugars.
The Heart needs Electricity!
Turns out that your heart also needs a little electrical power to keep itself beating. Electrical stimuli are generated in the sinus node of the heart, in the upper chamber. Depending on your size, age and fitness level, the heart will produce this electrical stimulus between 60-100 times per minute.
This then travels through the pathways of the organ, helping the heart to contract, which enables it to act as a pump for the blood in our circulatory system.
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