Almost all humans are sensitive to tickling. For those who experience this, the soles of the feet are a very sensitive area compared to other parts of the body that are amused.
Some feel very ticklish and unbearable when the soles of their feet tickle. There are also those who are more sensitive than that, they cannot afford to be barefoot on the grass because they experience tremendous tingling.
Your sensitivity to tickling is called the tickling response. Scientists have paid attention to this and have studied those parts of the human body that are sensitive to tickling. But until now there are still questions, what is the importance of this research and for what?
Here, we will look at experts’ explanations for why the soles of the feet tingle, and why some people are more sensitive to it than others.
Table of Contents
Why are the soles of the feet tickled?
The feet are a very sensitive part of our body and there are many nerves here. There are about 8000 nerves clustered in the soles of the feet and the ends of these nerves block the receptors for pain and touch responses. Some of these nerve endings are located very close to the skin, which is why sometimes a person is very ticklish when touched on the soles of their feet and others are not.
The tingling sensation that occurs in the body part when it is tickled is divided into two types.
1. Knismesis
Knismesis is a type of tingling that occurs with mild tickling, the effect can be pleasant or vice versa. If you see someone, for example your child asks you to tickle him, and he feels good about this. This is a type of tickling knismesis, it can occur on the arms, legs, or feet.
In addition to a pleasant tingling feeling, knimesis also has a meaning that triggers a painful and disturbing tingling feeling. This could be an insect getting inside your shirt. It is also usually caused by any object that makes you amused and disturbed, such as sand on a beach.
2. Gargalesis
The second tingling taste is gargalesis. When someone really likes to bother you by constantly tickling the soles of your feet and you don’t like them. But it makes you laugh, it means you are experiencing gargalesis.
Gargalesis is sometimes worse if you don’t realize this is happening to you. This type of tickling is a form of protection for vulnerable parts of the body such as your feet. The brain sometimes thinks of this as pain, people won’t be able to tickle themselves to produce a gargalesis response.
You try to tickle yourself, maybe you are not too amused. But if someone else is doing it, it really bothers you.
3. Involuntary (autonomic) response
The two previous types of tickling, namely chismesis and gargalesis, have been shown to touch or affect the brain called the hypothalamus. The job of the hypothalamus is to control your reaction to irritating or painful stimuli.
If you feel discomfort when your feet tickle or you laugh. It is possible that you are experiencing a response from the hypothalamus accidentally.
Some people are more sensitive than others
The response that occurs when you are tickled will differ between you and others. There are those who are very sensitive and sometimes they don’t mind your tickling because they don’t feel anything tickling. In research, it is not certain why it happened like that.
4. Peripheral neuropathy
If the soles of your feet or other parts of your body are not so ticklish or don’t feel the tingling sensation. This could be due to medical factors, such as peripheral neuropathy. This could be a degenerative nerve disease that damages the nerve endings in the soles of your feet.
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These medical factors or peripheral neuropathy can be caused by:
- Infection
- Pressure on nerves
- Trauma
- Auto immunity disease
- Hypothyroidism, and
- Diabetes
In those with peripheral neuropathy, their nerve endings have problems or don’t function properly so they are less tickled when tickled. Well, what happens is that the feet become numb, sore or tingling.
Are tickling feet a sign of diabetes?
Peripheral neuropathy of the feet caused by diabetes is called diabetic neuropathy, or diabetic nerve damage. This can occur in people with type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes.
If the nerves are damaged due to diabetes, the soles of the feet will lose the feeling of tingling. However, it can cause tingling feet, and this is mistaken for tingling. Nerve damage from diabetes can cause numbness in your feet. If you experience something like this, where the soles of your feet are not amused and you are worried about your health, then immediately contact the health service.
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Key takeaways
The soles of the feet are a very sensitive part of the body and for some people this is something that is very sensitive or very tickling. The cause of this tickling response is not fully understood, but it is an accidental response that occurs due to the hypothalamus.
Tickling feet are not caused by diabetes even though it is caused by diabetic neuropathy.
