6 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Your Muscles

The Huffington Post  |  By Sarah Klein Posted: 12/12/2013 8:54 am EST
There's not much we could do without our muscles -- swallow, breathe, move at all. Yet despite how essential muscles are to our survival, there's still a lot we don't know about them and how they work. Here are six fun facts you may not have known about your muscles.

There isn't just ONE strongest muscle in your body.

You've probably heard that your tongue is the strongest muscle, and while it is certainly impressive -- with its "combination of elasticity and forcefulness" -- LiveScience explains that there are too many different ways to measure strength to crown any one muscle strongest. The calf muscle, for example, is actually the muscle that exerts the most force, while the jaw muscle exerts the most pressure. And the gluteus maximus is the biggest muscle in the human body.

Muscles grow while you sleep.

All that work you put in at the gym pays off after you hit the hay. In the deep and restorative stages of sleep, the muscles relax and blood flow to the muscles increase. Hormones that fuel muscle development are released and tissues grow and repair, according to the National Sleep Foundation. Without enough deep sleep, don't expect to see results at the gym.

Muscles make 85 percent of your body heat.

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