The body temperature is the degree of heat of the body. Human beings have mechanisms that allow us to maintain our temperature within narrow limits despite large fluctuations in the environment. This property of mammals, which we share with birds, makes us homeothermic animals.
Under normal conditions, the temperature of humans is between 36.5 and 37.4 ° C. There are variations throughout the day, these cause the temperature to rise in the afternoon and fall to its lowest point between 2 and 4 in the morning.
Body temperature is regulated by the hypothalamus
The brain has a series of structures that allow it to obtain information about the temperature of the body and that of the outside. Inside is a nucleus known as hypothalamus which is the temperature regulating center, it is capable of determining the body temperature through the heat obtained from the flow of blood that circulates through the cerebral arteries, it also receives signals from the outside thanks to nerve endings that arrive from the receptors , a kind of sensors located on the skin.
Thanks to a complex process, the hypothalamus is capable of activating systems that allow it to maintain or dissipate heat, thereby regulating the body's temperature.
When the temperature rises, changes occur in the diameter of the blood vessels and the flow of blood through the skin that activate processes such as sweating, allowing you to lose heat and lower body temperature.
On the contrary, if the temperature decreases, contrary mechanisms are set in motion, the blood vessels contract to divert the flow of blood from the skin to the internal organs, this is accompanied by tremor as a mechanism of muscle contraction to produce heat as well as the erection of the hairs that aims to isolate the body from the environment. These changes allow the temperature to be maintained.
Body temperature acclimatization
By subjecting the body to variations in the temperature of the environment, the regulatory mechanisms are initially activated, which can cause discomfort, especially if the environment is hot. Responses are produced such as the dilation of blood vessels to lose heat, which can cause symptoms such as headache, heaviness, redness, and rapid heartbeat.
If exposure to heat is maintained, the phenomenon of acclimatization occurs, with which the mechanisms of heat loss become less and less noticeable, which makes the individual feel more comfortable in an unusual temperature as the days go by. .
Fever is the main body temperature disorder
It is possible that the hypothalamus is affected causing a "mismatch" of the internal thermostat, this occurs in the course of some infections, as well as with the use of medications and some internal disorders, causing fever.
In these cases the body has its temperature adjustment mechanisms that function normally, however, the hypothalamus takes a higher temperature as normal and adjustments are made to maintain it.
