Body temperature rises and falls and the body adjusts accordingly, keeping you comfortable and healthy. Sometimes we can stress our body’s temperature regulator without realizing it. Most of the time, the effect is temporary, but it’s still good if you understand what causes your body temperature to fluctuate.
10 Interesting Facts about Body Temperature
Have you ever wondered why a spicy bowl of chili sounds so good when you are cold? Read through these facts and find out.
1. Smoking causes your body temperature to rise.
The temperature at the end of a cigarette is 203 deg Fahrenheit. When you breathe in the heated smoke, you can cause your body to lightly overheat. You raise your body temperature. Often, smoking can cause you to lose the ability to cool your temperature. Once you stop smoking, you temperature usually takes about 20 minutes to return to normal.
2. Your nose gets warmer when you lie.
Spanish scientists from the University of Granada confirmed that the area around your nose and eyes heats up when you lie. This response can be recorded with a thermal scan.
3. A cold heart protects your brain.
A cold heart is not such a bad thing, especially after a heart attack. Physicians from Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore have developed a technique of lowering body temperature to prevent serious damage to the organs. This includes inducing a form of hypothermia after a heart attack.
4. Cayenne pepper warms you up.
Red Pepper not only improves the taste of food but also raises body temperature during digestion. This is why a hot bowl of chili tastes so good on a cold day. Researchers from Purdue University observed that red pepper reduces appetite and speeding up the expenditure of calories. The by-product of burning calories is that it temporarily raises body temperature.
5. Men and women differ.
Men are colder than women.
Temperature responds to changing hormone levels. The body temperature in women varies depending on the phase of their menstrual cycle. A man’s body temperature is often hotter near his testicles.
6. Older usually means colder.
If you have cool hands even on hot summer days, the reason may be your age and circulation. Scientists from Turkey measured body temperature in 133 elderly people aged 65 to 74 years and found that their body temperature was below normal. In the age group 75-84 years, the temperature was even lower, and the lowest was in those older than 85 years.
7. Increased body temperature interferes with sleep.
Body temperature affects the quality of sleep. Scientists from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience in Amsterdam found that people sleep better when the skin is cool. Survey participants were issued special suits that lowered skin temperature. The participants slept more deeply. Particularly good results showed in elderly participants who complained of insomnia.
8. Body temperature indicates the time of death.
When a person dies, the body temperature decreases by 1.5 degrees per hour. If the medical examiner determines the temperature of the body of the deceased then he can determine the time of death. This fact was first discovered by the English chemist and physician-lover John Davy in the year 1839.
9. A hat does not always help.
Remember how your mom told you that you should wear a hat when it is cold because the heat goes through your head? She was wrong, according to a study published in the medical journal BMJ. When you lose heat, and the temperature drops, it occurs in all parts of the body simultaneously. The amount of heat that you lose through a head depends on many factors: how thick your hair is, and how much energy you spend in the cold. But because the baby’s head is proportionally larger in relation to the surface of their body, children can lose more heat, if they do not wear a hat.
10. High body temperature is not always a bad thing
According to the American Academy of family physicians, you have a fever when your body temperature is one degree more than the norm. A fever can be a good thing. Temperature is a reaction of the immune system and helps the body fights infection. In many cases, the higher the temperature, the harder your body is working to fight disease, however, a fever can cause dehydration and other side effects. If it does not subside after a few days or if the temperature is extremely high, ask for help.
If you want more information on holistic health, contact Illuminari MedSpa. We serve clients in Agoura Hills and the surrounding areas.