Body temperature I Body temperature

Normal human activity is possible within a range of only a few degrees. A decrease in body temperature significantly below 36° and an increase above 40-41° is dangerous and can have serious consequences for the body. If heat transfer is completely stopped by any means, it will die in 4-5 h from overheating.

The necessary balance between heat production and heat release is maintained by the central nervous system. Information about body temperature comes to it from peripheral and central thermoreceptors, some of which perceive an increase in temperature, others - a decrease in temperature. External (peripheral) are located in the skin and respond to changes in its temperature, mainly associated with changes in ambient temperature. Central receptors are located in various areas of the brain and spinal cord and respond to changes in the temperature of the internal environment, in particular the blood that washes it.

There is a distinction between the temperature of the internal environment of the body and the temperature of the skin. The temperature of the internal organs is different, depends on the intensity of the biochemical processes occurring in them and is much higher than the temperature of the skin - in the rectum it is 0.3-0.4 ° higher than in the armpit. It has the highest temperature (about 39°). The temperature of human skin is not the same in different parts of it: higher in the armpit, somewhat lower on the skin of the neck, face, torso, even lower on the skin of the hands and feet, and the lowest on the skin of the toes.

In humans, T., when measured in the armpit, ranges from 36-37.1°. T. t. depends on the ambient temperature, its humidity, speed, intensity of muscle work, clothing, cleanliness and moisture of the skin, etc. Physiological fluctuations in T. t. during the day are known: the difference between morning and evening T. t. is on average 0.3-0.5°, and the morning one is lower than the evening one; in elderly and senile people, T. t. may be slightly lower than in middle-aged people. In early childhood, there is a special instability of T. t. with large fluctuations in different conditions (see Infant (Infant)). Most inflammatory and infectious diseases are accompanied by an increase in T. t.; in some infectious diseases, a certain pattern of changes is noted, which has diagnostic significance. T. T. can decrease in case of poisoning with various poisons, in coma, and in some debilitating diseases.

To measure T. t., a medical one is usually used. A mercury thermometer is a glass case with a small reservoir filled with mercury and a glass tube - a capillary attached to a scale inside the case. The thermometer scale allows you to determine body temperature from 35 to 42° with an accuracy of 0.1°. When it is measured, it heats up in the tank and is forced out to a mark corresponding to the body temperature at the time of measurement. A pin is soldered between the capillary and the reservoir to prevent the reverse movement of mercury, and the thermometer records the maximum temperature to which the mercury has risen.

To measure body temperature, the lower part of a thermometer with a mercury reservoir is placed in the armpit, which has been previously wiped dry. Sometimes the thermometer is placed in the inguinal fold, in the rectum, in these cases the rules of use are explained by a nurse. It is necessary to ensure the correct position of the thermometer, especially in children, the elderly and restless patients, holding it, because If positioned incorrectly, the thermometer may show a lower temperature.

Temperature is measured at 7-10 min, usually twice a day, in the morning between 7 and 9 o’clock and in the evening between 17 and 19 o’clock, and in some cases, as directed by a doctor, more often. noted on the temperature sheet (at home they write it down on a regular piece of paper), because It is important to establish fluctuations in body temperature.

After measuring the temperature, the thermometer is shaken vigorously several times, and the mercury drops, usually below the measurement scale. Shake carefully so as not to break the thermometer. If this happens, the mercury should be collected and removed from the room, because Mercury vapor is harmful.

At home, the thermometer is stored in a case. Before use, wipe it with a cotton swab moistened with alcohol or cologne, and, if necessary, wash it with warm (but not hot) water and soap.

1. Small medical encyclopedia. - M.: Medical encyclopedia. 1991-96 2. First aid. - M.: Great Russian Encyclopedia. 1994 3. Encyclopedic Dictionary of Medical Terms. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. - 1982-1984.

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Thermoregulation is one of the most important abilities of our body. Temperature is maintained by the body at a certain level, reflecting its ability to produce heat and exchange with the environment. During the day, the temperature level may fluctuate, but only slightly. This is due to the metabolic rate: in the morning it is minimal, and in the late afternoon it increases by approximately 0.5°C.

Temperature of a healthy person

From early childhood we know: normal human temperature is 36.6°C. A slight deviation in one direction or another is allowed. Depending on the person’s condition, microclimate, daily rhythm and other parameters, it can range from 35.5 to 37.4°C. The average temperature of women is slightly higher than that of men by 0.5-0.7 °C.

Body temperature can also vary among representatives of different nationalities: for example, for the Japanese, its average value is 36 ° C, for Australians it is about 37. The thermometer readings also differ in different parts of the body: in the armpit they are lower than on the toes.

During the day, the temperature of the same person can vary within one degree. The lowest value is reached at 4-6 am, and the highest at 4-8 pm. In women, temperature can vary depending on the day of the cycle. For some people, 38°C is considered normal and is not a sign of any disease.

Normal human body temperature is maintained at the same level thanks to the work of the hypothalamus and thyroid gland: thyroid hormones are responsible for metabolic processes. Estradiol affects basal temperature; it decreases as its amount increases. The process of thermoregulation is very complex and deviations from the norm should immediately alert you. An increase or decrease in temperature indicates that there are problems in the body that need to be addressed urgently.

Severely low temperature

You should worry when the thermometer shows less than 35.2°C. At a temperature of about 32.2 ° C, a person feels stunned, 29.5 - loses consciousness, and 26.5 leads to death in most cases.

The cause of hypothermia may be one of the following factors:

• disruption of the functioning of thermoregulatory centers in the central nervous system. This happens with organic brain lesions: tumors, injuries.
• hypothyroidism
• paralysis, paresis, which lead to a decrease in muscle mass, and consequently to a decrease in heat production.
• exhausting diets and fasting lead to the body not having enough energy to produce heat.
• hypothermia is a person’s prolonged exposure to low temperatures when the body’s own regulatory mechanisms cannot cope with thermoregulation.
• dehydration: lack of fluid in the body leads to a decrease in metabolism.
• alcohol: ethanol disrupts all brain functions, including thermoregulatory ones.
• ionizing radiation: free radicals affect metabolism, resulting in a decrease in body temperature.

A moderate decrease in temperature (up to 35.3°C) may be due to the following reasons:

• overwork, prolonged stress, both physical and mental, chronic fatigue.
• disordered diet, unbalanced diet, physical inactivity.
• hormonal problems, pregnancy, menopause, diseases of the thyroid gland, adrenal glands.
• disturbance of carbohydrate metabolism due to liver diseases.

Low-grade fever

Do not underestimate a slight (37 - 37.5°C) increase in temperature: it may not pose any threat, but may indicate serious disturbances in the functioning of the body. Therefore, it is important to find out the cause of this condition.

Low-grade fever can result from:

• hard hard work in a hot environment, playing sports;
• sauna, hot bath, bath, solarium;
• increased production of thyroid hormones by the thyroid gland, which leads to increased metabolism;
• viruses, colds;
• hot, spicy food;
• inflammatory diseases in chronic form.

Severe illnesses that pose a threat to human life also lead to prolonged low-grade fever. Tuberculosis and oncology in the early stages give a slight increase in temperature as one of the symptoms of the disease. Therefore, it is very important not to knock it down, but to consult a doctor to find out the reasons. Symptoms such as weakness, sweating, weight loss and inflammation of the lymph nodes should be especially alarming. Additional examination will help identify the cause and eliminate it in time.

Febrile temperature

A temperature above 37.6°C indicates the presence of inflammation in the body. In this way, the body fights pathogens and creates unfavorable conditions for their existence. Therefore, you should not immediately knock it down with medication. Up to 38.5°C, you can simply drink a lot of water to reduce the concentration of toxins - this way they are eliminated from the body through sweat and urine.

Pyretic temperature

A temperature above 39°C indicates an acute inflammatory process. If the thermometer shows more than 39, doctors recommend starting to take antipyretics (the most popular drug is aspirin). In this condition, convulsions are possible, so you need to be more careful for those people who have concomitant diseases.

Frequent culprits of this condition are bacteria and viruses that enter the body through burns, injuries, hypothermia, and airborne droplets. A doctor can tell you exactly this after taking all the tests. At high temperatures, a person feels weakness, loss of strength, headache, chills, and body aches. Appetite is greatly reduced, sweating and arrhythmia are observed.

Hyperpyretic temperature

You should sound the alarm if the thermometer mark has crossed 40.3°C. This condition is life-threatening and requires immediate medical attention. The critical temperature is 42°C: metabolism in the brain tissue is disrupted, which leads to death.

The human body depends on the functioning of the thermoregulatory center, which is located in the hypothalamus. In mammals, the temperature of the skin varies widely, from 35.5 to 39.5°C. The “hottest” creatures are birds, since on average their body temperature fluctuates in the range of 38.8-43°C. High temperatures allow you to be more active, especially in winter. An excellent appetite is required to maintain it. For comparison, here’s an example: a crocodile needs to eat 20(!) times less food per day than a person weighing 60 kg.

Reliable thermometers appeared only in the middle of the 18th century, and then scientists decided that the normal human body temperature should be 37 ° C when measured rectally or orally. But in fact, the average temperature is 36.6° or perhaps even less, which is confirmed by the latest research. Throughout the whole day, the normal human body temperature varies from 35.5 to 37.2°. The temperature varies according to the daily rhythm: the lowest is in the morning, at about 6 o'clock, and it reaches its maximum values ​​​​in the evening. A normal person does not depend on our level of activity, it follows the solar circadian rhythm: a person who works at night and sleeps during the day has no changes in temperature during the day, unlike other people. Lower temperature values ​​(below 35°) indicate the development of a serious illness (most often the consequences of radiation). With significant hypothermia, a person falls into a stupor (when the values ​​drop to 32.2°). When reaching 29.5°C, most people lose consciousness, and at a temperature of 26.5°C and below, death occurs. The recorded record for survival during hypothermia is 16°C, and in the experiment it was 8.8°C.

Normal human body temperature depends on age and gender. Basically, the body temperature of the male body is slightly higher, by about half a degree. In the first days of life, babies’ temperature is most often elevated and is approximately 37°C in the armpit. Then the normal temperature of a child is no different from that of an adult. It should be noted that in the body of girls, stabilization of body temperature occurs at 13-14 years old, but for boys later - at 18. With age, a person’s body temperature decreases, because all processes in the body, including thermal production, slow down. Its variability is also reduced under the influence of ambient temperature.

There is a topography of skin temperatures (it is absent in newborns). The coldest parts of the body are the shells of the ears, the tip of the nose and the distal parts of the extremities. These places are characterized by temperatures of 23-30°. The “hottest” areas are the axillary region, perineum, epigastrium, lips, neck, and cheeks. In other areas, the temperature fluctuates between 31-33.5°C.

Each individual person has their own normal temperature. A person’s normal temperature can be 37.7. To find out normal indicators, you need to measure your temperature when you are calm (it increases with overheating, emotional arousal, and increased physical activity). It is better to measure it not only in the armpit, but also in the rectum. This must be done in the morning, then in the afternoon and in the evening. Please note that a newborn baby’s temperature can be measured under the armpit, in the rectum and inguinal fold, but not in the mouth (this can only be done when using a special pacifier thermometer). Write down and remember the received data. If you suddenly get sick, you will be able to confidently understand how much your temperature has risen, which will allow for a more accurate diagnosis of your health in a timely manner.

A vital function of the human body is thermoregulation. The human body generates heat, maintains it at an optimal level, and carries out temperature exchange with the air environment. Body temperature is an unstable value; it changes insignificantly during the day: in the morning it is low, and in the evening it rises by about a degree. Such fluctuations are caused by daily changes in metabolic processes in the body.

What does it depend on?

Body temperature is a value that shows the thermal state of any living creature. It represents the difference between the production of heat by the body and heat exchange with the air. A person’s temperature constantly fluctuates, which is determined by the following factors:

• age;
• physical condition of the body;
• climatic changes in the environment;
• some diseases;
• period of day;
• pregnancy and other individual characteristics of the body.

Stages of body temperature change

There are two classifications of temperature changes. The first classification reflects the stages of temperature according to thermometer readings, the second - the state of the body depending on temperature fluctuations. According to the first medical classification, body temperature is divided into the following stages:

• low - less than 35°C;
• normal - 35 - 37°C;
• subfebrile - 37 - 38°C;
• febrile - 38 - 39°C;
• pyretic - 39 - 41°C;
• hyperpyretic - more than 41°C.

According to the second classification, the following states of the human body are distinguished depending on temperature fluctuations:

• hypothermia - less than 35°C;
• norm - 35 - 37°C;
• hyperthermia - more than 37°C;
• fever.

What temperature is considered normal?

What should be the normal temperature for a healthy adult? In medicine, 36.6°C is considered normal. This value is not constant; during the day it increases and decreases, but only slightly. There is nothing to worry about if the temperature drops to 35.5°C or rises to 37.5°C, since its fluctuations are greatly influenced by climatic conditions, age and well-being of a person. In people of different ages, the upper limit of normal temperature measured in the axillary fossa is different and has the following values:

• in newborn babies - 36.8°C;
• in six-month-old babies - 37.5°C;
• in one-year-old children - 37.5°C;
• in three-year-old children - 37.5°C;
• in six-year-old children - 37.0°C;
• in people of reproductive age - 36.8°C;
• in older people - 36.3°C.

Usually during the day the body temperature of a healthy person fluctuates within one degree.

The lowest temperatures are observed in the morning immediately after waking up, and the highest in the evening. It should be borne in mind that the female body temperature is on average 0.5°C higher than the male body, and can vary significantly depending on the menstrual cycle.

It is interesting to note that representatives of different nationalities have different body temperatures. For example, in most healthy Japanese people the body does not heat above 36.0°C, and in the inhabitants of the Australian continent the temperature is considered to be 37.0°C. Human organs also have different temperatures: the oral cavity - from 36.8 to 37.3°C, the intestines - from 37.3 to 37.7°C, and the hottest organ is the liver - up to 39°C.

How to measure correctly with a thermometer

To obtain reliable results, the temperature in the armpit should be measured correctly. To do this, you need to perform the following steps sequentially:

• cleanse the skin in the armpit from sweat;
• wipe the thermometer with a dry cloth;
• shake the device until the temperature on the scale drops to 35°C;
• place the thermometer in the armpit so that the mercury capsule fits tightly to the body;
• hold the device for at least 10 minutes;
• Take out the thermometer and see to what point on the scale the mercury has reached.

It is necessary not only to measure the temperature in the mouth with a mercury thermometer correctly, but also carefully so as not to inadvertently bite into a capsule filled with mercury or swallow its contents. The oral temperature of a healthy person is usually 37.3°C. To correctly measure the temperature in your mouth, you need to do the following:

• Before the procedure, lie quietly for a few minutes;
• remove removable dentures from the mouth, if any;
• wipe the thermometer with a dry cloth;
• place the device with a mercury capsule under the tongue;
• close your lips and hold the thermometer for exactly 4 minutes;
• take out the device, determine to what point on the scale the mercury has reached.

Symptoms and causes of increased body temperature

A low-grade fever of 37.0 - 37.5°C is usually considered normal, but is sometimes a sign of pathologies developing in the body. In most cases, a slight increase in body temperature is caused by the following factors:

• prolonged exposure to the sun;
• intense physical activity;
• bath procedures, taking a hot shower;
• cold, viral infection;
• exacerbation of chronic diseases;
• eating hot or spicy food.

Sometimes a rise in temperature to 37°C is provoked not by harmless factors, but by life-threatening diseases. Most often, low-grade fever is established for a long time in case of malignant tumors and early stages of tuberculosis. Therefore, even a slight increase in body temperature should not be treated negligently, and if you feel the slightest discomfort, you should go to the doctor.

Only a medical professional can determine whether a temperature of 37°C is normal for a particular person. In rare cases, doctors have the opportunity to examine amazing patients for whom 38°C is the temperature norm.

A febrile temperature of 37.5 - 38.0°C is a sure sign of the development of an inflammatory reaction in the body. The body of a sick person is deliberately heated to such a level in order to suppress the viability of pathogenic microorganisms in this way.

Therefore, lowering febrile temperature with medications is not recommended. The body needs to be given the opportunity to overcome the infection on its own, and to alleviate the condition, prevent dehydration and get rid of toxic substances, a sick person should drink a lot of warm water.

At a pyretic temperature of 39°C, there is no doubt that an acute inflammatory reaction is occurring in the body. Typically, fever is caused by pathogenic viruses and bacteria that actively multiply in tissues and organs. Less commonly, a significant increase in body temperature is observed with severe injuries and extensive burns.

Pyretic temperature is often accompanied by muscle cramps, so people prone to convulsive conditions must be extremely careful during inflammatory diseases. When the body heats up to 39°C, you must take antipyretic medications. It is not difficult to understand that a fever is starting, since the following symptoms are usually observed:

• malaise, weakness, powerlessness;
• pain in the joints of the limbs;
• weighting of muscles;
• migraine;
• chills;
• heart rhythm disturbance;
• loss of appetite;
• profuse sweating;
• drying of the skin and mucous membranes.

If hyperthermia reaches 40°C, seek immediate medical attention. The highest temperature that the human body can withstand is 42°C. If the body heats up higher, then metabolic reactions in the brain are blocked, the functioning of all organs and systems stops, and the person dies.

The factor that caused the hyperpyretic temperature can only be determined by a medical specialist. But most often, fever is provoked by pathogenic bacteria, viruses, toxic substances, severe burns and frostbite.

You can increase your body temperature in different ways. If the cooling of the body is caused by severe pathologies, then it is impossible to do without medications. If the decrease in temperature is not associated with diseases, then it is not necessary to use pharmaceuticals; it is enough to warm your feet in hot water, sit with a heating pad, and dress warmly. It is also useful to drink hot herbal tea with honey in the evening.