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Temperature is commonly defined as the degree of hotness or coldness of a body; in other words, it is how cold or how hot a body is at a particular time.
Living things are classified into two based on how their bodies regulate temperature:
In poikilothermic animals, the body temperature is largely dependent on the temperature of the surrounding environment and these animals are said to be cold-blooded.
In homeothermic animals, however, the body temperature does not really depend on that of the environment though may be affected in one way or the other. Homeotherms are called warm-blooded animals and they have the ability to keep their body temperatures within a constant range.
Human beings are warm-blooded animals, hence have a constant body temperature with little variances; being lowest in the morning and highest in the evenings. The body temperature is very important in determining the metabolic activities going on in the body.
An instrument known as the thermometer is used to determine the temperature of a body. It is commonly placed in the armpit, but may also be placed in the mouth (under the tongue), rectum, or over the skin.
The normal body temperature is about 37.5°C; there may be differences based on what part of the body is used to access this value.
What can cause changes and differences in body temperature?
It is important to regulate body temperature because biochemical reactions in the body can only occur under certain conditions of core body temperature. The enzymes that catalyze the reactions necessary for our body’s survival will fail to function and be denatured at either very low or very high temperatures.
When the environment is cold, mechanisms are put in place to prevent our body temperature from falling below normal; therefore the body tries to generate heat by either of the following:
When the environmental temperature is increased, the body tries to lose excess heat by some of the following mechanisms:
When the body temperature falls below 37°C, it is referred to as hypothermia, and when it rises above 37.8°C, it is referred to as hyperthermia.
Therefore, hypothermia is an abnormal decrease in body temperature, while hyperthermia represents an abnormal decrease; the effects of both being very dangerous to the body.
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