New News Biology #38

Body Temperature Regulation

Thermoregulation is just a fancy name for the process of controlling our internal body temperature.

Normally, our body temperature stays at around 37 degrees Celsius. It is measured and controlled by the Thermoregulatory Centre, which is basically the ‘thermostat of the human body’.

Thermoregulation is part of another process known as Homeostasis (ensures a stable internal environment so that our cells could function properly).

Why 37? It has to do with the enzyme rate of reaction. At temperatures less than 37 degrees Celsius, most enzymes work slowly, and at temperatures above that, the enzymes start to become denatured, meaning they can’t fulfill their functions anymore.

The Process and Mechanisms Behind Thermoregulation;

Warming UP (When We’re Cold): To do this, our bodies try to conserve as much heat as possible while also trying to generate more. The mechanisms mostly have to do with our skin, which is the surface area of our bodies, and hence the place where heat escapes the most. There are two process happening here. Firstly, our erector muscles contract, making the ‘hairs’ on our skin stand up, providing our skin with a layer of ‘insulating air’, serving as an air blanket to trap heat. Secondly, is Vasoconstriction, which means the tiny blood vessels (capillaries) close to the surface of the skin contract, making the lumen smaller, effectively restricting blood flow to the skin’s surface. This helps reduce the amount of heat that is normally transferred from the blood to the skin and out of our bodies.

Cooling DOWN (When We’re Very Hot): It’s basically the opposite of all the processes that would happen to warm us up. Instead of contracting, the erector muscles relax. Instead of Vasoconstriction, our bodies conduct Vasodilation, making the lumen of those capillaries larger, and letting more heat transfer out of our bodies. Also, we often sweat when we’re very hot. Sweat is a combination of water and salt, and this is like the water of our air conditioners, which takes away the heat. In our case, the sweat is ‘ejected’ from our bodies onto the surface of our skin.