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As in other mammals, human thermoregulation is an important aspect of homeostasis. In thermoregulation, body heat is generated mostly in the deep organs, especially the liver, brain, and heart, and in contraction of skeletal muscles. [1] Humans have been able to adapt to a great diversity of climates, including hot humid and hot arid.
Skin temperature is a crucial aspect of human physiology and often plays a significant role in affecting thermoregulatory processes. Regulation of skin blood flow is crucial to homeothermy. Sympathetic control of blood flow to the skin involves the system of noradrenergic vasoconstriction as well as an active sympathetic system of vasodilation.
Eccrine glands are active in thermoregulation by providing cooling from water evaporation of sweat secreted by the glands on the body surface and emotionally induced sweating (anxiety, fear, stress, and pain). [6] [7] The white sediment in otherwise colorless eccrine secretions is caused by evaporation that increases the concentration of salts.
Thermoregulation: sweat (through evaporation and evaporative heat loss) can lead to cooling of the surface of the skin and a reduction of body temperature. [ 29 ] Excretion: eccrine sweat gland secretion can also provide a significant excretory route for water and electrolytes.
Thermoreceptors of the skin sense the temperature of water. A thermoreceptor is a non-specialised sense receptor, or more accurately the receptive portion of a sensory neuron, that codes absolute and relative changes in temperature, primarily within the innocuous range.
Behavioral thermoregulation takes precedence over physiological thermoregulation since necessary changes can be affected more quickly and physiological thermoregulation is limited in its capacity to respond to extreme temperatures. [34] When the core temperature falls, the blood supply to the skin is reduced by intense vasoconstriction. [18]
One form of homeostasis is thermoregulation. Body temperature varies in every individual, but the average internal temperature is 37.0 °C (98.6 °F). [ 1 ] Sufficient stress from extreme external temperature may cause injury or death if it exceeds the ability of the body to thermoregulate.
A medical thermometer showing a temperature reading of 38.7 °C (101.7 °F). Taking a human's temperature is an initial part of a full clinical examination.There are various types of medical thermometers, as well as sites used for measurement, including: