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An early morning temperature higher than 37.3 °C (99.1 °F) or a late afternoon temperature higher than 37.7 °C (99.9 °F) is normally considered a fever, assuming that the temperature is elevated due to a change in the hypothalamus's setpoint. [15] Lower thresholds are sometimes appropriate for elderly people. [15]
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.
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.
Heat stroke occurs when thermoregulation is overwhelmed by a combination of excessive metabolic production of heat (exertion), excessive heat in the physical environment, and insufficient or impaired heat loss, resulting in an abnormally high body temperature.
Hyperthermia, also known simply as overheating, is a condition in which an individual's body temperature is elevated beyond normal due to failed thermoregulation.The person's body produces or absorbs more heat than it dissipates.
The bicarbonate buffer system regulates the ratio of carbonic acid to bicarbonate to be equal to 1:20, at which ratio the blood pH is 7.4 (as explained in the Henderson–Hasselbalch equation). A change in the plasma pH gives an acid–base imbalance. In acid–base homeostasis there are two mechanisms that can help regulate the pH.
The human body maintains a core body temperature at around 37 °C or 98.6 °F through mechanisms controlled by the thermoregulatory center within the hypothalamus.When the body is exposed to high ambient temperatures, intense physical exertion, or both, the thermoregulatory center will initiate several processes to dissipate more heat: [9] [11] [12]
This is comparable to a common incandescent light-bulb. However, adult humans can produce in excess of 1,000 W (1.3 hp) of heat energy during strenuous exercise. [8] Hence, if the body were perfectly insulated, core temperature would continue to increase until lethal core temperatures were achieved.