Winters are synonymous with cold, cough, and fever. During this season, the temperature of the body tends to fluctuate a lot. The upcoming story provides comprehensive information on the average body temperature. It also talks about the temperature vacillations observed during high fever in different age groups.
You can ascertain the overall health of the individual with the help of various vital signs, such as body temperature, pulse rate, respiration rate, heartbeat, and blood pressure.
There is a fixed range pertaining to each sign which helps in demarcating a healthy person from an individual who is unwell or suffering from some disease or disorder. Fluctuation from the normal range is a sign of an underlying disease.
The human body can generate heat and is capable of getting rid of it as well. Despite the large variations in temperatures outside the body, our body skillfully maintains its temperature within a narrow, safe range.
This process which helps in maintaining the average body temperature is called thermoregulation. When the temperature rises, the blood vessels in the skin dilate and carry the excess heat to the skin's surface. This leads to sweating, and as the sweat evaporates it helps in cooling the body.
When the temperature falls, the blood vessels contract as a result of which, blood flow to the skin is reduced to conserve body heat. This process results in shivering which is an involuntary, rapid contraction of muscles. This extra muscle activity thereby helps in generating more heat.
The degree of hotness or coldness can be measured in several locations on the body, such as mouth, forehead, ear, rectum, or armpit. Different types of thermometers, for measuring the temperature, are available in the market.
It is mostly the axillary (relating to the armpit) temperature or temperature of the mouth which is taken into consideration. Temperature is either measured in degrees Celsius or degrees Fahrenheit, and it varies according to the age of an individual.
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Average Human Body Temperature Range
Adults
98.6°F or 37°C is considered to be the normal or average human body temperature of a resting adult. The range of the normal body temperature measured orally (beneath the tongue) is 98.2±1.3°F or 36.8±0.7°C.
When the oral temperature measurement is 99.5°F or higher, an adult is said to have fever. A temperature of around 103°F (39.44°C) is considered as 'high fever' in adults.
Children
The normal temperature range for children is between 96.8°F to 98.24°F. Apart from fever, low temperature in children is also a cause of worry, as it indicates an underlying health problem.
Babies
The usual temperature range for babies is between 96.8°F to 98.6°F (36°C to 37°C). If the temperature recorded for a baby is below 96.8°F, it is considered as low temperature and implies that the baby requires warming up.
If the temperature range is between 98.6°F to 99.5°F, it is considered as low-grade fever which can be caused due to overdressing and over wrapping. When the temperature recorded is within a range of about 100.4°F to 101.3°F, it needs prompt action as it is considered as 'high fever'.
Pregnant Women
The normal temperature of the body during pregnancy generally remains elevated. Normally, the temperature of a woman is between 96.0°F and 97.5°F just before ovulation. The temperature rises usually by 0.4 to 0.6 degrees right after ovulation.
If a woman conceives, the elevated levels of progesterone combined with an increased metabolism, raises her temperature a little during the entire pregnancy.
Temperature of the body tends to elevate due to several other factors, such as infection, certain medicines, like antibiotics, narcotics, antihistamines, etc., trauma or injuries, some medical conditions, like cancer, arthritis, etc.
Excessive exposure to cold, sepsis, alcohol or drug abuse, or certain metabolic disorders, such as diabetes or hypothyroidism are the leading causes for lowering the temperature. People who are frail tend to have a low body temperature. A very high fever can be life-threatening, and one should immediately consult a doctor, without much delay.
Disclaimer: This story is for informative purposes only and should not be used as a replacement for expert medical advice.