Usually, your hypothalamus and autonomic nervous system keep your body
within a degree or two of your normal temperature. However, there are times
when your body heat rises. This condition is known as heat stress.
Heat stress may be due to extreme heat, certain foods, or other factors. Several factors can cause your body temperature to rise. Here are a few common reasons for heat stress:
· 1- Wearing tight/ synthetic clothing/ artificial clothing may trap water and produce ineffective decrease in heat.
· 2- An increased activity on the thyroid which raises the metabolic activity by the body processes and causes production of excess heat. Strenuous workout or physical exercise.
· 3- Medical conditions e.g. Seizures and muscular disabilities, arthritis, leukemia, and neurological disorders.
· 4- Certain drugs or stimulants e.g. Amphetamines, cocaine, etc.
· 5- Others factors which will result in increasing body heat are psoriasis, systemic sclerosis, cystic fibrosis, and eczema (as these diseases can affect the normal process of sweating).
· 6- Having an inflammatory illness, such as an infection.Spending time in extremely hot and humid weather. It’s especially likely if you’ve spent time in direct sunlight or have been doing physical activity.
7- Eating spicy, oily, or fried food. In addition, nuts, meats, and other high-protein foods can contribute to heat stress.
8- Consuming drinks with caffeine or alcohol.
9- Performing intense physical exercise. This can cause an increase in heat since active muscles and related blood circulation activity create a lot of heat
10- Being dehydrated. Dehydration can lower your body’s ability to sweat to cool you down and support a normal temperature.
How Does the Body Regulate Your Temperature?
The body’s
temperature control center is the hypothalamus. It’s a small part of the brain
that controls a number of functions. It helps balance body fluids and your salt
concentrations. It coordinates the autonomic nervous system — that’s the system
that controls processes you don’t have to think about, such as breathing, your
heartbeat, blood pressure, digestive processes and your temperature.
The hypothalamus also controls chemicals and hormones that have a role in your body temperature. The hypothalamus is a bit like a thermostat. It works with the autonomic nervous system to track your body temperature and keep it in the appropriate range.
The system can respond to internal and external influences and make adjustments to keep your body within a degree or two of your normal. The hypothalamus and your autonomic nervous system work with your skin, sweat glands, muscles and even your blood vessels to keep your temperature normal.
How Does Your Body’s Air Conditioning
Work?
Since we’re
mammals, we’re warm blooded. Most all of our cells create a bit of heat. Most
of our body heat is created in organs such as the liver, brain and heart. Our
muscles create a lot of heat, especially when we’re active.
Your
hypothalamus and autonomic nervous system continuously adjust a number of
complex activities in your body so your body temperature is typically near your
normal.
When you get hot, your hypothalamus and nervous system prompts the sweat glands to do their work. The sweat glands draw the water from your dermis. That’s the middle layer of your skin and where much of your body’s water is stored. Your sweat causes evaporative cooling on your skin surface.
Salt is part
of sweat because of the way your body moves the water from your dermis into the
sweat glands. Because of this, you can lose salt and need to replace it along
with water if you are sweating profusely.
If the
humidity is high, that means there’s more moisture in the air. This moisture
slows the evaporative effect of sweat, which reduces the cooling effect of
sweat. This reduction in evaporative cooling is why you may feel hotter on humid
days. On humid days your body will likely sweat even more to try to compensate.
On hot, humid
days, drinking lots of water will replace the water you lose through the extra
sweating. Keep in mind, when you feel thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. If
you work or are physically active outdoors on hot, humid days, plan to drink
four cups of water every hour (this is the OSHA recommendation when the heat
index is 103° to 115°F).
Another way your body cools itself is by directing more of your blood to flow nearer to your skin. This cools your blood by releasing heat from your blood through the skin. You may notice someone’s face getting red when they’re hot. That’s part of the body’s effort to shed excess heat.
How Does Your Body’s Heater Work?
There are
times when it’s cold and your body’s furnace needs to take steps to keep you at
your normal temperature. It has some tools to generate more heat.
We all know
shivering. That’s your body using the heat generated by active muscles to boost
your temperature. You can supplement shivering when cold by getting up and moving
around. The more you move, the warmer your body will feel.
Your nervous
system will also boost heat production in your heat-making organs. Your body
will also burn more fuel in your cells to create heat. The typical high-fat
diet of people who live is colder climes helps fuel their bodies’ internal
furnaces.
To reduce heat loss from your blood, blood vessels near your skin will contract and reduce blood flow and heat loss through your skin. More of the blood is kept in your warmer interior (i.e. your torso).
How Can You Help Your Body’s
Temperature Control?
What you wear
goes a long way toward maximizing the efficiency of your body’s air
conditioning and its furnace.
Lots of
garments with performance-fabric are marketed for use by athletes. If you’re
interested, experiment with some different garments and fabrics. Use your best
judgment to decide if you feel they enhance your comfort.
In cold weather, it’s hard
to beat thoughtfully chosen, layered clothing for comfort and freedom of
movement.
To reduce body heat here are some quick practices-
1-
Cold foot bath
Placing your feet in a cold foot bath cools your body and allows you to sit back and relax. Simply add cold water and ice cubes to a bucket of water. Immerse your feet and soak for up to 20 minutes. Add a few drops of peppermint essential oil for an added cooling effect.
2-
Coconut water
Drinking coconut water is a great way to
refresh and revitalize your body. The vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes in
coconut water make it an effective way to
3-
Peppermint
Peppermint is known for its cooling properties due to its high menthol content, which makes one have the sensation of feeling cooler. You can make a hot or iced peppermint tea and drink it throughout the day. While hot tea may seem to make you feel hotter, drinking hot drinks may help you to sweat more and help to cool down your body.
4-
Hydrating foods
Eat plenty of foods high in water
content. Fruits such as cantaloupe, watermelon, and strawberries are good
options.
Try eating lots of vegetables such as celery, cucumber, and cauliflower. You can eat these foods raw in a salad. Alternatively, add a bit of ice to incorporate them into a healthy smoothie since yogurt is also a cooling food.
5-
Sitali breath
I personally prefer this method as it works
perfectly for me. This yoga breathing technique has a cooling effect
on your body and your mind. Sitali breath helps you to relax and cool down both
physically and mentally.
To do this:
1. Sit in a comfortable seated
position.
2. Stick out your tongue and
roll the outer edges together similar to a hot dog bun.
3. If your tongue doesn’t curl
like this, you can pucker purse your lips.
4. Slowly inhale through your
mouth.
5. Then exhale out through your
nose.
6. This is one round.
7. Continue breathing like this for up to 5 minutes.
6- 7- Dress accordingly
Play it cool in a hat with a wide brim and
sunglasses if you’ll be in direct sunlight. You can even carry a parasol or
umbrella.
Wear loose, lightly
colored clothing in natural fabrics such as cotton, linen, or silk.
Semi-synthetics such as rayon and modal can also be worn to combat body heat.
Scientists are developing fabrics created especially to keep you
cool, such as thermal regulation fabrics. Products made with these types
of fabrics are often designed for sport and outdoor activities.
7-
Aloe vera
The leaves and inner gel of this healing
plant can help to lower body temperature. You can apply aloe vera gel to your
skin for a cooling effect. Either use the inside gel of a fresh plant or a pure
aloe vera gel. For added benefits, keep it in the refrigerator before
application.
Aloe vera can also be consumed internally. Use 2 tablespoons of fresh aloe vera gel per cup of water to make a drink. Aloe vera juice by Patanjali is the best in the market and also I prefer it.
8-
Buttermilk
Drinking buttermilk may help to
cool down your body and improve metabolism. It’s also full of probiotics
(traditional buttermilk), vitamins, and minerals that will help to restore your
body’s natural energy if you’re feeling drained by the heat.
Try drinking a glass of cold buttermilk. Adding honey or yogurt is optional but may make the flavor more to your liking.
9-
Chili
Even though eating spicy food can make you feel warm, it can also help to lower your body temperature. That’s because the capsaicin in chilies sends messages to the brain to signal that your body is overheated. This causes you to sweat more than normal and brings on a cooling effect.
Sources- flo.health, foodandremedy.com,
sites.google.com, healthline.com, aurorahealthcare.org, netmeds.com, sweatblock.com.
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