Question

ou have had the opportunity to review thermoregulation as is pertains to the human body. With this discussion, you will need to explain what thermoregulation is and why is it important?

Please make an initial post by midweek, and respond to at least two other student's posts with substantial details that demonstrate an understanding of the concepts, and critical thinking. Remember that your posts must exhibit appropriate writing mechanics including using proper language, cordiality, and proper grammar and punctuation. If you refer to any outside sources or reference materials be sure to provide proper attribution and/or citation.

Answer 1

The maintenance of a fairly steady body temperature even under a variety of external conditions, is important to all animals because each species has a preferred body temperature at which functioning is optimal which is termed as thermoregulation. These external conditions can include changes in temperature, vapor pressure, air velocity, and insulation among other factors that affect the temperature of the skin. Radiation, convection, and evaporation are means of heat loss that are directly related to the surface area of the body.(Polk,1995)

Sweating and active cutaneous vasodilation are the major autonomic defenses against heat.(Buono ,1988)

When the rate of heat production in the body is greater than the rate at which heat is being lost, heat builds up in the body and the body temperature rises. Conversely, when heat loss is greater, both body heat and body temperature decrease.Most of the heat produced in the body is generated in the deep organs, especially in the liver, brain, and heart, and in the skeletal muscles during exercise.Then this heat is transferred from the deeper organs and tissues to the skin, where it is lost to the air and other surroundings. Therefore, the rate at which heat is lost is determined almost entirely by two factors:

• How rapidly heat can be conducted from where it is produced in the body core to the skin
• How rapidly heat can then be transferred from the skin to the surroundings.

The temperature of the body is regulated almost entirely by nervous feedback mechanisms, and almost all these operate through temperature-regulating centers located in the hypothalamus.The temperature control system uses three important mechanisms to reduce body heat when the body temperature becomes too great:

• Vasodilation of skin blood vessels
• Sweating
• Decrease in heat production.

When the body is too cold, the temperature control system institutes exactly opposite procedures. They are:

• Skin vasoconstriction throughout the body
• Piloerection
• Increase in thermogenesis (heat production)(Guyton, 2006)

Thermoregulation is a process that allows your body to maintain its core internal temperature. All thermoregulation mechanisms are designed to return your body to homeostasis. This is a state of equilibrium.(holland,2016)

REF:

1. Buono MJ & Sjoholm NT. Effect of physical training on peripheral sweat production. Journal of Applied Physiology 1988; 65: pg.no 811
2. Polk, Charles and Elliot Postow, ed. Handbook of Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields. 2nd ed. CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, 1995
3. Arthur C. Guyton,John E. Hall,2006,Textbook of medical physiology,11th edition ,pg.no 889-896
4. Kimberly Holland,2016,thermoregulation , retrieved from www.healthline.com