Recently, there is an increasing number of people with lower than normal body temperatures. Your body temperature adversely affects blood circulation, which in turn can be connected to your immune system, metabolism, and ability to remember things.
What is it about the Japanese diet that helps people be so skinny and live such long lives? Every day after a long day of work people in Japan return to their homes, eat a hearty meal, and take a warm hot bath. Something's telling me that it has may be related to taking a bath.
The temperature of your body not only affects your health. You would be surprised how closely tied it is with your diet.
What Is Normal? – A Look at Human Body Temperature
The human body is said to rests at one temperature called the normothermia, which resides around 98 deg F (36.8 deg C). Although considered normal, body temperature varies slightly from person to person and changes throughout the day as your body makes adjustments throughout the day.
Why are people all the same temperature?
Humans along with other warm blooded mammals are homeotherms which maintain stable internal body temperature. However, throughout homeothermy, thermoregulation keeping your body at the same temperature, practically speaking the temperature of your body changes depending on what part of your day it is, a process known as the circadian rhythm causing your body to differ at most by 1 degree throughout the day.
- Heating up
- Regardless of the surface temperature of your body, your internal temperature is always kept the same. When the air becomes cool around your body, more heat gets lost boy your body, resulting in your body heating the surface of your skin so that you your internal body temperature is left uninterrupted.
- Cooling off
- On the other hand, when it is hot outside, heat is absorbed by your skin from the environment. In order to keep your body temperature from rising too much, your body starts to send out sweat perpetrating from the pours of your skin. The sweat then acts as heat sink between your skin and the environment.
The thermoregulation of your body makes up a large part of your metabolism. It is said that as much as 70 percent of the calories you burn goes into the regulation of your body temperature.
The Calories You Burn Off Regulating Body Temperature
In homeotherms, the temperature at the surface of the skin doesn't change the fact that internal body temperatures remain the same, which differs greatly from poikilotherms such as snakes, organisms that change their body temperature to adapt. This thermoregulatory process requires more energy. Now you can see why poikilotherms can function with low food supplies.
Now you know why it takes so much energy to keep you normal regulating your body temperature. There is nothing like the warm feeling that the calories from the foods you eat are nearly burned off just heating your body.
Thermoregulation and Your Metabolism
Your metabolism often characterized by your basal metabolic rate (BMR), is the bare minimum amount of energy your body needs to function properly. (High BMR = burn off energy sitting around = not get fat) The energy used to keep your heart beating strong and during respiration work into you BMR as well as thermoregulation. Boost your metabolism by increasing the amount of energy your body uses regulating your body temperature.
Below Average Body Temperature = Low Metabolism!?
Discussed previously, thermoregulation requires a lot of calories, using up a majority of the energy you supply to your body. The raising your body temperature happens when muscles of your body activate firing up your body's furnace. This is a little something called shivering. Shivering creates enough energy to keep your body warm temporarily.
Let's look at what we know about the thermoregulation of your body.
Normal body temperature varies from person to person, but a good rule of thumb is that the body temperature of people range between plus and minus one of the accepted normal body temperature. That means there is at least a 2 degrees difference between the lowest temperature and highest temperature during your day. Do the math: In a day that means burning between 300 and 400 more calories and in a week as much as 18,000 calories.
Whether you like it or not, there is a big difference in the amount of calories you burn just by keeping your body temperature stable. This could explain why people with lower body temperatures may more likely to gain weight than those with above average heat dissipating from their body.
Having Low Body Temperature Makes It Harder To Burn Fat!?
Your ability to burn fat goes hand and hand with metabolic enzymes. However, metabolic enzymes don't work as well when your body temperature is low. It is said that in order to activate metabolic enzymes to their maximum potential, your body temperature should be between 96.8 and 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. In other words, when your body temperature is below normal, metabolic enzymes have little effect on your fat metabolism.
Another enzyme you need to consider is that used in digestion. Digestive enzymes not only aiding in burning fat, but is also responsible for digestion, hormone balance, and help out with regenerative process such as the replacement of dead skin. You can now see why warming your body is not just for your diet, but comes with many health and beauty benefits that you can't say no to.
- Relying too much on air conditioning
- Taking a shower instead of a bath
- Eating and drinking cold stuff
- Dressing warm even though it's hot out
- Lack of exercise (Decreased muscular strength)
- Bad eating habits (Fad diets / Skipping meals)
You would be surprised how the convenience of modern day living affects your diet. In particular, it's tempting to set the dial on your air conditioning system to just the right temperature. At home or at the workplace, when you are cold the easiest thing to do is adjust the temperature of the room. However, adjusting the environment to fit your body doesn't help with thermoregulation. At this point your body takes a break in work resulting in lower body temperatures than before.
It doesn't have to be air conditioning, there are many example that could be taken out of you daily life that show the same results. That is why as you diet keeping in mind the work your body is doing to regulate you internal temperature is a definite must.
Smart Ways to Raise Your Body Temperature Back To Normal
When your body temperature falls below normal and you are looking for ways to get it up, it's important that you identify the source and eliminate it.
Take A Break from Air Conditioning Every Once In A While
Although it may be hard to avoid at work or when shopping, avoid turning up the air conditioning to the point you could catch a cold. Not only does this bring your body temperature down, it is said to be one reason why people suffer from headaches and stomach pain. Luckily enough this can be avoided by limiting your use of air conditioning.
How to Get Through the Heat without Relying On Air Conditioning
- Ventilate the room (Let out hot air
- Use curtains to keep the sun out
- Dehumidify the room (Eliminate loose moisture)
- When you feel cold put on something warm
Give Yourself a Bath! – Don't Stop At Taking a Shower:
Taking a bath warms up your entire body. In that respect taking a shower has very little effect. For busy people, find time for yourself and treat yourself to a relaxing bath from time to time.
The right bath water temperature is just above your body temperature, which is about 104 degrees Fahrenheit (Don't worry you are not going to boil) that you would spend between 20-30 minutes bathing in.
| Water Temp. | About 104 degrees F |
|---|---|
| Bathing Time | 20 - 30 minutes |
| Water Level | Enough to submerge your entire body. Taking is half bath fine too. |
| Precautions | Avoid staying in long enough that you become dizzy. |
Avoid Eating Too Much Cold Things
I know how hot summer can get, but eating nothing but ice cools down you internal organs enough to notice a big difference. In particular, eating something cold like a bucket of ice cream is not helping you lose weight.
Avoid situations that cause your internal organs from cooling down by enjoying something warm instead like a cup of hot yogurt to calm you nerves.
Wear Clothes That Fit!
Wearing clothes that grip tight on your skin negatively affect the blood circulation and lymph circulation of your body. That is why it's important to fit in your clothes first before losing weight.
Be careful when wearing clothes that expose your skin because of how easy it is to get cold.
Make Regular Exercise into a Habit
When you try to pick up exercise after a long break of doing nothing, there runs a risk of injuring your body. That is why if you haven't exercise for a while, you should take it easy starting with walking and simple stretches.
Working out is a great way to get the blood flowing.
Eat a Balanced Diet
The number of people skipping breakfast is increasing. The time when your body temperature is the lowest is right after getting out of bed. However, when you don't eat in the morning it becomes harder for your body to warm up, resulting low body temperature.
Get enough balance in your diet and never miss a meal again.
