What prevents the body from overheating?


Question:
The normal temperature of the body is 36.9 centigrade (97.4 farenheit) but if I go to a country where the temperature is say 42 degrees I don't overheat and reach the same temperature as my surroundings. Sweating and increased circulation alone can't prevent me reaching the ambient temperature so what other factors are involved?

Answers:
By sweating.

In humans, sweating is primarily a means of temperature regulation. Evaporation of sweat from the skin surface has a cooling effect due to the latent heat of evaporation of water. Hence, in hot weather, or when the individual's muscles heat up due to exertion, more sweat is produced. Sweating is increased by nervousness and nausea and decreased by cold. Animals with few sweat glands, such as dogs, accomplish similar temperature regulation results by panting, which evaporates water from the moist lining of the oral cavity and pharynx. Primates and horses have sweat glands in their skin, similar to humans

Other Answers:
The hypothalamus controls body temperature, hunger, thirst, and circadian cycles.
wow....some much info. why do you need to know so badly? but thanks for making me feel inferior!
air condition
Air movement has a lot to do with it as it hits the sweat it cools off the body quicker. Put your hand in water and pull it out. You will feel that the wet hand will be cooler than the dry hand, especially when it is windy.
drink barley juice
Anyone catch this other than me?
The guy is talking the body temp is 97 degrees, I always thought it was 98.6, but no matter. He's going to a country where it's 42 degrees and wants to know why he isn't overheating?
Because it's FORTY TWO DEGREES! You'd be shivering to keep warm, not sweating to keep cool.
But aside from that this is what I think.
Other factors can come from the facts of standing in direct sun light or in shade. Staying fully dressed or stripping down as far as you can. Heavy clothing or light clothing. Colors of clothing come into play also. And you'd be surprised what the body can do to make you try to cool off more. Light headed, weak kneed feeling makes you sit down and take it easy and allows the heart rate to slow, thus cooling the body more.
If your body can't reduce its heat enough, it'll go into heat exhaustion that will make you lay down, or heat stroke that can make you pass out, further reducing the heart rate in an attempt to cool down.


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