Homeostasis: Thermoregulation And Body Temperature

Homeostasis is the tendency of an organism or a cell to regulate its internal conditions, usually by a system of feedback controls, so as to stabilize health and functioning, regardless of the outside changing conditions. Humans use homeostasis to regulate control systems such as body temperature, osmotic balance, blood pressure, blood glucose and respiratory gases in tissues. This report will focus on thermoregulation, which is the ability of an organism to keep its body temperature within certain boundaries, despite the fluctuating external environment. The purpose of thermoregulation is to balance thermal inputs and thermal losses in the body to maintain a core body temperature of approximately 36.7 degrees celsius, despite the fluctuating
Hyperthermia is the elevation of the body’s core temperature beyond normal (occuring around 38 degrees celsius) due to failed thermoregulation. Hyperthermia is caused by the body absorbing or generating heat faster than it can be dissipated. Hyperthermia can cause the body’s organs to fail and enzymes to denature, leading to death. There are three stages of hyperthermia of increasing severity - heat illness, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Heat illness: Heat illness is the first stage of hyperthermia which occurs when a person’s body temperature rises above normal and they aren’t able to cool themselves by sweating. An individual with heat stress may experience dizziness, weakness, nausea, thirst and/or headaches. A person with heat stress should drink lots of fluids especially those with electrolytes to restore
Heat stroke is very serious and is potentially life-threatening if left untreated. It is caused by prolonged exposure to heat. The heat regulating mechanisms of the body eventually become overwhelmed and unable to effectively deal with the heat, causing the body temperature to rise to 40.5 degrees celsius or higher. An individual with heat stroke can develop neurological changes, such as mental confusion or unconsciousness. Their heart rate and respiration rate increases as the blood pressure decreases and the heart tries to supply enough oxygen to the body. Dehydration is associated with heat stroke because the individual is sweating excessively as their body tries to lose heat fast. However, this leads to dehydration and when an individual is dehydrated, less sweat is produced because their body tries to retain the water as much as possible. But without sweating the body temperature stays too high and can’t cool itself down. The dehydration associated with heat stroke can make a patient with the condition have symptoms of nausea, vomiting, heachaches, low blood pressure, fainting and/or dizziness. Thermoregulation mechanisms have stopped working before this stage of hyperthermia because the body’s enzymes denature at temperatures over 40 degrees celsius. At these high temperatures, body proteins and the membranes around the cells in the body, especially in the brain, begin to be destroyed or