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Why we feel cold during fever,even body temperature is high?

Why does 98 degree weather feel so uncomfortable if body temperature is 98.6?

  • I understand that our bodies are acclimatized to average temperatures, which (in most parts of the world, at least) are much lower than 98 degrees F, but I don't understand why our bodies have such a difficult time coping when it's this hot. It was 98 degrees yesterday here in the Washington DC area, and we didn't turn on the AC at home. I'm sure it was a little cooler inside the house because we shut all the blinds and stuff, but I was still sweating like a pig. Wouldn't my body feel right at home in 98 degree weather? Why does it feel so hot? I would think it would be easy for the body to maintain an equilibrium of 98.6 degrees in such an environment, easier than heating up the body in 72 degree weather.

  • Answer:

    Your core body temperature might be 98 degrees, but your skin temperature is in the low 80s. Since heat exchange with the environment takes place through the skin, it's the skin temperature that determines whether you are gaining or losing heat. At rest, in the shade, with moderate humidity, and in the nude, a temperature in the low 80s would be just about perfect. Add exercise, direct sunlight, humidity, and clothing, and even much lower temperatures can feel "warm."

quixar4k... at Yahoo! Answers Visit the source

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for the first time in a long time, i actually have no answer. good question =)

Dylan

Wow... good point. I'm truely stumped on this one.

S.T.A.R.S. Member

The higher the relative humidity is, the more difficult it is for sweat to evaporate off of your skin, no matter what the temperature is. Air conditioning (and heating) lowers the relative humidity of the air as well as lowering the air temperature inside. I'm a New Orleans native, lived almost half of my 56 year life in the greater New Orleans area. Even though I choose to live in central OK most of the time now, while I still own property (that did not flood) in east bank Jefferson parish. if the relative humidity is 70% or more, I can still take a walk either in greater New Orleans or Norman, OK and judge within 5% what the relative humidity is based on how long it takes the area under my eyes and my forehead to start sweating and not evaporating, When my nose sweats within 5 minutes or less, the relative humidity is over 90%.

oklatonola

your body creates heat. If you don't get rid of it it will increase. The greater the temp difference the faster you shed the heat. Your body tries to maintain 98.6 but can't if you can't get rid of it. The more active you are the more heat it creates.

poncadave

Love Dylan's answer !!! The actual reason is because when the ambient temperature is the same or higher than body core temp, perspiration does not evaporate very fast. That evaporation is cooling. A fan helps because it causes air to rapidly flow over one, thereby increasing evaporation.

Old Spice

I heard that it would be equal if you were nude. Were you nude in the house? The clothing would have helped you 'sweat like a pig'. Otherwise, I don't know the answer.

Valeria

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