Is it feasable or safe to manipulate human body temperature by 1-2 F to deal with outside temperatures? I know people who have claimed their regular body temp was as low as 94-95 F, which is pretty bad. Mine is normally about 99.1 and I sweat alot when it is hot outside. I don’t really mind the cold, but I knew someone in college whose normal temp was around 96 who claimed she feels really comfortable in 80+ weather, which I can’t stand. So if your body temp is by nature low then warm temps feel more comfortable and if it is high then low temps feel more comfortable.
So, is it feasable to mildly manipulate human body temperature to deal with climate, or is this too dangerous to do?
Well, mrAru’s basal temp is at 99, and he loves warmth [but then again he also has Hashimotos] and my basal temp is 94.4-94.8 and I detest the heat [I seem to have body temp issues and will range from freezing to hot flash quality sweating in 10 minutes with no ambient temp change without being in menopause, and have had the temp problem since I was pregnant one very hot and nasty summer almost 20 years ago] I am happiest in a room that is cold, and I use clothing and afghans to modulate my comfort.
Fellow by the name of Lewis Pugh (personal web sit here seems to have no problem with it.
I also seem to recall watching a special on some fellow who did the same thing using what I think was hatha yoga, to regulate his core temperature consciously. But I can’t find the reference and it may have actually been the same man (Pugh).
It was pretty impressive though. First time he did it his eyeballs froze (wasn’t wearing goggles).
It should be the reverse, actually. The more different your “set point” temperature is from ambient the more thermoregulation you will have to do to maintain it (whether by shivering or perspiring) and the more uncomfortable you will feel (as **aruvqun’s ** post suggests).
Since survivable human core temperatures vary from (WAG) low 90s to low 100s F, and climatic temperatures in the fully inhabited regions of the Earth vary from -40 F to +120F, I don’'t see much benefit.
Even assuming that 100% of core temperature change flows outwards to perception of external temp, you’ve got a +/- 5 degree F adjustment against an envirnment that goes +/- 80. Not gonna hide that elephant behind that ant for very long.
Even in the tropics, the difference between day and night temperatures will often exceed the largest reasonable adjustiment you could expect to make to core temperature. It would be a significant risk for negligible gain.
My core temperature runs about 96-97 and I abhor hot weather. I do better in the cold… and I hate coats.
One thing I have to watch is my TSH (thyroid) hormones. I’m borderline and if I forget my meds, I will rapid cycle between shivering and sweating (much like chills during a bad fever).
Body temp is such a fickle thing, with every system of your body seemingly having something to say about it.
Those of you quoting your “core” temperature, I hope you are taking the temperature via deep rectal or vaginal readings, and not oral readings, which do not correlate meaningfully with core temperature.
Vaginally, FWIW. My doc was curious at what my real core temp was because I start hallucinating, getting seriously stupid and I can’t think straight at about 100 and I refuse to wait until I have what the Navy figured was the fever point to show up [100 or greater, FWIW.] because I live 30 miles from the base hospital, and 17 miles from the nearest ER and I am not safe to drive at that point. It finally got a notation on my file, as well as a mention that I can get a WBC any time I ask for it because I am totally asymptomatic until it rolls into full on pyelonephritis. sigh document, document, document and then keep a personal copy of the file because it is amazing how fast they can lose a 3" thick medical file in a screaming hot pink jacket…beaurocracy is amazingly inadept at adapting to people who are not in teh very narrow band considered average. I do know if I take to a life of crime, I want to go to QtM’s slam, he seems more willing to listen to a patient than the millitary docs do.
<though I thank the gods that I apparently am immune to yeast infections, despite serious antibiotic use in my life - our roomie has one and she is in a living hell right now thanks to a course of antis for a bad cut on her leg=(>