W6 Thermoregulatory System Flashcards
What is Thermoregulation?
- To regulate temperature, in this case within your body.
- What is Vasodilation?
- What is Vasoconstriction?
- Vasodilation occurs when the body is too hot. Blood vessels get larger (dilate) and get closer to the surface of the skin allowing blood to be cooled.
- Vasoconstriction occurs when the body is too cold. Blood vessels become narrower (constrict) to keep the blood warmer and away from the surface of the skin.
What are the three types of Thermoregulation? Please describe each of them
- Homeotherms
- Constant regulation of internal body temperature regardless of external stimulus - Endotherms
- Generate heat internally
- Maintain high basal (base layer) heat production - Ectotherms
- Depend on external heat sources
- Temperature changes with environment
What is the internal temperature of our core?
36.5 - 37.5 degrees
What is hypothermia?
- When the bodies core drops below 35 degrees
- COLD ONE!
What is hyperthermia?
- When the bodies core rises above 38 degrees
- HOT ONE!
Give a few factors influencing body temperature:
- Body mass/composition
- Heat loss via environment (e.g. humidity)
- Heat loss via Skin (e.g. surface area)
- Metabolic heat production
What is the definition of Specific Heat Capacity?
- The amount of energy required to raise the temperature of a given substance by 1 degree
What is the law of the conservation of energy?
- Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be transformed from one state to another
How do we produce heat?
- Chemical energy in the food we eat (use it to re-synthesize ATP but its inefficient)
- Voluntary = Exercise
- Involuntary = Shivering & Action of hormones
Can we use VO2 as an indicator as the amount of heat produced?
Yes, 1L of O2 is ~20KJ of heat
Name a few place you can measure core temperature with a thermometer:
- Oral (under tongue)
- Ear drum
- Rectum
- Oesophagus
- Intestinal
Name three things skin temperature depends on:
- Ambiant temperature
- Distance from core
- Skin blood flow
How does heat loss occur? (4 things)
- Evaporation (liquid into vapour)
- Radiation (emission/electromagnetic waves)
- Convection (hot rises, cold falls creates currents/movement)
- Conduction (directly transmitted through)
How can we receive external heat gain?
- Sky thermal radiation
- Solar radiation (reflected)
- Ground thermal radiation