It's easy to deal with fever - everyone knows from childhood that if the thermometer is more than 37.5, then it is most likely SARS. But what if the body temperature is low? If the normative limits of the indicators on the thermometer are more or less known, then few are aware of the processes that provoke a decrease and the possible consequences of this state. In fact, below normal body temperature is the same dangerous condition as elevated.
Average human body temperature
It is widely believed that the optimum temperature is 36.6 degrees Celsius. But each organism is purely individual, and small deviations, both upward and downward from this indicator, are quite normal. The average body temperature of the overwhelming majority of people ranges from 36.5 to 37.2 degrees Celsius without the influence of external factors. If the usual temperature is slightly higher or lower than these values, but the personfeels good, there are no deviations, then this is the norm for a particular organism.
Everything that goes beyond these boundaries and is accompanied by he alth problems (but this is not in all cases), requires a search for the causes of such a condition. Low body temperature (as well as increased) indicates some kind of disease, poor functioning of life support systems, adverse effects of external factors.
In addition, the normal temperature at any given moment depends on several other factors. Individual characteristics of a particular organism, time of day (usually at 6 o’clock in the morning the indicator is at its minimum level, and at 16 at its maximum), age (for three-year-olds and younger children, the normal temperature is often 37, 3-37, 4 degrees, and in the elderly it can drop to 36.2-36.3), as well as some factors that are not yet fully understood by modern medicine.
Features of temperature measurement
In Russia and in the post-Soviet space, human body temperature is measured, as a rule, with a mercury thermometer under the arm. This method has many disadvantages. First, a glass thermometer can break and mercury can leak out, which is a serious he alth hazard as it is a toxin. Secondly, the accuracy of such measurements is questionable. The difference between the obtained result and the real one can differ by about a whole degree. In Western countries, electronic thermometers have become widespread, which measuretemperature in the mouth (in adults) or rectum (in children). In domestic conditions, such thermometers did not take root. There is an opinion that they are less accurate than mercury ones, although in reality everything is not so at all.
Normal, elevated and low body temperature are individual concepts, but also indicators depend on the method of measurement. For an electronic thermometer, and modern doctors recommend that patients use it, when measuring in the mouth, the limits of the norm are from 35.5 to 37.1 degrees Celsius. The maximum measurement time in this case is 1-3 minutes, and the minimum is 10 seconds. With rectal measurements, temperature fluctuations can normally be from 36.2 to 37.7 degrees Celsius. The maximum measurement duration is from thirty seconds to a minute, the minimum is ten seconds.
Rectal measurements with an electronic thermometer are considered the most accurate. If you measure the temperature in the mouth, then the thermometer must be placed under the tongue, keep the mouth closed during the measurement, so that the temperature sensor is not affected by the environment. It is not recommended to measure the temperature under the armpit with an electronic thermometer - this is the most unreliable method. Figures may differ from reality. The thermometer, when measured in the armpit, should be tightly pressed to the skin, located along the body, and after the signal of the electronic thermometer, you need to wait another minute and a half. Women can take measurements inside the vagina, but the results will be 0.1-0.3 degrees below the actual.
Classificationhypothermia
In modern medical practice, low and low body temperature are distinguished in a child and an adult. The average low temperature is from 35 to 36.5 degrees Celsius, low - below 34.9 degrees. This human condition in medical practice is called hypothermia. Hypothermia is classified in different ways. Allocate light (32.3-35 degrees), medium (27-32.1 degrees), heavy (body temperature below 26.9 degrees). According to another classification, hypothermia is divided into moderate and severe, the border between these states is 32 degrees.
It is the mark of 32 degrees that is considered the boundary at which the human body already exhausts its ability to self-regulate, return indicators to the normal range without external intervention. It is this classification that is considered the most convenient and is widely used in modern medical practice.
Decrease below 32 degrees Celsius threatens to dysfunction of many life support systems. The work of the respiratory system, heart and blood vessels is disrupted, brain activity and all metabolic processes slow down. A reading below 27 degrees can be fatal. This is a deadly low body temperature. At the same time, the person will fall into a coma, the pupils stop responding to light. Without urgent medical assistance, the patient's chances of survival are extremely small.
History, however, there are cases that refute the last statement. After a two-year-old girl from Canada was exposed to freezing temperatures for six hours, her body temperaturethe child's temperature fell to 14.2 degrees, but the baby survived. But this is an exception to the rule, since hypothermia is an extremely dangerous condition.
Common causes of low temperatures
Why is there a low body temperature (below 35.5)? As a rule, the cause of this condition is fatigue and reduced immunity. Good sleep, proper rest, vitamins and rational nutrition will help. The situation is quickly returning to normal. But in some cases, the causes of low body temperature (what to do with this condition - we will consider further) can be extremely dangerous. There are a lot of factors that cause a decrease in temperature, so they are usually divided into three general groups:
- Physical reasons. Failures in thermoregulation, which normally should be constantly provided by the human body, lead to a significant loss of heat. As a rule, this occurs due to the expansion of blood vessels for a long time. Hypothermia can appear in people with low blood pressure, in which the vessels are dilated. This group also includes endocrine diseases, or rather, increased sweating, which disrupts normal thermoregulation.
- Chemical factors. This includes general intoxication of the body, weak immune defenses, low hemoglobin, excessive emotional stress, physical overwork, the period of bearing a child.
- Behavioral reasons. This category includes factors that affect the body due to inadequate perception of ambient temperature. Hypothermia can occur when exposed to the bodyalcoholic beverages or narcotic substances, as well as due to an unbalanced emotional state.
Some particular reasons
Each of the above groups of causes that provoke low body temperature includes a sufficient number of special cases. It is worth more specifically identifying the main ones:
- Alcohol and drug intoxication. Being under the influence of these drugs, a person may not adequately perceive reality, not feel the cold. People can even fall asleep in the cold, being exposed to hypothermia. Additionally, it should be taken into account that ethanol, opium substances create a deceptive feeling of warmth.
- Prolonged hypothermia. Staying under the influence of extremely low temperatures for a long time leads to the fact that the body ceases to cope with heat regulation on its own. In addition, in such extreme conditions, additional energy is consumed, so the time during which the body can resist low temperatures is significantly reduced.
- Bacterial and viral infectious diseases. As a rule, in diseases, hypothermia occurs when the causative agent of the disease has already been overcome. Up to a certain temperature, the body must fight the infection on its own. If you use antipyretics at this time, then the symptoms disappear, but the protective mechanisms continue to work, as a result there will be a low body temperature in an adult.
- Fasting and dieting. For the normal functioning of processesthermoregulation, the body requires calorie reserves and body fat. Inadequate nutrition (it can be either forced or planned) leads to a violation of the mechanisms of thermoregulation and a decrease in temperature.
- Sepsis in the elderly and patients with weakened immune systems (immune diseases). Sepsis, as a rule, is the cause of an increase in the mark on the thermometer, but this disease can affect the central nervous system, including the segments that are responsible for thermoregulation processes. Temperatures can drop as low as 34 degrees Celsius.
- Taking certain medications. Improper handling of patients undergoing surgery and excessive use of antipyretics and vasoconstrictors can cause a critical drop in body temperature.
- Features of the menstrual cycle. The menstrual cycle in women may be accompanied by slight fluctuations in body temperature. As a rule, during menstruation, the temperature drops slightly, and during ovulation, it rises. A mark of 35, 5-30, 6 degrees on the thermometer during menstruation is not considered a pathology.
- Wilson's temperature syndrome. This disease is caused by dysfunction of the thyroid gland, resulting in a decrease in body temperature.
Low pregnancy temperature
What does low body temperature during pregnancy mean? This phenomenon is facilitated by the processes that occur in the body of a woman carrying a child. In addition, due to toxicosis, many expectant mothers are forced to be malnourished, and this affects metabolic processes,so that the temperature can drop to 36 degrees and below. Often in pregnant women there is a decrease in immune protection, against which the temperature may decrease. This does not bring serious problems, but requires an adequate response. It is necessary to normalize the diet and work on improving the immune system.
Day fluctuations
It's normal to have a low body temperature in the morning. In the morning, the thermometer can show 35.5 degrees, and during the day the readings will rise to 37. These are normal fluctuations. It is only important to adequately assess your condition and consult a doctor if the mark on the thermometer does not change throughout the day or if the body temperature is constantly low. In the vast majority of cases, a change in diet helps.
Symptoms of low temperature
Low body temperature in an adult or a child can be either an independent symptom or accompanied by other signs of pathology. In addition, there may be general weakness, trembling, problems with coordination, drowsiness, low pulse, vomiting, irregular heartbeat, and in especially severe cases, hallucinations, blurred vision, slurred speech, confusion and loss of consciousness. With such symptoms and low body temperature in a child or adult, an urgent need to consult a doctor.
Actions when the temperature drops
It is necessary to adequately assess the physical condition of a person who haslow temperature. If you are not afraid, there is no weakness and other signs of the disease, you need to remember whether hypothermia or illness has taken place recently. A slight drop in temperature may be a residual symptom. There is no need to consult a doctor in this case. In addition, it is possible that a low temperature is a normal state of a particular organism.
If the temperature has dropped due to hypothermia, then you need to put the victim to bed, cover him, paying special attention to the limbs, but the head and chest should be left open. Wet clothes should be changed. In case of frostbite of the limbs, you can not warm them up with water, but a warm heating pad can be applied to the chest. The victim needs a hot drink, but alcohol or coffee is contraindicated. You can use baths (water temperature - up to 37 degrees Celsius) for warming.
The drop in temperature caused by malnutrition requires a normal diet. The patient also needs ascorbic acid, which has a good effect on the immune system, and additional vitamin E is recommended for children.
If the mark on the thermometer is low due to illness or other reasons, while other symptoms of the disease are observed, then a doctor should be called. Before the arrival of doctors, the patient must be put to bed and covered with a warm blanket. It is necessary to provide a person with complete calm, give him warm tea to drink, put a heating pad under his feet. This will allow the body to establish the process of thermoregulation, in most cases the temperature will beginrise to normal.
Some folk remedies
There are also alternative medicines that will help increase a person's low body temperature. For example, it is recommended to rub the armpits with s alt, steam your legs in warm water with mustard, go to the bath (but only if there are no contraindications), put four or five drops of iodine on sugar and eat. All this can be done only if the temperature is not accompanied by a deterioration in well-being.
When you need to urgently call a doctor
It is imperative to call an ambulance if the temperature drops below 34 degrees Celsius, the person faints, there is a weak pulse and irregularities in the work of the heart. This is a life-threatening situation, so medical attention will be needed without fail and as soon as possible.
