This is especially noticeable in the summer. Some people are hotter than others. They like to complain more than others? No, they really have a harder time withstanding the heat. The researchers give us some explanations.
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[EN VIDÉO] Kézako: what effect does the wind have on the feeling of heat? If a little refreshing breeze is welcome in summer, we would do well without it in winter. The wind seems to have the gift of making the thermometer lie. But the feeling of heat or cold is in fact a skin-deep experience, which Unisciel and the University of Lille 1 intend to explain in this episode of Kézako.
When outside, the temperatures rise, some suffer more than others. They literally can’t seem to stand the heat. And start sweating big drops while others still feel very comfortable.
Before understanding what makes the difference, let’s remember that humans are beings called homeotherms. Which means they are able to keep a body temperature more or less constant, whatever the temperature of the medium in which they evolve. On the baguette, there ishypothalamusat the heart of our brain. And in the orchestra, a whole bunch of thermoreceptors. Thus, when our skin returns a feeling of warmth too high, we begin to sweat to bring the our body temperature the famous 37°C that we all have in mind.
To understand why some people are hotter than others, we must first turn to the genetic. If your assets match those of peoples of the north, you will probably find it more difficult to withstand the high temperatures. On the contrary, evolution has taught dark-skinned people to shed heat more efficiently.
Body type, age, sex and many more reasons
The corpulence factors or morphology exert influence. But not necessarily the one we might imagine at first glance, the researchers tell us. The people lare more coated do they tolerate heat less well? It is a fact. But not because the fat they carry insulates them and makes them overheat. More likely because they have more weight to carry. For them, moving requires more effort. And more effort is tantamount to raising the body’s temperature more.
Note also that, very generally, more an animal is big, the smaller the surface-to-volume ratio of its body, the less surface there is available for heat loss. So being taller should be tantamount to being warmer. Overall, should men tolerate heat less well than women? This would be without taking into account other complicating factors.
Hormones, for example. According to the period of their menstrual cycle, women’s body temperature rises. The fault of estrogen, particularly. To the menopausemoreover, deficiencies of this hormone cause hot flashes. Nothing more normal.
But how we bear the heat or not can also be the symptom of one pathology. Of the’hyperthyroidism, for example. Because when our thyroid produces too many hormones, it’s our body’s ability to warm up that suddenly increases.
Age is another factor to consider. In children, the glands that allow sweating are not yet fully operational. They sweat less, but be careful, that doesn’t mean that their body temperature doesn’t rise. Same on the side of the elderly. But, for them, it is a slowing down of the functioning of the nervous system which is generally in question.
There are also people who are simply more sensitive and whose brains are possibly more receptive to stimuli sent through the skin. Best for them is probably to to drink a lot of water and avoid consuming arousing beverages. Because they increase heart rate and raise body temperature. Large protein-rich meals should also be avoided. Because their digestion particularly hot. And to withstand the heat a little better, it is recommended that they wear clothes made of linen Or preferably cotton. Rather loose clothes to allow the skin to breathe better… and sweat.
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