Low Body Temperature Causes

One of the most effective ways to judge the health of a person is by measuring their body temperature. This is an accurate means for many medical experts around the world to detect the presence of any form of disease or illness. There are various low body temperature causes and for a doctor to simply guess what the cause is, would be fairly unprofessional. The lowering of the body temperature of an individual usually accompanies many other symptoms and therefore, a careful investigation of the functionality of a patient is required.

What is Low Body Temperature

The temperature of a person is measured with the help of a thermometer, and these devices are calibrated either in degrees Fahrenheit, or degrees Celsius. In the United States of America, Fahrenheit is the unit for measuring a person's body temperature. A temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit is considered to be the average normal temperature, but the normal body temperature range can vary throughout the course of a day. Understanding such fluctuations and the factors that affect them becomes more important due to the massive flexibility of this scale. Certain fluctuations are not a cause for alarm, but individuals need to understand when the situation is escalating out of hand.

There are various hormonal changes that constantly take place in a human body. Many of these changes display themselves externally, and one of the most common effects of these fluctuations is a change in the body temperature. The body temperature is just a measure of the body's ability to maintain its temperature levels in spite of the temperature outside the body.

Hypothermia is the name given to a condition when a living being's natural body temperature drops below the normal levels due to differing causes of low body temperature. The normal level of body temperature gives the body a sense of stability and equilibrium, and it is the ideal temperature for carrying out the various tasks that are related to metabolism. Lowering of the body temperature, or hypothermia, disrupts the natural processes working in the confines of the body. There are a number of complicated causes that lead to this condition, but most of these have now been discovered by medical experts around the world.

Low Body Temperature Causes

The most common cause of hypothermia is a drop in the temperature of the environment around a person. Exposure to any environment where the temperature is lower than your body can lead to hypothermia if the exposure is prolonged and if you are inadequately covered. The following are some hypothermia causes:

• Wearing insufficient warm clothes in winter season.
• Being exposed to air conditioning that is too cold.
• Sudden fall in extremely cold water.
• Spending too much time in soaked clothes.
• Lack of proper heating at home.
• Staying out in a cold environment for too long.
• Over use of medicines that are used to treat fever and bring down the body temperature when it becomes too high.

Most of these situations can be corrected if you are feeling uncomfortably cold. To ensure that you are protected against these external influences that commonly lead to low body temperature, you must dress in warm clothes when it is cold, and you must make sure that your heating facilities are working in good condition. Apart from these factors, a few of the main causes of low body temperature are explained below.

Ovulation
The body temperature in a human being is extremely sensitive to any hormonal changes or imbalances. Since the body is constantly experiencing some kind of process inside, it is very likely that the temperature will also keep fluctuating as a result. This is very true especially in the case of women. During their menstrual cycles, or during ovulation, a woman may experience abnormal changes in their body temperature. Some women may end up with a higher than normal temperature, whereas some may notice a sharp drop. This is nothing to be alarmed about and after a while, the temperature will stabilize on its own.

Wilson's Temperature Syndrome
Abbreviated as WTS, this condition was discovered by E. Denis Wilson. This condition is nothing but a collection of unrelated and unpredictable symptoms that arise in the human body, as a result of low body temperature. The thyroid hormone T3 (triiodothyronine) regulates the temperature in the cells of the body, but when the conversion of T4 hormone (thyroxine) is afflicted, the temperature suffers as a result. Though official medical channels have not accepted the existence of this condition nor do they advocate the remedies that are suggested for it, alternative medicine acknowledges its presence and holds it responsible for low body temperatures on a consistent basis.

Diseases
There are a few diseases that commonly afflict human beings and are known to be a cause for a drop in body temperature. Some of these diseases are as follows:

• Adrenal problems
• Anemia or Porphyria
• Diabetes
• Hepatitis C
• High exposure to carbon monoxide
• Hypoglycemia
• Infection caused by parasites or worms
• Kidney diseases
• Liver diseases
• Low thyroid problems (hypothyroidism)
• Poisoning by mercury or other heavy metals
• Pneumonia
• Sepsis
• Sleep disorders

Experiencing low body temperatures once in a while is perfectly normal, as the body will not maintain a constant temperature throughout the day. But a regular dip in body temperature for a prolonged period usually denotes that the individual is suffering from some ailment. If this is the case, you will need to visit a doctor immediately to ensure that everything is alright.

Body temperature that is unusually low can prove dangerous, so due care must be taken if an individual is feeling very cold and is noticeably shivering a lot. This is the body's response to the low temperature as overworking the muscles causes them to heat up. Abuse of alcohol and drugs can also be one of the causes of abnormally low body temperatures. The activities and symptoms of the afflicted person need to be closely observed, and if anything seems suspicious a medical expert should be consulted.