0Homeostasis is a self-regulatory mechanism by which organisms maintain constant internal environment irrespective of external changes. Very interesting to see how this works in thermoregulation. Thermoregulation is regulation of temperature inside the body. Human body always maintains a constant temperature of 98.4degree F., And the temperature regulator of the Human body (thermostat) is the Hypothalamus of the brain.
Assume you went out during summer heat your body temperature increases. The central nervous system senses and sends the message to the hypothalamus which will, in turn, corrects the temperature by
- Sweating: Your Sweating is released by sweat glands, which cools your skin as it evaporates. This helps to lower your internal temperature.
- Vasodilatation: The blood capillaries under your skin get wider to increase blood flow to your skin where it is cooler — away from your warm inner body. This lets your body release heat through heat radiation to the atmosphere.
Similarly, assume you went out on a cold day where the temperature is around 5-10 degree, your hypothalamus will bring back the temperature by
- Vasoconstriction: The blood vessels under your skin become narrower which in turn decreases blood flow to your skin, retaining heat near the warm inner body.
- Shivering: Your body’s muscles, organs, and brain produce heat in a variety of ways. For example, muscles can produce heat by shivering.
- Hormones: Hormones are released by the thyroid gland to increase your metabolism. This increases the energy your body creates and the amount of heat it produces.
This is how your body maintains homeostasis.
