Everyone knows that a rise in body temperature is associated with ill health. In this case, a person needs help, for which various means are used to normalize this indicator. But why does the temperature drop? This may be due to various reasons. Read more about them in the article.
“Hypothermia, or why does body temperature go down?” - Such headlines can be found on multiple forums. In these cases, it is advisable to consult a doctor. Only he can tell what to do. Causes of low body temperature are not always associated with hypothermia or overwork. This also appears due to serious pathologies or latent infectious processes. To determine why body temperature drops, a full medical examination is required.
Pathology or norm?
Low body temperature - when is the norm, and when is pathology? Everyone knows that the norm is 36.6 ° C. It is able to vary slightly throughout the day. It all depends on the time of day, activity, age and mood. This phenomenon is considered a natural process that is interconnected with the body's thermoregulation.
A dangerous deviation is lowering the temperature to less than 35 degrees. Some do not pay attention to this symptom, believing that it appears from overwork. But hypothermia is also considered dangerous, as is high fever, as it may indicate depletion of the nervous system and hidden ailments.
Often, some deviation from the norm is an individual feature of the body. If a person is in good health, then you should not worry. But if you feel a breakdown, weakness and a temperature below 35 degrees, you need to see a doctor.
Symptoms
Considering the topic of why body temperature drops, you should familiarize yourself with the symptoms. This is manifested in the form:
- pallor;
- loss of strength, decreased performance, lethargy and apathy;
- chills, increased sweating;
- lethargy, drowsiness;
- low pressure;
- dizziness.
With a decrease in the indicator below 34 degrees, chills appear, a weak pulse. Speech will be slurred, and movements will be slow. With a decrease in pressure, there may be a loss of consciousness. A critical condition leading to death is a sharp decrease in temperature to 32 degrees.
Danger
What does low body temperature say and what is dangerous? Its negative impact is the deterioration of activities:
- brain
- vestibular apparatus;
- exchange;
- nervous system;
- hearts.
With a strong drop in temperature below 32 degrees, people are able to fall into a coma. In the absence of timely medical care, the risk of death increases.
What leads?
The main causes of low body temperature are:
The first are related to:
- hypothermia of the body;
- taking medication;
- fasting;
- unbalanced diet, vitamin deficiency;
- intoxication of the body;
- chronic fatigue syndrome, overwork;
- recovery period after a disease;
- by age.
Why is the body temperature falling? Internal causes are:
- low hemoglobin levels;
- changes in the hormonal system during pregnancy;
- endocrine system diseases;
- chronic ailments;
- parasitic infections;
- pressure reduction;
- oncology;
- diabetes mellitus;
- infectious ailments;
- dehydration.
Lowering the temperature is often observed in the elderly. And in adolescents, this symptom occurs with autonomic disorders and changes in the hormonal system. These are the main causes of low body temperature. Why this happens is described in more detail below.
Vegetative dystonia
This is one of the reasons when body temperature decreases. Failures in the activity of the autonomic system often lead to a violation of thermoregulation. With a low temperature, weakness, pressure surges, nausea, dizziness, severe headache appear. Intolerance to bright light and loud sounds may be felt.
If these symptoms occur, consult a doctor. Consultation with a therapist, neurologist, endocrinologist, psychotherapist is necessary.
Iron-deficiency anemia
This is another reason for low body temperature. What you need to know in this case? Lowering hemoglobin affects overall well-being. Probably a deterioration in performance, the appearance of lethargy, weakness, pallor of the skin, hypothermia, chilliness.
To determine the presence of iron deficiency will allow a blood test for hemoglobin. If the suspicions are confirmed, then the doctor prescribes funds with iron. These may be such drugs as Sorbifer, Ferretab. They should be taken within two to three months.
Viral and bacterial infections
The causes of low body temperature with a cold can be associated with the presence of a viral and bacterial infection. The recovery time after a disease is always manifested in the form of weakness, since the immune system is only rehabilitated and it takes time to completely eliminate the ailment. If within a few days the disease manifests itself in intense fever, then hypothermia appears in the mornings as he recovers.
At this time, a subfebrile temperature often appears during the day and lowered at night, that is, during the day it is 37-37.5 degrees, and at night it drops to 35 and manifests itself in the form of severe weakness and increased sweating. In a child, this is often associated with infectious diseases.
Often after a cold, the baby’s temperature drops and symptoms such as weakness and pale skin appear. The reason for this is the imperfection of the body's thermoregulation system, which in children under three years of age is not fully formed. In this case, the temperature can be within 35.5 degrees, but parents should not panic about this. It is only necessary to dress the child warmly and give him hot drinks.
Pregnancy
The reasons for the lowered temperature may be due to fluctuations in the hormonal system before menstruation or during menopause. Often hypothermia arises from hormonal fluctuations during pregnancy.
These states do not cause much concern, as the body gets used to a new state as it adapts. And thus, health is normalized.
Hypothermia
Not only colds and cold are interconnected. This phenomenon is also observed during hypothermia. When staying in cold air for too long, the body undergoes supercooling in ice water. In this case, there is a slowdown in metabolism, increased heat transfer and a decrease in body temperature. The skin will be cold to the touch, movements will slow down. There is also a decrease in the pulse rate and respiration, the appearance of chills is noticeable.
If a person warms up, then the unpleasant symptoms will be eliminated. What to do if low body temperature occurs for this reason? Rubbing, hot drink, warm bed help. In severe cases, medical attention is needed, since severe frostbite can lead to serious consequences.
Dehydration
Why does body temperature drop? What to do? Due to food poisoning, intoxication of the body, vomiting, diarrhea are possible. It dehydrates the body. In this condition, weakness appears, hypothermia. In this case, urgent medical attention is required.
Given the severity of the condition, the doctor prescribes taking medication at home. The patient can be sent to a hospital. During dehydration, timely help is required, otherwise severe consequences are likely in the form of convulsions, a sharp drop in pressure, loss of consciousness. Dehydration is especially dangerous in children.
At home, the loss of fluid and electrolytes should be compensated. To do this, you need to drink Rehydron, saline solutions, non-carbonated mineral water, tea, dried fruit compote.
Endocrine ailments
Symptoms of hypothermia are observed with hypothyroidism or a state of hypoglycemia (a decrease in sugar level) in diabetes mellitus. With a deficiency of thyroid hormones, there is a violation of water-salt metabolism, which causes weakness, hypothermia, pressure drop, swelling, dryness, brittle hair and nails.
In this case, treatment of the underlying disease is required with hormone replacement therapy, which eliminates the underlying cause of the disease. With hypoglycemia, sugar drops sharply, which is noticeable by pallor, sharp weakness, the appearance of cold sweat, nausea, and a decrease in temperature.
Acute adrenal insufficiency
In this condition, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, heart rhythm disturbance, loss of consciousness due to a sharp decrease in pressure appear. If these symptoms appear, then you need to call an ambulance.
Tumors
Heat transfer in the body is supported by a special area in the brain - the hypothalamus. And if a neoplasm appears on this site, a violation of the function of this organ occurs.
As a result, there will be a malfunction in the thermoregulation system, and a person will feel adverse changes. They are expressed in the form of constant headaches, dizziness, feeling cold in the legs and lowering body temperature.
Internal bleeding
Hidden bleeding can develop with stomach ulcers, injuries of internal organs, tumors. These conditions are dangerous because they lead to serious consequences. Emergency medical assistance is needed.
External symptoms of bleeding include pallor, weakness, a cold surface of the skin, and abdominal pain. Internal bleeding manifests itself in the form of nausea, vomiting, tarry stools, fainting.
Hypothermia often develops from an unbalanced diet, a rigid diet, and starvation. The body does not receive nutrients, vitamins and trace elements, which leads to the appearance of vitamin deficiency and weakening of the body's defenses. If strict diets are followed, a person loses fat reserves, depletes the accumulated glycogen. As a result, heat transfer and heat transfer are disrupted.
Asthenic syndrome
The main cause of asthenia is a lack of oxygen. The organs and tissues lack the necessary nutritional components. As a result, there is a violation of the energy balance of the body, a slowdown of all processes important for life.
Oxygen deficiency affects the cardiovascular system and the brain more. Due to this violation, weakness, lethargy, apathy, dizziness, pallor of the skin and hypothermia appear.
Medication
Sometimes a reduced temperature occurs with unsystematic and prolonged use of potent drugs. It can be sedative and sleeping pills.
These drugs inhibit the function of the nervous system, disrupt metabolism, adversely affect the hypothalamus, which causes weakness and a decrease in body temperature. Another cause of hypothermia is an overdose of antipyretic drugs for colds or vasoconstrictor drops, which are used for colds.
Dermatological ailments
Chronic skin ailments (psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema, ichthyosis) often manifest as low temperature. The reason is the defeat of large areas of the skin, which is why there is a rush of blood to these areas. So thermoregulation is disturbed, and body temperature decreases.
Sepsis and other causes
With this ailment, bacteria multiply in the blood and the body is poisoned by their vital products. In this condition, the temperature usually rises sharply, but the elderly and weak people often experience the opposite phenomenon - the temperature drops.
The reason is damage to the nervous system, which disables thermoregulation. Hypothermia in sepsis is dangerous, because when the temperature drops below 34 degrees, the functions of important organs are violated, an oppressed consciousness appears, which can lead to death.
Less common causes of hypothermia include poisoning with narcotic drugs or ethanol, immunodeficiency states, severe liver damage, intoxication with poisons or aggressive chemicals.
If body temperature drops, what should I do? It’s important not to panic. If you feel normal, then this is probably a natural process related to hypothermia or overwork. Often, some deviation from the generally accepted norm is considered an individual feature of the body.
When freezing, you need to dress warmer, drink a glass of hot milk or tea with honey and jam, and you feel normal. Often a drop in temperature is considered a sign of vegetative-vascular dystonia, and so a person can respond to changing weather, stress and overstrain. In this case, you need rest in a home environment, taking a sedative on a plant basis.
Recommendations
Sometimes, to normalize the temperature, you just need to adjust the diet and include fresh vegetables, fruits, protein foods, fermented milk drinks in it.
If the temperature is low, how to raise it? When this condition worsens noticeably over time, you need to seek medical help. Only a specialist can identify the causes of health problems. First you should make an appointment with the therapist.
After examination and obtaining results, the doctor makes a diagnosis and prescribes therapy. If pathology is suspected, a referral to narrow specialists is issued. Sometimes a visit to an endocrinologist, gastroenterologist, neurologist, oncologist, urologist and gynecologist is required.
Doctor's help
There are several life-threatening conditions that occur with hypothermia. In these situations, an ambulance call is required:
- temperature is reduced to 34 degrees;
- condition worsens rapidly;
- poor health is accompanied by severe symptoms of hypothermia;
- there is a threat to life.
These symptoms indicate the development of serious complications that are dangerous. Therefore, urgent medical attention is required.
At home
If the body temperature is low, how to raise it? Almost all drugs to increase the temperature are used only in a hospital, as they have contraindications. If the dosage is not followed, severe complications may appear. The following methods help at home:
- Ginseng tincture.
- Strong black tea.
- Tea with ginger.
- Warm clothes made from natural materials.
- You can put a hot heating pad on the feet.
- Cold and hot shower.
- Full sleep.
- Warm foot baths with mustard powder.
- Tea with mint helps with stress.
With hypothermia, rubbing with alcohol, vinegar should not be used. The doctor performs an examination to confirm the diagnosis. For this, a blood test, an HIV test, an ECG, an ultrasound scan, a CT scan of the brain are used. Thyroid function assessment, chest x-ray required.
Temperature Measurement Rules
In the armpit, a common way to measure temperature. It is convenient, but also inaccurate. The norm for this method is 35-37 degrees. In children under one year old, low-grade fever is the norm.
Oral thermometry is the norm in Europe and the USA. In children, this method may be ineffective, since they open their mouth during measurement, which should not be done.
The rectal method (in the rectum) is accurate. It is often used for children. It is undesirable to measure temperature in newborns. The average temperature is 0.5 degrees above the axillary.
Ear thermometry is in demand in some countries, but gives large errors. A mercury thermometer is used to measure in the armpit. Keep it should be at least five minutes. The electronic thermometer needs to be kept up to a sound. Then they hold it for a minute - if the temperature has not changed, then the measurement is completed.
Do not measure the temperature of a healthy person. This leads to increased anxiety for no reason. If you want to perform thermometry daily, then this is a symptom of depression or anxiety. In this case, it is advisable to visit a therapist.
Thus, the article indicates all the causes of lowering the human body temperature. In this case, it is better not to self-medicate, but to consult a doctor. The specialist will diagnose and prescribe effective therapy based on it.