Students in Professor Patricia Halpin's class, BIO 413: Principles of Biology I, have researched the effects of cold on the human body so that we can use this research to raise awareness of the need for warm clothes. She has chosen five essays to share on our blog. Their findings demonstrate how crucial it is that everyone has proper clothing this winter, and how important our drive is to meet that need in our community.
Thank you to all of the professor's students for your wonderful work.
The Importance of Keeping Your Body Warm
By Kayla Bosela
Our bodies are constantly at work to keep everything functioning properly. When our internal systems are all where they should be and are stable, our bodies are successfully maintaining what is called homeostasis. The ways in which homeostasis is regulated is crucial to our survival. One great example of how homeostasis is achieved through various mechanisms is through a process called thermoregulation. We all know how important it is to keep ourselves warm when the temperature outside is colder than our normal state is suited to. That is why we wear heavy jackets, gloves, and hats in the cold winter months; to try to keep as much body heat from escaping as we can. However, losing body heat when we are outside and it is freezing is inevitable. This is where our body’s internal mechanisms kick in. Thermoregulation controls our internal body temperature. As soon as our body temperature drops below where is should be, a stimulus is sent to a control center in our brain called the hypothalamus. In this part of the brain, the hypothalamus processes the stimulus of our body temperature dropping. Then, it determines what to do about this stimulus in order to bring it back to homeostasis, since our bodies are constantly working to maintain homeostasis in every aspect. One way that this happens is by shivering. We all know that shivering is a result of being cold, but many of us do not know what shivering is accomplishing, or even think of it as a way of helping our body internally. Shivering is a result of our muscle tone increasing so much that our muscles go through small, short contractions. This in turn is generating heat in our muscles, trying to bring our body temperature back up to the homeostatic level. Another way that our body conserves the heat we hold is by decreasing the blood flow to our skin. With this mechanism, little heat is lost through possible convection or conduction. Also, with less blood flowing to the dermis, there is less radiation occurring due to the lack of heat at the surface of our skin. If the body was unable to perform these mechanisms in order to keep homeostasis, there would be a huge risk of getting hypothermia every time we went outside in the cold. Thermoregulation can’t guarantee safety against hypothermia, depending on how cold it is and other things specific to each individual, such as body fat. This is why it is so important to bundle up as much as possible before spending time outside in the cold.
Warmth in the Millyard
By Melissa Nighelli
Thermoregulation is an important process in the human body. The body is constantly working via various body systems to maintain optimal body temperature. Some of the systems involved include: the integumentary system, the muscular system, and the cardiovascular system.
The skin and various structures are important in regulation of body temperature. Improper care or attention to the skin during extreme conditions could cause many problems including difficulty in regulating temperature and damage to the skin. This is why it is important to have access to appropriate attire when exposed to severe temperature. One risk of prolonged exposure to cold temperatures without proper protection is hypothermia. Hypothermia occurs when the body loses heat faster than it can maintain or produce it. Though hypothermia can occur in various conditions and is not always related to drops in temperature related to weather, this is a very real risk. The onset of hypothermia can lead to the shutting down of all body systems including respiratory and cardiovascular systems resulting in death.
Risks of hypothermia include inadequate clothing for conditions and lack of shelter or proper shelter. People at greater risk for hypothermia include infants and the elderly. In these populations hypothermia can occur more rapidly and without the same warnings as others. Also at risk are those with mental impairment and those that abuse alcohol and drugs. This again is because the body does not receive the same signals and/or the person does not have the cognitive ability to do something about the signals it is receiving.
If treatment is sought early on hypothermia is certainly treatable, though the best method is prevention. Removal of wet clothing and slow warming can be helpful when medical care is not readily available. Once in the care of medical professionals other techniques can be used such as the administration of warm intravenous fluids and humidified oxygen to re-warm the body, blood, and airway.
The signs and symptoms of hypothermia should not be ignored. Nor should the risk be ignored. Helping the body maintain proper temperature via proper care is imperative. Those that are aware of the risks and what is needed for prevention should take every step able to help those at risk populations.
Warmth in the Millyard
By Rachael Stanley
Surviving the winter is tough for everyone. And in New England, freezing cold temperatures combined with blustering snow storms and blizzards are hardly an unfamiliar phenomenon. Now, imagine surviving that winter without something as simple as a winter jacket. The effects of winter on the body can be very dangerous if proper precautions, such as wearing winter clothing, are not taken.
Homeostasis is the maintenance of stable, internal body conditions (such as temperature) regardless of the exterior. The human body regulates homeostasis of body temperature by a process known as thermoregulation. This process is vitally important; it keeps body temperatures within certain limits so the body can remain stable and complete all vital functions. Homeostasis and constant internal body temperature rely on a balance between the heats lost through the environment and the heat gained due to regular metabolic activities.
When an individual is exposed to severely cold weather, the body tries to keep its internal temperature within the normal range. When the temperature drops below a normal temperature, the “heat-gain” center within the hypothalamus of the brain is activated to attempt to raise the temperature of the individual. The body attempts to conserve heat by reducing blood flow to the dermis; this helps keep the blood and the heat closer to the body core and the vital organs. Next, the body tries to generate more heat. This can be done through shivering. This causes the skeletal muscles of the body to contract. This produces heat, which warms the blood vessels and keeps the individual’s core warm.
The dropping of body temperature to a below-normal temperature is called hypothermia. When a person has hypothermia, they may experience uncontrollable shivering and be confused and weak. Also, their skin may appear blue or pale. In the later stages of hypothermia shivering may stop because mechanisms regulating temperature lose their sensitivity as they become less effective. Also, someone may become drowsy and ultimately can experience slowed breathing and heart rate. If someone’s temperature reaches below 82۫ F, they are likely to experience cardiac arrest. At this point, heart rate and breathing stop and body temperature continues to decrease. However, a person can still be revived after this stage, due to the ceasing of metabolic activities.
The effects of cold temperature on the human body can be devastating. Show your warmth by donating your new or lightly used winter clothing to a person in need today.
Warmth in the Mill Yard Essay
By Emily Therrien
Living in New England we experience a variety of natural temperatures as the seasons change. Some may feel nicer than others but if you have the proper gear and apparel the harsher elements are more bearable. Over the last year or so our economy as taken a turn leaving many who were financially secure in a less fortunate position. As we’re approaching winter where temperatures will most likely go below freezing, it is important that we start preparing for the snow and cold weather to come.
Homeostasis refers to the maintenance of a stable internal environment. It's all about a living creature keeping their inside as constant and stable as possible, whatever may be happening on the outside which is not always something we can control. There are six main bodily levels that need to be controlled. CO2 and Urea need to be disposed of, and Ion content, water content, sugar content (of the blood), as well as temperature all need to be kept at a constant level.
Blood temperature is monitored by the hypothalamus, which then sends nerve impulses to the skin. If we're too hot then the hairs lie flat, sweat is produced and vasodilatation occurs. Vasodilatation is the opening up of the blood supply to the skin to remove heat, and it's why we go red when we're hot. If we're too cold, our hairs stand up and vasoconstriction occurs. This is when the blood supply to the skin is closed off to try and keep heat in. The body also increases liver activity and makes us shiver when we're cold, all to the end of producing more heat.
What is hypothermia? Hypothermia is defined as a core, or internal, body temperature of less than 95°F. Anyone exposed to cold temperatures, whether for work or recreation, may be at risk of becoming too cold. Our body depends on the protection of warm clothing when its cold outside. To keep our body temp at normal levels the warm clothing provides extra layers. Since most of our body hear is lost through the head, we should wear hats to keep some of it in and jackets or sweaters around our core to keep our heart and organs stable since they are so vital to sustaining life.
There are two types of people living right now, the fortunate and the less fortunate. One may have the extra income to buy extra articles of clothing and the other is probably forced to spend what they have on other necessities such as food, housing, and children. Both people go through the same reactions when they get cold, how ever it’s not as easy for the less fortunate ones to find the resources to adequately find warm clothing and they are doing what they can, with what they have. Luckily most of us have warm shelter and decent clothing. I can't imagine feeling chilled to the bone regularly and not being able to get away from it. Nearly 700 people in the United States die each year from hypothermia.
This community event Warmth in the Millyard directly affects many people. We give to others and share because we can and it makes us feel good to look out for other people and make sure that they’re not wanting or hurting. And it makes others who could use our donations feel more comfortable and secure and know that there’s some compassion in this world, even though this dip in the economy has affected all of us in some way or another. If we all pitch in a little and waste less we can make sure that more people are being taken care of in this hard time. I feel like we a lot of the time take for granted how much we have, and it could be taken away from us. It makes me happy to help other people out and give of my time or extra things I may have and not be using. I think that this is a good community event that UNHM participates in it makes us appreciate what we have.
Finding the Perfect Balance
By Jessie L. Wood
Did you ever wonder why you get goose bumps and shiver when you’re cold? Perhaps you may have also noticed that on occasion your entire body is warm except for your fingers and toes which may feel numb. The aforementioned phenomena are the result of homeostasis. More specifically homeostasis refers to an organism’s innate ability to maintain an internal equilibrium by adjusting physiological processes. Homeostatic mechanisms primarily use negative feedback to keep the internal conditions of the body at a constant level. In particular negative feedback is initiated when a receptor detects a change in the external environment. The receptor then sends a signal to a control center within the body. The control center processes the incoming information and in turn sends out instructions for negating this change. These instructions are carried out by the effector. Once the instructions have been carried out the body returns to a state of homeostasis.
One of the simplest examples of homeostasis is that of thermoregulation which is exactly what is occurring when we develop goose bumps or shiver. In the human body temperature is controlled by the thermoregulatory center which is found in the hypothalamus of the brain. The hypothalamus receives information from two different sets of thermoreceptors. One set of receptors is in the hypothalamus itself and these receptors are responsible for monitoring the temperature of the blood as it passes through the brain, which is known as the core temperature. The other set of receptors are in the skin most notably the skin on the trunk of the body. These receptors monitor changes in external temperature. The body relies on both sets of receptors to determine the adjustments that need to be made to maintain homeostasis. Once information from the receptors reaches the thermoregulatory control center the center sends several impulses to different effectors in the body in order to adjust body temperature. For example the goose bumps one develops when they are cold are actually the result of muscles contracting on the outermost skin layer. This contraction causes the hairs of the skin to become raised which in turn traps a layer of warm air near the skin. Shivering is yet another response of effector. Notably shivering is the result of skeletal muscles repeatedly contracting and relaxing. This cycle of contraction and relaxation generates heat by way of friction. Finally even the scenario in which the trunk of one’s body is warm while the fingers and toes are cold is an example thermoregulation. Notably the effector in this case is the smooth muscles in the arterioles in the skin. The muscles contract causing vasoconstriction. As a result less heat is carried from the core to the surface of the body. While this helps to maintain the core body temperature the extremities most often feel cold, can turn blue and in some extreme cases can even suffer damage known as frostbite. All of these forms of thermoregulation are effective measures the body uses to maintain a stable internal temperature. In these three specific cases the thermoregulatory system is trying to prevent hypothermia wherein the internal body temperature drops dangerously low such that there is damage to organs, muscles and tissues. As one can clearly see goose bumps and shivering are not some haphazard occurrences. But rather they are integral part of the mechanisms used by the body to maintain homeostasis.
