Why do we tremble when we're exposed to chilly temperatures?

Have you ever contemplated the reason behind your increased trembling when the temperature drops? We will provide an explanation as to why you shake and what effect it has on your body.

 

When it's cold outside, you start shivering, and your teeth start chattering. However, what causes those shakes to occur in the first place? These reflexes evolved to generate heat in order to keep you warm, even if they might not appear to be very effective.

 

Your internal temperature should be maintained at approximately 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit at all times (37 degrees Celsius). According to Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, who spoke with Live Science about the topic, the brain keeps a very close eye on the heat level of the body in order to prevent hypothermia, which is a dangerously low body temperature.

 

Skin receptors will send signals to the hypothalamus, which is a structure the size of an almond and located deep within the brain, if the surface of the skin becomes too cold. According to the Cleveland Clinic, the function of the hypothalamus is to help maintain homeostasis, which is a state in which the body is stable and balanced. This is accomplished by the hypothalamus' contribution to the control of the body's temperature, blood pressure, hunger, thirst, mood, and sleep.

 

Shivering is one of the tricks that the hypothalamus may set into motion in order to warm the body. Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University found that while shivering, your skeletal muscles, which are the muscles related to the skeleton and help move the body, frequently contract and relax in rapid bursts. Skeletal muscles are the muscles that assist in moving the body. These contractions and expansions may not only cause your limbs to shake, but they may also cause the muscles in your jaw to quiver, which, according to Glatter, will cause your teeth to chatter.

 

The use of chemical energy is required for muscle contractions. Even if part of this energy is transformed into motion, a significant portion of it is dissipated as heat. According to Britannica, this mechanism is responsible for the warming of the body that occurs during shivering.

 

Shivering is a unique form of body movement that differs from other types of trembling that might occur. For example, the shaking that might be caused by being in a dangerous situation or being scared of something "ultimately involves the fight-or-flight response and the production of adrenaline," which is "designed to make us ready to respond to a threat by making us ready to spring into action to either run or fight," Glatter said. "Fight-or-flight" refers to the body's natural reaction of either "fighting" or "running away" from a dangerous situation. "Shivering" is the effect of residual adrenaline making its way through our veins and all over our bodies. Since adrenaline gets our muscles ready to contract, "shivering" can be understood in this sense as the effect of adrenaline making its way through our bodies.

 

Glatter made the observation that hypoglycemia, often known as low blood sugar, "also leads to the release of adrenaline." This can lead to symptoms such as trembling, a racing heartbeat, anxiety, profuse sweating, and an insatiable appetite.

 

Shivering is not the same thing as a tremor, which is a type of shaking that is sometimes associated with neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease. According to Glatter, "a tremor is an involuntary contraction of a muscle or muscles that results in a shaking type of movement, typically in the hands, but can also result in leg, head, and full-body movements." "A tremor is an involuntary contraction of a muscle or muscles that results in a shaking type of movement, typically in the hands." "An anomaly in a region of the brain that is responsible for controlling the movement of the muscles is what causes a tremor."

Article source : https://www.livescience.com/32475-why-do-we-shiver-when-cold.html

Image source  : https://pixabay.com/id/photos/kasar-tanduk-pegunungan-alpen-2146181/

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