Nature: The Human Body 4

– Thermoregulation –

Human thermoregulation is an essential biological function that maintains our body temperature within a narrow, healthy range. This delicate balance is necessary for the body’s metabolic processes to function optimally.

The hypothalamus, a small region in the brain, serves as the body’s thermostat. When it senses a deviation from the ideal body temperature, it triggers mechanisms to restore the balance. If the body is too warm, it initiates vasodilation, where blood vessels expand to increase blood flow to the skin, promoting heat loss. It also activates sweat glands, and the evaporation of this sweat helps cool the body.

Conversely, if the body is too cold, the hypothalamus triggers vasoconstriction, reducing blood flow to the skin to conserve heat. It also stimulates shivering, where involuntary muscle contractions generate heat.

Understanding the body’s thermoregulation process is vital in medical fields. It’s critical to conditions such as hypothermia and hyperthermia, and its understanding helps develop treatments for heat-related illnesses and improve outcomes in surgeries and intensive care.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO words from the text for each answer.

Human ______ is a key biological function that helps to keep our body temperature within a safe range.
The ______, a part of the brain, acts like the body’s thermostat.
When the body overheats, the hypothalamus triggers _______, which makes blood vessels widen to help lose heat.
In addition to vasodilation, the body also begins to sweat, and the ______ of sweat aids in cooling the body.
If the body is too cold, the hypothalamus causes _______, reducing blood flow to the skin to retain heat.
Knowledge of the body’s ______ process is important in medicine, particularly in treating heat-related illnesses and enhancing recovery in surgeries and intensive care.

Choose NO MORE THAN ONE word from the text for each answer.

Human ______ regulation is a crucial biological function maintaining our internal temperature within an acceptable range for optimal metabolic processes. The , a tiny brain region, acts as the body’s thermal regulator, initiating actions to restore balance if any variations are detected. If the body becomes overheated, vasodilation is triggered, causing blood vessels to expand, facilitating heat dissipation. This is complemented by sweat gland activation, and the resulting sweat ______ assists in further cooling. If temperatures drop excessively, vaso is stimulated, limiting blood flow to the skin to retain warmth, along with shivering to produce heat. Comprehending these thermoregulatory processes has significant medical ______, particularly in handling heat-related conditions and improving surgical and intensive care outcomes.

Vocabulary Builder

Find the synonyms (words with the same or similar meaning) to these 9 words from the original passage.

Original Word	Variants Used
essential	_______________
deviation	_______________
initiates	_______________ / _______________
conserve	_______________
involuntary	_______________
contractions	_______________
vital	_______________ / _______________