This is a great question that we have been asked many times. There is a relatively simple explanation.
It’s all about the thermoregulation. Doesn’t sound very simple, does it? That’s why we’re here. Our bodies are constantly producing heat from our metabolism. This heat needs to go somewhere. Thermoregulation is the mechanism by which our body attempts to balance heat gain and loss in order to maintain a constant body temperature. This becomes more complicated when we are dealing with rising outside temperatures. It is much easier to release this heat when there is a large gradient (a bigger difference) between body and outside temperature. When it is hot outside, the body ends up having to work harder to lose heat. That makes you sweat and flush, as you try to increase blood flow to the skin and allow heat loss.
This just goes with the territory of being the warm-blooded animals that we are. Cold-blooded animals only get as hot or as cold as it is outside – which could be trouble for a rattlesnake trapped in an ice-cream truck.
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"Why does it feel so hot outside when it is 90 degrees if our body temperature is 98.6?" was posted on Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008 at 8:56 pm.