The cardiovascular system works with thermoregulation in order to keep the body at a healthy temperature and be able to warm or cool the body whenever it is needed. Thermoregulation is the process of keeping the bodies temperature within a certain heat and ensuring it at a safe reading. The body has a desire to carry out homeostasis, which refers to keeping the body at an internal balance and ensuring that the body is healthy and within the right range of functioning properly. This results in cooling down the body when it is too hot, in addition to heating up the body when it is too cold. The body has a variety of mechanisms that will be carried out to ensure the body stays at the healthy temperature that is needed to be classed as safe.
When the body becomes too hot, due to the surrounding environment area being over heated , the capillaries that are found at the surface of the skin open up and widen to ensure that the blood flow is flowing towards the skin's surface in order to let off heat which will then eventually cool down the body, to the right temperature that is needed. Water within the blood is released as sweat in order to cool our body down also - this process is called Vasodialtion as the capillaries dilate (expand) which gives off the heat to return us cooler. On the other hand, when the body is too cool the capillaries near the surface of the skin close up and get narrower to trap the heat to push the blood flow away from the skin's surface in order to trap the heat and keep us warm. This process is called Vasoconstriction as the capillaries constrict when lying close to the skin in order to allow the body's organs/muscles to function properly and to keep warm if they happen to be too cold to function.
Controlling Mechanisms
The human's body temperature is controlled by the brain in order of demonstrating signals when the body is too hard or simply too cold. The brain sends signals to the skin in order to widen the capillaries when too hot, letting go of the heat or alternatively narrowing the capillaries when the body is too cold, restricting the heat within the body.
If you were to do run fast on the spot for 10 minutes you will find that you start to go red in the face, and you will begin to sweat. This is because the capillaries at the surface of your skin dilate and widen to allow the sweat glands to produce water in order to cool you down. The blood flow will be diverted towards to skin's surface causing the body to give off the heat, which is why we feel hot then once we stop the sweat allows us to feel cold shortly after.
If you were to stand and support your friend who is playing football in the middle of December at a low temperature. You will find that you begin to receive 'goose bumps' and the hairs on your body begin to raise along with the shivering also. This is the process of vasocontriction as your body is working at it's maximum effort to keep the body warm by closing up the capillaries and restricting the heat within the body. The brain knows that we are cold so will send nervous impulses to a variety of areas in the body to tell our muscles to contract harder and quicker in order to create heat within the body causing us to shiver continuously until we are back into a normal temperature.
When the body becomes too hot, due to the surrounding environment area being over heated , the capillaries that are found at the surface of the skin open up and widen to ensure that the blood flow is flowing towards the skin's surface in order to let off heat which will then eventually cool down the body, to the right temperature that is needed. Water within the blood is released as sweat in order to cool our body down also - this process is called Vasodialtion as the capillaries dilate (expand) which gives off the heat to return us cooler. On the other hand, when the body is too cool the capillaries near the surface of the skin close up and get narrower to trap the heat to push the blood flow away from the skin's surface in order to trap the heat and keep us warm. This process is called Vasoconstriction as the capillaries constrict when lying close to the skin in order to allow the body's organs/muscles to function properly and to keep warm if they happen to be too cold to function.
Controlling Mechanisms
The human's body temperature is controlled by the brain in order of demonstrating signals when the body is too hard or simply too cold. The brain sends signals to the skin in order to widen the capillaries when too hot, letting go of the heat or alternatively narrowing the capillaries when the body is too cold, restricting the heat within the body.
- If you are too cold the hairs on your body trap the heat which prevent the heat from escaping the body. It is known to keep more warm air if you are standing up, than if you are lying down as the capillaries at the surface of the skin are easier to close up and restrict the heat that will be losing lying down. The muscles within the skin around the body are signaled to raise the hairs on your body to keep you warm or alternatively lower them if they body is too hot.
- If you are too hot, your body is in control of the sweat glands beneath the skins surface which cause the body to sweat via the water in your capillaries which is released through the skin. This is to reduce the amount of heat that is within the body and to regulate the temperature back to cool, which when the sweating will instantly stop.
- The brain sends messages to a variety areas of your body controlling the temperature that your body is. When you are too cold, your brain tells your muscles to contract quickly which results in us shivering in order to warm us up. Heat is caused via friction of each muscle working with each other. If you rub your hands together quickly you will find that this creates heat to the surface of your skin.
If you were to do run fast on the spot for 10 minutes you will find that you start to go red in the face, and you will begin to sweat. This is because the capillaries at the surface of your skin dilate and widen to allow the sweat glands to produce water in order to cool you down. The blood flow will be diverted towards to skin's surface causing the body to give off the heat, which is why we feel hot then once we stop the sweat allows us to feel cold shortly after.
If you were to stand and support your friend who is playing football in the middle of December at a low temperature. You will find that you begin to receive 'goose bumps' and the hairs on your body begin to raise along with the shivering also. This is the process of vasocontriction as your body is working at it's maximum effort to keep the body warm by closing up the capillaries and restricting the heat within the body. The brain knows that we are cold so will send nervous impulses to a variety of areas in the body to tell our muscles to contract harder and quicker in order to create heat within the body causing us to shiver continuously until we are back into a normal temperature.