Not 37°C! Scientists have discovered that the human body temperature of 37°C is history and what it means to have a falling body temperature

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I. No longer 37°C?

In the years when the epidemic was normalized, everyone was constantly taking their body temperature for nucleic acid testing, but most of the body temperatures measured were 36 points or so, and rarely seemed to reach 37 degrees.

In 2020, Stanford University School of Medicine found through an analysis of 24,000 post-Civil War US veterans' medical records that the average body temperature of adults after the 19th century was declining, down 0.4 degrees from before, from 37 degrees to 36.6 degrees.

Researchers have analyzed the reasons for this and believe it has to do with 2 things:

One is that modern people are living in a more appropriate environment, and people today are living in an environment with appropriate temperatures and reduced energy expenditure;

and two is that inflammation in the body is decreasing, and the various cellular hormones and proteins produced by inflammation accelerate the body's metabolism and raise body temperature, and advances in medicine have made the body inflammation has decreased, and the average body temperature is a little lower.

But some studies have found that human body temperature is related to more than just these causes!

A study published in Current Biology by researchers at Harvard University points out that the drop in average body temperature is also associated with a significant decrease in physical activity.

This is because muscles, one of the body's heat-producing organs, increase with regular exercise, further leading to higher body temperatures. And with less physical activity, a person's body temperature stays under a lower level.

But in the face of this, there is no need to worry too much, because human body temperature is constantly fluctuating due to many factors, and the temperature measured at different times may be different, for example, the temperature before eating is a little lower than the temperature after eating.

2. Is the higher the body temperature, the stronger the immune system?

Some scientists say that for every 1 degree Celsius drop in body temperature, immunity decreases by 30%, does that mean that the higher the body temperature, the stronger the immunity?

Studies have found a correlation between body temperature and basal metabolic rate, with basal metabolism increasing by 13% for every degree of body temperature increase.

When the body temperature is high, the body's blood flow is fast and the white blood cells with immune function can respond faster to kill pathogens in time; when the body temperature drops, the blood flow becomes slower and the white blood cells are slower to respond and cannot clear the virus in time, which can cause disease.

So is the higher the temperature the better? The main physician in the Department of Pediatrics at Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Li Peng, has a different opinion on this.

He believes that there is no necessary relationship between high body temperature and individual immunity. For example, the basal body temperature of children is a little higher than that of adults, but it does not mean that children are more immune than adults, and the low body temperature of athletes does not mean that they are less immune than ordinary people.

We must be rational about the relationship between body temperature and immunity. Whether the body temperature drops or rises, as long as it is maintained at the right level, that is normal.

III. Electronic thermometer or mercury thermometer, which is more accurate?

The State Drug Administration and the former Ministry of Environmental Protection, in conjunction with relevant ministries, have issued an announcement that the production of mercury-containing thermometers and mercury-containing sphygmomanometers will be completely banned from January 1, 2026. The main thermometers used in daily life are mercury thermometers and electronic thermometers, which one is more accurate?

The normal range of body temperature varies by measurement method, for example, the normal range for oral temperature is between 36.3 and 37.2 degrees, and the normal range for axillary temperature is between 36.0 and 37.0 degrees.

are generally used for axillary temperature measurements, which are relatively more accurate and use the principle of thermal expansion and contraction of mercury to display temperature.

can be used to measure multiple parts of the armpit, anorectum, and mouth, using the temperature sensor to output an electrical signal that is converted to liquid crystal digits to display the temperature. The anorectal temperature measurement is the most stable, but more difficult to operate; the oral temperature measurement requires tightly closed lips, and the axillary measurement is generally accurate.

It is important to note that it is important to avoid breaking the mercury thermometer when using it. If the mercury inside falls to the ground it will evaporate to form mercury vapor, and inhaling it into the body may trigger acute mercury poisoning, causing headaches, fever, dizziness, weakness and other symptoms.

Once the mercury thermometer is dropped in the ground, clean up the mercury beads that fall out immediately and put both the broken thermometer and the mercury beads together in a plastic bottle and throw it in the hazardous waste. Also keep away from the room where you broke the thermometer and promptly open the window for ventilation.

It is not appropriate to judge the strength of immunity by the level of body temperature; as long as the temperature is maintained at a normal level it is normal. Both mercury thermometers and electronic thermometers can be used to measure body temperature, although a mercury thermometer is more appropriate for measuring axillary temperature.