Good day doc, please kindly respond to my question this time. What does it mean when one’s temperature is below 37C? What is the normal human body temperature? For up to a month now, my temperature has been 34C or less and it’s beginning to get me really worried. Please I eagerly await your response and God bless you as you do so.

A: Amen and apologies if it took a while to get to you 😀

Good question! Ever since Ebola hit these shores, body temperature has been on the front burner. Vendors of infra-red thermometers have done brisk business; business premises are manned by security personnel wielding the temperature guns, as I like to call them. I have engaged some of them in Q and A sessions 😀 asking them what temperatures they were looking out for. One told me that a temperature of 40 degrees Centigrade was a red flag and the others generally agreed that above 37 degrees was the red flag. Now the first guy is not wrong…only that by the time the temperature is that high, the situation is indeed critical and a very serious cause for concern! At this time, we are talking heat stroke (hyperthermia)! So, looking out for temperatures of 3rd and above is a good reference point.

Body temperature is usually a range from 36.1 to 37.2C and the read temperature depends on the area of the body where the temperature was checked (underarm temperature is about 0.5C less than the core temperature eg one taken under the tongue), the time of the day (usually lower in the mornings as your day starts), age (older people have lower temperatures) and the activities they’ve been involved in prior to checking the temperature.

Temperatures lower than 35C are usually seen as low (hypothermia). Exposure to cold temperatures can trigger this. Extremes of age (the very young and the very old), homeless people, people who abuse alcohol and people who spend a long period of time in cold weather are prone to this condition. So have you recently travelled to a cold region? Have you changed offices and moved to an office where the Air Conditioner temperature is very low? Are you dressing warmly enough for your environment? Are you getting soaked with water (rain, perhaps) often and not drying off properly?

If none of the above applies to you, then you may need to see your doctor to explore other possibilities like Diabetes, Hypothyroidism or even your use of some medications.

Prevention depends on which of the causes above applies to you. If you’re constantly exposed to cold air, dress in layers, eg wear a camisole, then a tank top, then a top, then a sweat shirt etc That way, you can take off the outer layers if you feel the weather getting warmer. If you get drenched in water, dry off as soon as possible, increase the temperature of the Air Conditioner so that it’s not too cold or use a heater in winter etc.

Have a good night, y’all 😀