University Healthcare: EXSC 510 Thermoregulation Case Study

This assignment presents a case study analyzing thermoregulation in a healthcare context, specifically focusing on a football championship held in cold and windy conditions. The study explores the body's mechanisms for heat loss, including radiation, conduction, and evaporation, and how these processes are affected by environmental factors. It explains how the body maintains its core temperature through sweating and how the process of convection is impacted by windy conditions. The assignment emphasizes the importance of understanding thermoregulation to prevent conditions like hypothermia. The paper also discusses the role of wearing appropriate clothing to mitigate heat loss and maintain body temperature during physical activity in cold environments. The provided solution includes references to relevant research articles and literature. The case study provides a comprehensive overview of thermoregulation and its practical implications in healthcare and sports settings.

Running head: HEALTHCARE
Healthcare
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1
HEALTHCARE
The mechanism of heat loss from the human body is known as thermoregulation.
Thermo-regulation is defined as an important aspect of the homeostasis. The process of
thermoregulation is adjusted by the neuronal regulations of the brain (hypothalamus) in
accordance prevailing external temperature of the environment. There are four different
avenues of heart loss by the process of thermoregulation from the body namely: convection,
conduction, radiation and evaporation (Romanovsky, 2014).
If the temperature of the skin is higher in comparison to the temperature of the
surrounding environment, then the body loose heart by the process of radiation and
conduction. However, if the temperature of the surroundings is higher than that of the skin,
the body gains heart by the process of radiation and conduction. Conduction is defined as a
process of loosing heart from the body by physical contact (contact with another body or
object) like coming in contact with warm blanket helps to increase the temperature of the
body (Tansey & Johnson, 2015). The process of radiation deals with loss of heart through
infrared rays. This deals with transfer of heart from one object to another in the absence of
direct physical contact. Like transfer of heat to earth by the process of radiation obtained
through heat rays of the sun (Tansey & Johnson, 2015).
The temperature of the body increases from the threshold value (normal body
temperature is 36.5 to 37.5 degree Celsius), then the body initiates the process of cooling by
the process of sweating. Sweating leads to the excretion of the sweat (liquid in nature)
through the sweat glands present over the surface of the skin. The sweat that is being excreted
is evaporated either due to the high temperature in the surrounding (summer) or due to dry
climate in the surrounding (in winter). This loss of sweat by the process of evaporation
promoted cooling of the body (Taleghani et al., 2014). Flouris and Schlader (2015) stated that
during intensity exercise activity or during sport, the process of evaporation is the main
approach behind the conduction of thermo-regulation of the body.

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HEALTHCARE
However, in accordance to the case study, it can be said that the football
championship is taking place in the "very windy and cold" weather of Virginia. Thus the
body was utilizing the process of sweating in order to decrease the heightened temperature of
the body and thus the player or the participants were feeling cold as their body is getting cold
by the evaporation of sweat in the windy climate. The process of conduction and radiation
were not feasible as the weather was windy (no sunrays) and there is lack of chances of
coming in direct physical contact with warm objects (Taleghani et al., 2014).
Taleghani et al. (2014) stated that heat loss under cold climatic condition increases he
vulnerability of developing hypothermia and cold injury. Body will sweat under action of
high cardio activity (common during sports) and thus in order to maintain proper body
temperature, process of heat loss through convection must be reduced. Convection is the
process of heat loss under the action of wind. Wearing woolen garments in a layer format
(one over another) will help to prevent heat loss from the body by preventing wind to reach
the body (Flouris & Schlader, 2015).

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HEALTHCARE
References
Flouris, A. D., & Schlader, Z. J. (2015). Human behavioral thermoregulation during exercise
in the heat. Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports, 25, 52-64.
Romanovsky, A. A. (2014). Skin temperature: its role in thermoregulation. Acta
physiologica, 210(3), 498-507.
Taleghani, M., Tenpierik, M., van den Dobbelsteen, A., & Sailor, D. J. (2014). Heat
mitigation strategies in winter and summer: Field measurements in temperate
climates. Building and environment, 81, 309-319.
Tansey, E. A., & Johnson, C. D. (2015). Recent advances in thermoregulation. Advances in
physiology education, 39(3), 139-148.