How does the body react to cold temperatures? (1 point)
Responses
You body sweats to make the internal temperature balanced with the external environment.
You body sweats to make the internal temperature balanced with the external environment.
Your body sweats to help it maintain homeostasis.
Your body sweats to help it maintain homeostasis.
Your body shivers to help it maintain homeostasis.
Your body shivers to help it maintain homeostasis.
Your body shivers to make the internal temperature balanced with the external environment.
Your body shivers to make the internal temperature balanced with the external environment.
The correct response is: Your body shivers to help it maintain homeostasis.
Your body reacts to cold temperatures in several ways to maintain its internal temperature and protect itself from harm. Here are the steps it takes:
1. Vasoconstriction: When exposed to cold temperatures, your body's blood vessels constrict (narrow) to reduce blood flow to the skin's surface. This helps to conserve heat and prevent heat loss.
2. Shivering: Shivering is an involuntary muscular response triggered by cold temperatures. It is your body's way of generating heat by increasing muscle activity, which produces heat as a byproduct.
3. Goosebumps: When you're cold, tiny muscles at the base of your hair follicles contract, causing your hair to stand upright and creating goosebumps. Although not significant in warming the body, goosebumps help to trap a layer of air around the skin, providing extra insulation.
4. Increased metabolic rate: In cold temperatures, your body's metabolic rate increases. This means that your body's cells work harder and burn more energy to generate heat and maintain normal body temperature.
5. Reduced sweating: Unlike in hot temperatures, your body's sweat production decreases in response to cold temperatures. Sweating is a cooling mechanism, and in cold conditions, it is not needed to cool the body down.
6. Colder extremities: When exposed to cold temperatures, blood flow is redirected away from the extremities (such as fingers and toes) and toward the core of the body. This is to protect vital organs and maintain their temperature.
Overall, these responses help your body maintain its internal temperature and protect itself from the potentially damaging effects of cold temperatures.