How to tell if you really have a fever?

Getting sick is bad enough, but when the illness comes with fever, things get even worse. Despite the unmistakable sensations, the standard procedure in these cases is to measure the temperature and make sure it is above 37 ° C. But do you know why this is the reference value?

Origin of 37 ° C

The origin of the famous 37 ° C limit comes from measurements made by German physician Carl Reinhold August Wunderlich. He tried to find a standardized average human body temperature, and made about 1 million measurements on 25, 000 people.

The conclusion of the research was that, on average, body temperature is 37 ° C, but variations during the day are not abnormal, ranging from 36.2 ° C to 37.5 ° C. The temperature recorded is also influenced by gender and age, but even so the average value was accepted as "normal" for a healthy adult.

Of course, women tend to have a higher average body temperature, which is explained by characteristic hormones, higher fat percentage and metabolism. Age also greatly influences measurements; As the years go by, the records tend to get lower and lower. A study in a nursing home showed that the average temperature of residents, averaging 80 years old, was 36.1 ° C. At the time, the lowest recorded value was 34 ° C.

During the day our temperature varies, with a tendency to be lower in the morning and rise until night. If you practice intense exercise, it also increases during and after.

Base value

After so many factors influencing the measurements, you may already think the famous 37 ° C value is totally wrong. It's not so extreme! It can still be considered as a reference, but if you want to base numbers only, you need to know your own average temperature.

For this, it is necessary to measure its temperature daily, for several days, always at the same times and with the same thermometer. From this data - the more the merrier - you will know your average temperature at a certain time of the day. On this basis, if the temperature is 2 ° C above average, the fever is more than confirmed.

Although it is interesting and provides a consistent reference about your health, the process is laborious and requires discipline. But do not worry that it is essential for your survival. You can still use 37 ° C as a reference, but an important part of the process is listening to your own body. After all, fever always comes with other symptoms such as chills and headaches, so the important thing is to understand the signals your body is emitting, regardless of the values ​​found in the thermometer.

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