external factors effecting homeostasis - thermoregulation
Muscular System and
Thermo Regulation
The body’s reaction to heat loss is an involuntary response driven by the hypothalamus in the brain, the part responsible for the activation of a number of processes in aim to maintain homeostasis within the body for optimal metabolic processes to occur. The hypothalamus is a gland very sensitive to any temperature variation in the body, specifically, to keep the vital organs at an optimal temperature, as a failure in these organs can result in death (Kaiser, 2009).
Heat, in this case, is retained within the body using a number of involuntary responses stimulated by the hypothalamus; a gland sensitive to temperature variation in the vital organs.
Shivering
Shivering is an involuntary muscle movement stimulated by the hypothalamus to create heat within the surface of the skin. The aim of shivering is to increase the heat within the epidermis, dermis, and fat layer of the skin, and to hence warm up the circulating blood passing along/near the layers of the skin. Shivering does have its drawbacks as a negative feedback response. As this muscle action requires fuel in the form of high-energy food (Kaiser, 2009), without additional energy supply, the body’s reserves become depleted and the muscles experience fatigue. Another negative effect of increased muscle activity is an increase in blood flow being diverted away from the core (where majority of the vital organs are located) and towards the more superficial muscles of the body, where heat loss is accelerated.
If the muscular system didn’t produce this shivering movements, the core temperature of the body would veer down from 37 degrees Celsius, and hence would not be warm enough to maintain the metabolic processes within the body, and would hence start to shut down due to the inefficient temperature range.
Metabolism
The glucose from foods consumed convert into ATP within the muscles using a process known as the Kreb cycle. The Kreb cycle is an aerobic cycle (requires oxygen) and is a series of reactions catalysed by enzymes that use oxygen in their respiration process. The result of this cycle is the production of carbon dioxide and adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is used as energy to drive the metabolic processes within the cell. Once the glycogen has been broken in carbon dioxide and ATP, the Kreb cycle itself creates heat, and some of the excess deposits are stored as an insulting layer of body fat.
As the hypothalamus is responsible for managing the heat variation within the vital organs, it is no coincidence that the core temperature is ideal for metabolic processes. If the temperature drops, the chemical reaction slows down. To compensate for the drop, the metabolic rate increases slightly. Consequently, during cold conditions, the body requires more energy rich food and oxygen to support the continuum of the Kreb cycle within the muscles for heat production (Kaiser, 2009).
The role of metabolism in homeostasis is one that can’t be taken for granted. Without the metabolic processes such as the breakdown of glucose in the muscles to create ATP, the muscles would simply have no source of energy to allow them to move at continuous rates, like those needed for exercise.
Vasoconstriction and Vasodilation
Vasoconstriction is the process where the blood vessels in the superficial areas of the body (more non-essential areas of the body such as the distal limbs), tighten (or constrict) on command to limit the amount of warm blood that can reach the surface of the body, therefore preventing heat loss. The degree of the constriction depends on the heat released by the other processes within the body and the external environment (Kaiser, 2009).
Vasodilation, on the other hand, is when there is too much heat surrounding or given off by the metabolic processes, and hence the blood vessels dilate or expand to allow the heat within the blood to cool off by coming closer to the surface of the body. However, alike, too much constrict can restrict blood flow to certain areas of the body, vasodilation can reduce the circulation of the blood to some exterior limbs and muscles of the body due to the lack of pressure behind the expanded vessels. (Kaiser, 2009)
Both vasoconstriction and vasodilation are vital in maintaining an adequate temperature range for the blood circulating through it. If vasodilation and/or vasoconstriction were restricted from occurring, the temperature of the blood would not be maintained, therefore denaturing not only the metabolic processes that occur within the muscular system, but the individual cells themselves.
The body’s reaction to heat loss is an involuntary response driven by the hypothalamus in the brain, the part responsible for the activation of a number of processes in aim to maintain homeostasis within the body for optimal metabolic processes to occur. The hypothalamus is a gland very sensitive to any temperature variation in the body, specifically, to keep the vital organs at an optimal temperature, as a failure in these organs can result in death (Kaiser, 2009).
Heat, in this case, is retained within the body using a number of involuntary responses stimulated by the hypothalamus; a gland sensitive to temperature variation in the vital organs.
Shivering
Shivering is an involuntary muscle movement stimulated by the hypothalamus to create heat within the surface of the skin. The aim of shivering is to increase the heat within the epidermis, dermis, and fat layer of the skin, and to hence warm up the circulating blood passing along/near the layers of the skin. Shivering does have its drawbacks as a negative feedback response. As this muscle action requires fuel in the form of high-energy food (Kaiser, 2009), without additional energy supply, the body’s reserves become depleted and the muscles experience fatigue. Another negative effect of increased muscle activity is an increase in blood flow being diverted away from the core (where majority of the vital organs are located) and towards the more superficial muscles of the body, where heat loss is accelerated.
If the muscular system didn’t produce this shivering movements, the core temperature of the body would veer down from 37 degrees Celsius, and hence would not be warm enough to maintain the metabolic processes within the body, and would hence start to shut down due to the inefficient temperature range.
Metabolism
The glucose from foods consumed convert into ATP within the muscles using a process known as the Kreb cycle. The Kreb cycle is an aerobic cycle (requires oxygen) and is a series of reactions catalysed by enzymes that use oxygen in their respiration process. The result of this cycle is the production of carbon dioxide and adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is used as energy to drive the metabolic processes within the cell. Once the glycogen has been broken in carbon dioxide and ATP, the Kreb cycle itself creates heat, and some of the excess deposits are stored as an insulting layer of body fat.
As the hypothalamus is responsible for managing the heat variation within the vital organs, it is no coincidence that the core temperature is ideal for metabolic processes. If the temperature drops, the chemical reaction slows down. To compensate for the drop, the metabolic rate increases slightly. Consequently, during cold conditions, the body requires more energy rich food and oxygen to support the continuum of the Kreb cycle within the muscles for heat production (Kaiser, 2009).
The role of metabolism in homeostasis is one that can’t be taken for granted. Without the metabolic processes such as the breakdown of glucose in the muscles to create ATP, the muscles would simply have no source of energy to allow them to move at continuous rates, like those needed for exercise.
Vasoconstriction and Vasodilation
Vasoconstriction is the process where the blood vessels in the superficial areas of the body (more non-essential areas of the body such as the distal limbs), tighten (or constrict) on command to limit the amount of warm blood that can reach the surface of the body, therefore preventing heat loss. The degree of the constriction depends on the heat released by the other processes within the body and the external environment (Kaiser, 2009).
Vasodilation, on the other hand, is when there is too much heat surrounding or given off by the metabolic processes, and hence the blood vessels dilate or expand to allow the heat within the blood to cool off by coming closer to the surface of the body. However, alike, too much constrict can restrict blood flow to certain areas of the body, vasodilation can reduce the circulation of the blood to some exterior limbs and muscles of the body due to the lack of pressure behind the expanded vessels. (Kaiser, 2009)
Both vasoconstriction and vasodilation are vital in maintaining an adequate temperature range for the blood circulating through it. If vasodilation and/or vasoconstriction were restricted from occurring, the temperature of the blood would not be maintained, therefore denaturing not only the metabolic processes that occur within the muscular system, but the individual cells themselves.