The human body has a temperature range that is considered normal, with temperatures outside of this range considered abnormal. However, remember that different parts of the body have different temperatures, as well as that a temperature can be measured in different places of the body.
Temperature can be measured orally (a thermometer is placed in the mouth, under the tongue), under the armpit, in the ear, or rectally (in the rectum).
The normal body temperature is known as euthermia or normothermia, and this normal temperature depends on the place where the measurement is taken, the level of physical activity the person, had and the time of the day. Hormonal factors also play a role, and female body temperatures will vary with their menstrual cycle. No one give you one set of exact numbers that are recognized as the normal body temperature for everyone, at any place or any time of the day.
What is core body temperature?
"Core temperature" is a term that describes the temperature of the organs and other structures deep inside the body. This so-called operating temperature is maintained in narrow ranges, since it is necessary for temperature to remain constant for various enzyme reactions in the body. The average core body temperature is about 37.0°C (or 98.6 °F).
When a person experiences hyperthermia (increased core temperature) or hypothermia (decreased core temperature) and this condition is prolonged, there are serious risks of complications, and such a person will not always survive that condition.
The most precise way to measure your core temperature is to take a rectal measurement. Though taking your temperature rectally is the most accurate, but some also recommend using infrared sensors to measure your temperature in the ear. Oral measurements aren’t valid in estimating a person's core body temperature, since the results could be affected by drinking and mouth breathing.
Ranges of normal body temperatures
If a person measures their temperature under the tongue, it will probably be between about 36.1 and 37.5°C, or 96.9 and 99.5°F, if they don't have a fever. The armpit readings are about 36.6°C (98.6°F) in healthy individuals.
As perfectly normal for adult men and women, doctors accept the values of 33.2–38.2 °C (92–101 °F) for oral and 34.4–37.8 °C (94–100 °F) for rectal temperature. In the Tympanic cavity the temperature is around 35.4–37.8 °C (96–100 °F) and under the armpit it is found to be from 35.5 to 37.0°C (96–99 °F).
What factors can affects your body temperature?
As we already mentioned, our body reacts to the time of the day and the activity at the moment of the temperature measurement. Sleeping or being awake and some other psychological factors, but also the condition in which we are (such as being cold, sleepy or even hungry or well fed) determine the temperature of the body.
When talking about normal daily temperature changes, we are coldest (around 36.4 °C) in the very early morning, around 4am, or some 2 hours before the usual waking time. In the afternoon, somewhere around 4 to 6pm, our body is warmer than at any other time of the day, with a temperature of about 37.5°C. This normal pattern is also why people with fevers will notice that their temperature spikes during this later part of the afternoon; temperature fluctuations continue when we are ill, as well.
Although there are some daily changes in every person’s body temperature during the day, they are never more than 0.5 °C (0.9 °F) between the highest and lowest number.
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