Thermoregulation mechanisms include sweating, vasodilation, vasoconstriction, shivering and changes in skin blood flow in human physiology in human physiology in human physiology.
Coverage 2012–2025 · Updated 16 Jul 2026
Human thermoregulation combines physiological and behavioural responses; each effector changes heat transfer or metabolic heat production.
| When hot | Effect | When cold | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skin vasodilation | More warm blood near the surface increases heat loss | Skin vasoconstriction | Less warm blood near the surface reduces heat loss |
| Sweating | Evaporation removes latent heat | Shivering | Rapid muscle contraction increases respiration and heat production |
| Hairs lie flatter | Reduces the trapped insulating air layer | Hair erection | Traps more air, though the effect is small in humans |
| Behaviour seeks shade/cooling | Reduces heat gain or raises loss | Brown-fat uncoupled respiration/warmer behaviour | Produces or conserves heat |
Sweating is most effective when sweat evaporates; high humidity reduces evaporation and therefore reduces cooling.
Vasodilation transfers internal heat toward skin but does not itself remove heat from the body; the environment must accept that heat.
This objective is assessed through structured response, commonly using Identify / Outline.
Identify / Outline
Build the answer around this relationship: Evaporation of sweat removes heat from the body.
Representative question
Outline one change that happens in the human body in response to a rise in body temperature above .
Core D3.3 is secure when every example becomes a feedback route: identify the variable, detect deviation, coordinate a response, activate effectors, and reverse the change. Glucose and temperature are the key worked examples.
Core homeostasis answers should use a control-loop structure, not a list of responses. The response starts with the variable and set point, then explains how the body detects deviation and activates the response that reverses it. Apply that loop to glucose, diabetes, or temperature.
