Does body temperature drop as we age?

This year, the rainy season ended unexpectedly early, and a longer summer than usual has arrived.
Now, days of extreme heat continue, and the cicadas are chirping loudly every day.

When I go out into the garden, five or six cicadas fly around all at once, which surprises me.

With such hot summer days continuing, the number of people being rushed to the hospital for heatstroke is increasing.
I often hear of cases where elderly people, in particular, collapse inside their homes without even turning on the air conditioning.

I think to myself, "It's so hot, how can they stand it without air conditioning?"
and "Don't they feel the heat?"

Thinking about it, when I went to a public bath as a child, the water was too hot for me to get in, but the elderly people there were soaking in it comfortably and leisurely.

I remember being impressed as a child, thinking, "Adults are amazing."

I also recently noticed that the setting temperature on my air conditioner has gone up.

In the past, I used to set it to 24 degrees, and my wife would dislike it, saying, "It's too cold!" and "I'll catch a cold like this."

But looking at it now, it has gone up to 26 degrees. I have started to feel that 24 degrees is too cold.

"What does this mean?"
"Do we stop feeling the heat as we get older?" With that in mind, I did a little research on the relationship between age and body temperature.
I looked into the relationship between age and body temperature.

Does body temperature change as we get older?
The answer was "YES."

It gradually drops.

Looking at this chart, it is obvious.
Compared to younger people, the body temperature of the elderly has definitely dropped.

The drop is significant and noticeable around the age of 65 to 74.
Compared to the average body temperature of those aged 10 to 50, it has dropped sharply.
That is exactly my age group now.

Also, the drop is greater in men; while their body temperature is higher than women's when they are young, it becomes lower than women's when they are elderly.

What I am experiencing myself has been shown exactly as data.

You can view the paper data from the Japan Geriatrics Society at this URL.

https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/geriatrics1964/12/3/12_3_172/_pdf

So, why does body temperature drop as we age?

It is because,

1. The amount of physical activity itself has decreased, and metabolism has declined.

2. Because muscle mass decreases and energy consumption also drops as a result

3. Because we stop sweating as much

4. Because blood flow decreases

5. Because the function of the autonomic nervous system weakens, making reactions to heat and cold duller

6. Because hormonal balance, such as thyroid hormones, changes

These are some of the reasons cited.

When body temperature drops, immunity decreases, making it easier to catch diseases such as infections and colds.

In summer, the risk of heatstroke increases as mentioned earlier, and in winter, the risk of hypothermia increases instead.

To prevent this, it is necessary to exercise moderately and maintain muscle mass.

Since it is too hot during the day, I make it a point to go for a walk early in the morning.

Nutritional balance is also important.
Unreasonable dieting can actually harm your health.
You should eat plenty of meat, fish, and vegetables.
Ginger and root vegetables that warm the body seem to be good.

Also, while I used to just take a shower because it was hot, I now soak leisurely in lukewarm water to improve blood circulation and warm my body, which has been chilled by the air conditioner, from the core.

In this way, I have learned that body temperature drops as we age, and while I feel relieved knowing that "this is normal," I also feel a bit sad realizing that "I am gradually getting older."

As I wrote in my previous post, "Why time seems to pass faster as we get older," our heart rate also slows down as we age.

"To think that my heart is slowing down and my body temperature is dropping..."

Thinking about it is a bit of a shock, but I won't let it get me down; I'll eat some yakiniku and live each day to the fullest. (That was a bit dramatic.)

Thank you for reading.
I would be happy if you could like and follow.
I look forward to your continued support.

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