Homeostasis - Body Temperature

Our body temperature should stay close to °C for our cells and overall metabolism to work effectively. To do this our thermoregulatory centre in the brain monitored our and controls the relevant so that we can gain or lose heat.

There are five ways in which the skin can respond and try to keep our body temperature constant:

Too Hot	Too Cold
the skin capillaries, increasing the flow to, and consequently the amount of heat lost from the by increasing the amount of , which cools the body by evaporation	by skin capillaries, decreasing the blood flow and the amount of heat lost. are stood up on the skin by goose bumps. These raised hairs trap more next to the skin, which acts as an and helps to keep us warm. causes muscles to contract. This stimulates respiration and heat is given out.