Metabolic activity continuously produces heat as a byproduct. Without a method of dissipating that heat, a person would quickly overheat and die.
Normal responses to hyperthermia include vasodilation and sweating as methods to facilitate heat transfer out of the body, but if the surrounding environment is already ‘too hot’ to allow dissipation the heat is trapped in the body and core temperature rises.
baloo_the_bear t1_izb0vj6 wrote
Reply to If you wrapped a human in a theoretical blanket that was able to insulate 100% of heat produced by the person, would that person’s body temperature eventually reach equilibrium, or would their metabolism cause them to keep getting hotter and hotter until they perish? by NonEuclideanGal
Metabolic activity continuously produces heat as a byproduct. Without a method of dissipating that heat, a person would quickly overheat and die.
Normal responses to hyperthermia include vasodilation and sweating as methods to facilitate heat transfer out of the body, but if the surrounding environment is already ‘too hot’ to allow dissipation the heat is trapped in the body and core temperature rises.