為什么現(xiàn)在了解你的體溫很重要

為什么現(xiàn)在了解你的體溫很重要

Until recently, you probably only thought about your body temperature around flu season. But during the pandemic, knowing your body temperature is critical because fever can be one of the key symptoms of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus.

直到最近，你可能只考慮流感季節(jié)的體溫。但在大流行期間，了解自己的體溫至關(guān)重要，因為發(fā)燒可能是COVID-19的主要癥狀之一。COVID-19是由冠狀病毒引起的疾病。

It's important to know your normal body temperature so you'll be able to tell when you have a fever. (Photo: Quality Stock Arts/Shutterstock)

What's a 'normal' body temperature?

“正常”體溫是多少?

You probably grew up believing normal body temperature was 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius). The number is credited to two different groups of 19th-century researchers, but most widely believed to be based on a study by German physician Carl Wunderlich. He reportedly analyzed more than 1 million temperature readings via armpit from more than 25,000 people and found 98.6 F (37 C) was the average temperature of healthy adults.

你可能從小就相信正常的體溫是華氏98.6度(37攝氏度)。這個數(shù)字是19世紀兩個不同的研究小組得出的，但大多數(shù)人認為它是基于德國醫(yī)生卡爾·旺德里希的一項研究。據(jù)報道，他分析了超過25000人的腋下超過100萬的溫度讀數(shù)，發(fā)現(xiàn)98.6華氏度(37攝氏度)是健康成年人的平均溫度。

Wunderlich also recorded some interesting anomalies with temperature. He found it was lowest between 2 and 8 a.m. and highest between 4 and 9 p.m. He also noted that women tended to have slightly higher temperatures than men, and younger people generally have higher temperatures than older people.

溫德里奇還記錄了一些有趣的溫度異?，F(xiàn)象。他發(fā)現(xiàn)，早晨2點到8點是最低溫度，下午4點到9點是最高溫度。他還指出，女性的體溫往往比男性略高，而年輕人的體溫通常比老年人高。

Why temperatures could be falling

為什么體溫會下降

One primary possibility is that today, people have lower metabolic rates. "Like a car engine that’s idling, your body expends energy just keeping things going, and that generates heat," writes Robert H. Shmerling, MD, in Harvard Health. "A lower metabolic rate in modern times could be due to higher body mass (some studies link this with lower metabolic rate), or better medical treatments, preventive measures, and overall health."

一種主要的可能性是，如今人們的代謝率較低。“就像一個空轉(zhuǎn)的汽車引擎，你的身體消耗能量只是為了保持運轉(zhuǎn)，然后產(chǎn)生熱量，”哈佛健康醫(yī)學博士羅伯特·h·什莫林寫道。“現(xiàn)代較低的代謝率可能是由于較高的體重(一些研究認為這與較低的代謝率有關(guān))，或更好的醫(yī)療、預防措施和整體健康。”

How to take your temperature

如何量體溫

Many businesses are now using non-contact infrared thermometers to do temperature checks. (Photo: Tong_stocker/Shutterstock)

Because a fever is one of the symptoms of COVID-19, many people are being asked to take their temperature as they enter restaurants and hair salons, offices, and other businesses. You might even check yours regularly at home. It's important that you know your normal temperature so you know when it's elevated.

由于發(fā)燒是COVID-19的癥狀之一，許多人在進入餐館、發(fā)廊、辦公室和其他企業(yè)時被要求測量體溫。你甚至可以在家里定期檢查。知道你的正常體溫是很重要的，這樣你就知道什么時候體溫會升高。

In most cases, a fever is considered to be a temperature of 100.4 F (38 C) or above.

在大多數(shù)情況下，發(fā)燒被認為是華氏100.4度(38攝氏度)或以上。

If you have an old glass thermometer with mercury, don't use it. These thermometers were popular before digital thermometers were available, but they were hard to read and not always accurate.

如果你有一個舊的水銀玻璃溫度計，不要使用它。在數(shù)字體溫計出現(xiàn)之前，這些體溫計很流行，但是它們很難讀懂，而且不總是準確的。

"The main reason they are no longer recommended is that mercury can poison you. This can happen when the glass breaks and mercury is released. If you do still have one of these thermometers, you should contact your local waste department and find how to dispose of hazardous waste properly," says the Cleveland Clinic. "There are glass thermometers available that do not use mercury, but most people prefer the digital thermometers that do not shatter."

“它們不再被推薦的主要原因是汞會毒害你。這可能發(fā)生在玻璃破裂和汞釋放的時候。如果你還有一個這樣的溫度計，你應該聯(lián)系當?shù)氐膹U物處理部門，找到正確處理危險廢物的方法，”克利夫蘭診所說。“市面上有不使用水銀的玻璃溫度計，但大多數(shù)人更喜歡不會破碎的數(shù)字溫度計。”