Water is important roles to the survival
of mankind. In general people might lack water about 3-5 days if more than that
people could have died because water is. In human body generally water has
essential function as below [1]:
- Regulates body temperature.
- Moistens tissues such as those in the mouth, eyes and nose.
- Lubricates joints.
- Protects body organs and tissues.
- Helps prevent constipation.
- Lessens the burden on the kidneys and liver by flushing out waste products.
- Helps dissolve minerals and other nutrients to make the accessible to the body.
- Carries nutrients and oxygen to cells.
In
this article, function water to regulates
body temperature will explained further.
Water to Regulates Body Temperature.
In ordinary activity, metabolism in
human body depends on heat loss by evaporation from body surface, radiation
heat exchange, radiation from temperature of environment and heat stored in the
body. In condition where heat stored equal to zero it is means that body temperature
in normal condition, where heat stored negative body temperature will be
increases and body temperature will be decreases in heat stored positive.
Figure
1.
Heat transfer in human body [2].
The body temperature of healthy person in
normal conditions around 36-38oC [2]. The body temperature varies
depending on the activity and the state of the environment, lower temperatures
in the morning and higher temperatures in the afternoon and evening. But the
changes in body temperature at normal body is not significant around 0.5oC.
The human body will be disturbed if there are in low or high than normal
temperatures. In condition of the body temperature below 35oC then
person suffering hypothermia, under 33oC suffering unconsciousness
and on more serious level body can a coma at temperatures below 28oC
[2]. as well at high temperatures, hyperthermia, human brain and heart can be
damage if the body temperatures more than 42oC.
Hyperthermia can caused by internal
factor such as: consumption drugs, heat stroke and also caused by external
factor such as: extreme environment temperature, body personal protective
equipments for example people who working in industry, the military and first
responders.
Water has an important role in
regulating the temperatures stability in human body, especially when the body
is experiencing hyperthermia. Figure 2 described the mechanism of the human
body to prevent hypertermia and how water plays a role in that process.
Steps
to prevent hypertermia as below:
- Increased blood and internal temperature.
- Impulse go to hypothalamus.
- Vasodilation occurs in skin blood vessies so more heat is lost cross skin.
- Sweat glands become more active, increasing evaporative heat loss.
- Body temperature decreases.
The hypothalamus acts as a receptor in
regulation of human body temperature, by detecting fluctuations in temperature.
The first environment temperature changes will received by the skin that serves
as thermoreceptor, then this temperature change will be responded by
hypothalamus. After that hypothalamus commanding body to make perspiration.
Perspiration presents the most effective
mechanism of heat generation or output under physical work in high temperature.
Through perspiration the body loses up to 80 % of its heat while under resting
condition it is mere 10%. It is the only way of heat output in situations where
the temperature of the environment is higher than body temperature. Perspiration
mechanism shown in Figure 3. Sweat is produced by the sweat glands from plasma
filtration. There are about 2.5 mil sweat glands in human body, about 200/1 mm2
on a palm and 10-20/1mm2. Sweat is mostly formed by water, ions
(Na+,K+ and Cl-), lactic acid and urea. Under work in environment that has high
temperature the body may lose up to 1 litre of sweat perhour per 1m2
of the body surface. Unless liquid losses are not sufficiently compensated,
dehydration may occur and basic life functions may be jeopardized.
Water has main function to cooling body
temperature in hyperthermia conditions, through perspiration. In case the
temperature of environment increase that effect to increasing body temperature
and then hyperthermia. Can imagined
brain and heart will be damaged easily without water in human body.
References :
[1] Functions of Water in The Body
accessed on 23
January 2015 14:11 JST
[2] Handbook
Class of Thermal Biongineering Hokkadio University 2014-2015, Lecturer .by M.Yamada
[3]
Organism Overheating
accessed
on 31 January 2015 16:05 JST
[4]
Mechanism of Heat Generation
accessed on 31
January 2015 15:55 JST
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