Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 2, 2026

Thermal Imaging to Study Stress Non-invasively in Unrestrained Birds
Published on: November 6, 2015
Circadian body temperatures and the effects of a cold stress in elderly and young subjects
K J Collins1, T A Abdel-Rahman, J Goodwin
1Department of Geriatric Medicine, University College and Middlesex School of Medicine, London.
Abstract:
To determine whether there is a decrement in normal resting body temperature with age, 11 healthy elderly and 11 young adults were studied together for 48 h in warm (21 degrees C) ambient conditions. The resting levels and daytime rhythms of urine and oral temperature were similar, but night-time body temperature fell to a lower value in the young. There were time-of-day effects of increasing skin temperature and metabolic rate in both groups with resting levels higher in the young. After 6 h in cold (6 degrees C) conditions, core (urine) temperature fell by 0.4 degrees C in the elderly subjects but was maintained in the young, and the rise in blood pressure in the elderly exceeded that in the young. Self-reported arousal, however, increased equally in both groups in the cold.
Related Concept Videos
Body Temperature
Factors Affecting Body Temperature
Factors may include:
Decreased Body Temperature
The Effect of Aging on Tissues
Body Temperature
The average body temperature is approximately 37°C (98.6°F) and typically ranges from 36.1–37.2°C (97–99°F), remaining relatively stable...
Aging
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...

