How can we use our genetics to fight the temperature changes we are experiencing this summer? Genetic testing can give you the answer
On particularly hot days, such as those we are currently experiencing, it is common to find difficulties in falling asleep, higher levels of irritability, greater personal and work-related stress, lower levels of assertiveness and an increase in aggressive behavior. Knowing the genetic predisposition to temperature sensitivity can greatly help to be more cautious and foresighted in the face of sudden changes in temperature.
Sweating is a mechanism for regulating body temperature. It is a process regulated by our nervous system and is activated involuntarily when our body requires it. We could say that it is a mechanism that protects us from becoming a pressure cooker from which heat is unable to escape.
The process starts when sweat is expelled through the pores of the skin due to the secretion of certain glands. This sweat is a liquid that requires heat to evaporate, so our body uses the heat present in the skin to evaporate these fluids. Thanks to this, our skin releases accumulated energy in the form of heat and cools our body, dissipating up to 27% of our body heat.
Now, what is it that allows or signals our body to initiate a sweating process to regulate temperature? The signal received by the thermoreceptors located in our skin. Thermoreceptors are nerve endings that allow us to detect temperature variations (either because we quickly burn ourselves with a baking tray or because we are suffering from sunstroke while sunbathing on the beach). Heat perception is a process influenced to a certain extent by genetics, since, in essence, our perception of heat will depend on the type of thermoreceptor we possess and the quantity existing in a given space.
