GCSE Biology (AQA)

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Shivering & Sweating

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Homeostasis and Response The Human Nervous System

Shivering & Sweating

1:40 Control of Body Temperature
Spec 4.5.2.4
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  • Shivering occurs when you feel too cold, caused by rhythmic contractions of skeletal muscles.
  • Skeletal muscles, usually responsible for voluntary movements, are attached to the skeleton by tendons.
  • Shivering is an involuntary action, though it can be initiated on command.
  • Shivering requires energy from respiration, an exothermic reaction that releases heat.
  • Feeling too warm can lead to sweating, a process where sweat glands underneath the skin produce sweat.
  • Sweat lays on the skin and evaporates, transferring heat energy away from the body and cooling the skin.
  • The evaporation process involves heat energy transferring from the skin to water molecules on the skin.
  • These water molecules gain enough energy to overcome intermolecular forces, turn into gas, and carry the heat into the air.
  • Intermolecular forces, the attractive forces between water molecules, are broken by this heat energy, facilitating the transfer of heat from the body to the environment.

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