In the last post on the decline in body temperature, we talked about the significance of having a warm basal body temperature. What is considered the ideal range and what is the official technique for assurance that your temperature reading is accurate?
Broda Barnes is still the Godfather of what is still considered the optimal range for the axillary (armpit) temperature, as he routinely used the basal temperature to diagnose hypothyroidism. The armpit temp. runs up to a half degree F below the oral temp, and up to a full degree F of the ear temperature. The rectal temp. is probably very accurate as well, but can lead to perverse thoughts :)
Barnes considered the ideal range to be between 97.8 and 98.2 degrees F first thing upon waking in the morning. He thought that this was truly the best time of day to gauge the level at which the body runs itself when there is no outer stimuli affecting the temperature. I agree. This is really the best measurement of whether your thyroid is in hibernation mode or is pumping out the juice and allowing the body to operate at its highest capacity.
But some have had trouble with the simple technique of getting the temperature readings just right. Although in no way difficult, here is a standard technique that we can use to monitor it accurately and consistently?
Barnes used a mercury thermometer and had patients keep it tucked deep into the armpit for 10 minutes. That’s probably a little overkill.
But you do need to make sure that your armpit is at its warmest when taking this temperature. To do that, make sure you don’t stick an ice cold thermometer in there.
What I do is:
1) Lay with my arms tightly tucked to my side for a few minutes in the morning to make sure my pits get nice and warm.
2) Warm the thermometer up in my hand for about 30 seconds.
3) Stick the thermometer in my armpit for an additional 30 seconds before I turn it on.
4) Turn the digital thermometer on.
5) Take several readings in both armpits.
6) Call the highest temperature my basal temperature for that morning.
I use a Vicks thermometer. I have used several other thermometers, but other brands seem to run colder. I have a hunch that the Vicks thermometer is the most accurate. They do actually sell an armpit thermometer, but I have not used it. For 2 bucks I’m sure I’ll get one someday, but for now the regular oral thermometer works just fine.
Using this standard procedure you should be able to at least track your temperature to see if it is coming up if low ? a sign of improvement. Monitoring for a few days every month will give you a good idea at where your basal metabolism stands while at complete rest and not in the middle of digesting something. I wouldn’t recommend obsessively taking it every day. It will vary here and there and daily variations are more or less meaningless and misleading.
No matter what though, using diet and lifestyle measures to bring temps. up or desiccated thyroid, I wouldn’t sit around shrugging off a low body temperature as ?no big deal? or ?irrelevant. The information I’ve come across suggests that it is VERY relevant, and needs to be taken care of. If you have no pressing health issues, I can see blowing it off, but with any kind of health problem, there is a very high probability that it will improve or clear up altogether as your body temperature enters into the ideal range.
Body temp. isn’t everything, but I have never read from any practitioner following Barnes’s methods that anything short of miraculous results can be expected as body temps enter the ideal zone from any number of minor and major health problems.
It is so significant that Mark Starr, a Broda Barnes method follower, is now reporting that in 13 years of practice only 1 patient has developed an autoimmune disease. Considering that autoimmune disease affects nearly 1 in 10 Americans and is rapidly rising (while average body temp. is rapidly falling), I find this to be very promising.
As a special note to women:
Basal temperature usually runs about 0.3-1.0 degrees F higher between ovulation and menstruation, and drops 0.3-1.0 degrees F during mentruation. Take that into consideration when reading your basal temp.
Stay tuned for a post in the near future on the misconceptions about ?exercise raising the metabolism,? which is a pervasive flaw in nearly all diet, health, and fitness literature.
"exercise raising the metabolism"
I really hope that when you do that post you differentiate between endurance, resistance (most interestingly very-low-volume, very-high-intensity) and intervals (very-low-volume, nearly-max-intensity). Just because generally talking about "exercise" is like generally talking about "fat".
I bought the Vicks underarm thermometer and I really like it. Its readings seem to be consistent as well. Interesting note: I've been hitting 98.9 for the last few days on the milk diet! This is the high-temp part of my cycle, but still, that's pretty high.
Burn it up Elizabeth!
Markus-
I know of no form of exercise that raises the basal temperature except temporarily due to the big adrenaline rush – similar to taking amphetamines or "thermogenics."
Elizabeth, that's great!
I have two thermoneters and just took a 1 PM reading in both armpits using both of them. One of them consistently said 98.1 and the other said 98.7. Now I've got no idea whether I'm good or an underachiever.
Strangely though these are both higher than yesterday's oral reading, but that was at 9 PM, so maybe my body had already shut down for the day at that point. Haven't taken my temps since New Years otherwise.
Over the last 4 days my tempreature has been climbing a little bit every day. Today, it was at 36,3?C (97,34?F), a temperature I usually only measure at the weekend (my temp seems to be higher, if I'm able to sleep as long as I want).
I think conciously trying to overfeed has made a big difference, even though my hunger still hasn't backed down and until now I couldn't manage to really eatr beyond satiation.
However, I'm very excited to see how my body temperature will be tomorrow. I somehow doubt that it will climb even further.
Another reason could be, that I basically didn't exercise for the last nine days. I did went to the gym today however to do some strength training (gasp! I know it should be avoided, but I'm still not "able" to do that and maybe I'll never will). But today I actually managed to sweat! That usually isn't the case and definitely a good sign. Could be because of the iodine.
I got one of the Vicks underarm thermometers and found that for me it takes a while to get warmed up. I tried reading it after 10 minutes and got 97.9, and then again after 20 minutes and got 98.5. Checked it again at 25 minutes and it had stabilized at 98.5.
I leave at 6.45 in the morning and don't have the time to spend minutes taking my temperature. I am assuming as long as i am consistent it doesn't matter that i do it orally?
All this anti-exercise stuff has me concerned. Plenty of indication out there that significant exercise is healthy. But yes, overtraining is bad.
But what constitutes overtraining? If you do the Nautilus berserker try-to-kill-yourself-in-one-set method, then once or twice a week is borderline overtraining.
On the other hand, you can lift the same same weights 10 times as much per week with no problem if you avoid going to failure. Let pain/pleasure be your guide. Multi-set exercise below failure can produce lots of endorphins without pain.
And "set" can be anything from a 5 minute jog to a quick sprint to loading a sheet of tobacco onto a conveyer belt.
Matt is not anti exercise, as you will discover. Anyway he simply said that in the next article he would be addressing the myths linked to exercise+metabolism ;)
"All this anti-exercise stuff has me concerned. Plenty of indication out there that significant exercise is healthy. But yes, overtraining is bad."
And how do you think most people fall into the trap of overtraining? By trying to do to much to loose weight and boost their metabolism. Matt is anti-exercise for whatever length of time it takes you to heal. How much is too much depends greatly on other factors such as the level of fitness your at, where your overall health is, how much rest you get and what your diet is like.
All the stressed out overweight people who get up early in the morning to work out should just add that time onto their night's sleep. In the long run that would be so much more productive for their overall health. I say this as a stressed out overweight person who has seen real positive changes in her health simply by hitting the snooze.
We'll get into it Carl. Don't worry, I'm not "anti-exercise" by any means. I wouldn't stop being physically active even if I did conclude that physical activity was unhealthy (which I haven't).
But the pervasive beliefs about calorie burn and "raising the metabolism" with exercise are bass ackwards. That's why exercising causes lower resting pulse and lower basal temperatures and not the other way around.
Jenny the NAPPER?
Matt,
You are probably right that there is no form of exercise that is beneficial if your body temperature is low. But I think that by far the most disastrous way to exercise with a low body temperature is endurance training because it's the biggest exercise-induced stress one can get (with the lowest potential benefits).
If low-volume, high-intensity exercise is eating nuts, then high-volume, low-intensity exercise is drinking soy oil.
As for thermometers, I just want to find one that doesn't beep. It wakes up my husband. He has enough sleep issues without my pits beeping away at him.
Good ol' mercury doesn't beep.
These last few articles have been awesome!!
going to finally try this temp. thing to see what mine is in the morning, since you made some nice guidelines. I will post those when i do.
I have been having a low appetite lately, don't know why… not feeling as warm as i usually do, well, maybe its because i live in denver, kinda chilly, i cook with the windows open, walk around barefooted in shorts… but i have been trying to over feed this week because i don't feel right. I have gotten lean without even trying.
I had a huge bowl of brown rice pasta, homemade pesto made with lots of butter, broccoli, zuchinni, and fage total yogurt, all last night.
For breakfast i had two yukon gold potatoes made into hashbrowns fried in coconut oil and butter, three eggs fried in butter and coconut oil, sated mushrooms and onions… layered with emmental swiss cheese.
Hope this revs me up inside….
going to get that vicks armpit thermometer and get back with those results… i hope i haven't dropped my basal temp. since i have been unconciously undereating….
troy
"Jenny the NAPPER?"
OMG, I love that! If I was so attached to this handle from my other life as a classic movie nerd, I'd totally grab that. Love it.
Markus, Please don't come in here hating on high volume low intensity exercise. Lots of walking? Lots of running? Those are good things. You need to take extra care of your body while doing them and mind your metabolism, but I really believe they are no worse than any other kind of over-training. Broke is broke when it comes to your metabolism. Once, fixed it should be able to be maintained with diligence. If you take it to extremes, running ultrathons or whatever, yeah you are probably going to lower your metabolism just so you can do those sports.
Still if you can get to the point where you can safely do those sports (I think Matt's strategy of purposefully overfeeding for a period before intense training, might be the best I've heard. I know ultrathoners and people who ski Birkies who do more or less the same thing in the "off season."
Gah, didn't finish that sentence, it should have been: "then that should be the goal." The idea that exercise is an earned privledge for those who are fit enough to enjoy it isn't a bad one.
"Good ol' mercury doesn't beep."
But it is so slow! I know I want fast, digital and silent. i'm asking a lot here!
Markus-
We're on the same page now. I do think that endurance training is probably the worst due to overall calorie burn, catobolism, and risk of injury – but at least long distance hiking rarely ends in injury. At least it hasn't for me. Running on the other hand is sheer murder for my body.
But I am exercising once again, being active, and having a great time doing it while making sure my body temps don't plunge. As long as I'm doing reasonable amounts, eating and sleeping well, exercise seems to be great for me as anyone would expect.
Troy-
Dude, I've been wanting to tell you this for a while now…
B/C of you I bought a pair of Vibram 5 Fingers shoes. Love 'em, even walking in snow.
Jimmy posted some dates:
Episode 343?March 25, 2010?Dr. Stephan Guyenet (Whole Health Source)
Episode 345?April 5, 2010?Matt Stone (180 Degree Health)
Episode 347?April 6, 2010?Richard Nikoley (Free The Animal)
I have to second what Troy said.
Matt really quality stuff man! I have never felt such a desire to stick a thermometer in various orifices of my body!
You have persuaded me to see where I stand on the body temps.
So I fell into the whole super high intensity training thing for a while, of course when I was low-carb paleo (apparently we now have to make the distinction).
Short story long…burned out.
I now lift weights using three simple lifts usually once a week (often less) and not to the point of puking my guts out which is very stupid and unnatural in my opinion.
Though when summer time comes round I will walk/hike more, mountain bike occasionally, and do "some" barefoot trail running in the vibs. All fun and enjoyable activities.
Kill that myth Matt.
I disagree based on my own experience. Schwarzbein also recommends exercise for people with metabolic problems. Your body needs physical exercise to be healthy.
I have been tracking my temps for the past 2 years. After getting back to an intense weightlifting program for the past 6 months, my temperature has gone up and my thyroid labs have improved.
The problem is that most people exercise wrong by doing way too much cardio. Best results will come from resistance training and yoga. I also find it is better to spread my volume out over the week doing 5-6 intense session of 90 minutes.
JT – True, but Schwarzbein's exercise routine is very conservative. She even recommends that those with very damaged metabolisms not do cardio at all. Her adaptive (or resistance) suggestions are a max of 60 min three times a week–and I don't think she means high intensity strength training. She does recommend relaxing/restorative exercises like slow walking or yoga daily if desired, though. And I think that can be very healing.
"Troy-
Dude, I've been wanting to tell you this for a while now…
B/C of you I bought a pair of Vibram 5 Fingers shoes. Love 'em, even walking in snow."
My next pair of running shoes will be five fingers. And yeah, it's totally down to Troy. He's like the shoe maven of 180.
I've run for years, off an on since I was 14. I've never had a major problem with body injuries (outside of busted metabolism, but there were other factors in there including strength training). I did suffer from shin splints once but learning how to prevent and treat that injury (which required a fair amount of research) changed things for me.
I love that anthropologist that's been making the rounds with his book on how the human body evolved to run and it should be our most obvious natural exercise after walking. Some people don't like to run. I get that. Some people have joint injuries that are bothered by it. I personally have found it incredibly therapeutic psychologically (probably the effect of just being out in the sun more). Honestly I wonder if I ever would have worked through some of my post-pregnancy crap and grief over my father's death without running. I really think it can be healing. You just need to eat the food and sleep the sleep. And mind the cross-training.
Maybe I'm just not a yoga person. I can't get into it. To be honest, I'm more deterred by the new age-yness of it than anything else. Same thing with weight lifting. The culture of it is a major turn off. The gym just squiks me out. If it weren't for Krista at Stumptuous, I'd probably never ever lift a weight again if I could avoid it.
Like I said before I think doing the sport you enjoy should be one the goals of fixing your metabolism.
Elizabeth,
Yes, you are right, she recommends 30 minutes of flexibility type of exercise like yoga 3 times a week, and 60 minutes of resistance training. I think this is a very good way to train for the average person. She is anti cardio, and so am I. Unless your adrenal glands are severely burned out, I am sure she would be fine with intense weightlifting. If it isn't somewhat intense you will not get any benefits. You can overdo and underdo exercise just like anything else in life,
I had severely burned out adrenal glands, that have been verified by many lab tests. I worked into a VERY intense weight lifting program, as well as doing Bikram Yoga several times a week for 90 minutes which is very intense. After getting back to exercise things have improved. This might be too much for most people, but I have an athletic background and know what I am doing, most people don't, so moderate advice like Schwarzbein's is probably better for the average person.
Also, if you are feeling really bad and burned out, I would not begin an intense exercise program until I got some labs done. You can crash very hard if your adrenals are burned out. You may need some adrenal and or hormonal support in order to exercise.
My whole point is that she encourages exercise for a healthy metabolism. And from looking at her, I bet she exercises more than her reccommendation.
I don't exercise for my health. I play ice hockey recreationally and I exercise so that I can be better. I want to have gas in the tank in the 3rd period. I don't care if its bad for my metabolism. The only way to improve stamina for a sport like hockey is to do brutal wind sprints. Nothing else works. You have to get badly winded and rubbery in the legs to the point where you're about to fall down. There is no other way. NHL guys skate until they puke when they are getting ready for the season.
Jenny,
I also despise the methead culture in a lot of gyms, and the new-ageyness of a lot of yoga places, but there are ways around this. You don't have to be in a gym to enjoy the benefits of resistance training. You can do it at home, I really like bands for this, and they are great for traveling. Bodyweight exercises are great too. I used to train at home for many years, but now I prefer training in a gym because it helps with my mindset and focus. Try out several different gyms and find one where you feel comfortable. Also, you can find yoga that doesn't have a new-agey vibe as well.
TMS,
Why does it have to be bad to do intense wind sprints? It is probably much better for the body than long distance running. The body is designed to sprint and walk, so they can both be healthy activities. Jogging is where most people end up with the problems. But, you make a good point. Many professional athletes are very unhealthy and it is probably a result of doing things to improve their performance.
I am done training for sports performance. I train for aesthetics and health and the combo of resistance training and yoga have given the best results.
Yah… vibrams kick donkey balls!!! I have been running completely barefooted around denver lately, throwing some fun sprints in there because i get so hyped up listening to music… about two times a week for 20 or 30 minutes. Two times a week i lift… heavy, big moves like squats, pull ups, chins, deadlifts sometimes. and presses. for like 20 or so minutes… i can't stand being around some of the meat heads at my gym… the other day one guy sounded like his asshole was going to rupture and fall to the ground with all his intestines…. hmmm…. i like to get in and outta there. i am like De Vany describes his workouts… very intermintant…. I run when i feel like it…. i lift when i feel like lifting heavy things, hike when its nice, ride my bike everywhere, and i sleep alot, and relax alot with friends… I think theirs probably some form of fun exercise for everyone.
troy
Woah, all this FiveFingers talk has inspired me to put on my VFF Flow/Treks and do some walking again. Haven't used them a lot since I ordered them, but that's mainly because it was freezing cold the last months. Today temperatures are finally above the freezing point, so I guess, I'll finally have the opportunity to get out again.
Oh and one thing I wanted to add to the discussion. I think saying that all exercise is good/bad is like saying that eating food is always good/bad no matter what.
Just like with nutrition there are just so many variables to consider and so many different kinds of exercise. And I do believe that exercise probably has a rightous place in most healing programmes as soon as one has recovered from the worst part.
But the human body is a complex system and there really are tons of ways to exercise out there. I also think that even categories like high-intensity strentgh training are still way too broad as there still are many ways to do this.
I personally really want to still do some strength training and if possible even some sprinting even as I'm trying to get up my body temp, but I suppose I have to keep experimenting a bit until I find a way of exercising that is the most beneficial to me.
I have a couple of pairs of the injinji mini crew performance toe socks and they do a good job of adding some extra warmth inside my vibrams. Not saying I want to go walking in the snow in them, but they are warmer on cold nights with them on.
Regarding burned out adrenals: it doesn't take adrenalin to lift heavy. It takes adrenalin to lift to failure. If you can do 12 reps with 50 pounds and only 6 with 80, a set of 12 at 50 is more intense than a set of 4 at 80.
Conversely 6 at 80 is more intense than 10 at 50, even though the former is less physical work.
Strength built from a farm boy workout tends to stick around, even after months of bad diet, hard drinking, little exercise, etc. This is why Matt makes a poor test subject for his dietary experiments. His summers are atypical of those who spend a lot of time on the web.
so i use a thermometer that specifically measures basal body temperature. i use it when i chart my cycles per TCOYF (taking charge of your fertility). it says that you need 3 consecutive hours of sleep before taking it and should be taken immediately upon waking before getting out of bed, drinking/eating anything, etc. i got it at Walgreens. it's pink, so i don't know if the guys here would be okay with having a pink thermometer by their beds, but might be an option that would be better than having to take your temp 3 times and record the highest or average.
Thanks for the tip, Team Smith. And if anyone asks I can always say it's my wife's thermometer. ;-)
As for exercise, the Good Doctor who wrote the book on the milk diet also considered exercise a necessary and proper part of the healing process, once a sufficient base of health was established with rest and milk. I haven't read his exact suggestions for exercise regimen yet though.
Also, Scwarzbein specifically notes that her resistive exercises can be performed slow for 60 minutes or very, very fast for a short period of time. She's basically just anti-exorcising.
-Brock
Troy
"I have been running completely barefooted around denver lately,…"
As in currently during the winter? Completely barefoot?
Any pointers as to how to get into such a crazy ridiculous thing? Or just suck it up and do it?
okay, question: so is one of the points of having a high basal body temp that you will feel warm no matter what the temp is in your house or outside? if i were to keep the heat at say 65 degrees or lower, should i be able to stay in the house in short sleeves, barefooted and be warm all the time?
i gotta say, i am usually okay with the heat set to 66, but in the afternoons i notice i start to get really cold until i eat a lot of food and then i get hot b/c i had put on wool socks and a sweater.
team smith
I am not sure if it would be a direct correlation to you "feeling warm" no matter what.
With that being said I keep my house between 60 and 65 and often go barefoot with short sleeves with no discomfort.
Though cold is cold no matter what your metabolic rate is.
I definitely agree that exercise is good for health overall. I even love the occasional run (though I can't do it often or it just cripples my energy). But the fact that–generally–we're all being told to exercise more (and more, and more!) leads so many people to do more than they can handle in their current state of health.
I still exercise almost every day, but I know my limits and I keep it light. I enjoy doing some heavy lifting, but right now I have to limit it.
team smith – I was wondering the same thing. We keep our heat at 63 when we're not using the wood stove, and I have to wear lots and lots of layers to keep warm. Afternoon and evening are particularly cold times for me.
Brock – Do you know where I can find that bit from Schwarzbein? Thanks. :)
Wow I am cold with the apartment at anything under 68. I am pretty sure a higher body temperature means you cope better with colder environments.
hey Nathan,
yah completely barefoot!! You may think it snows alot in denver but it doesn't… just to the west in the mountains it does though. When it does snow the sun comes back out and usually melts it the first day. They keep the city streets and sidewalks ice free and clean for the most part.
I used to be barefoot and run barefoot all the time when i was a kid growing up, maybe this has something to do with why i enjoy it soooo much nowadays.
I started back in slowly…. i started studying barefoot running about a year and a half ago… at the time living by the beach in encinitas, ca… so i started running 10 to 15 minutes barefooted on the beach. Then i finally got my first pair of vibrams and took it into the mountains and city streets. Now i switch off between vibrams and barefoot… i like to go barefoot if its muddy or wet. LIke i said also, i do it usually twice a week for 20 or so minutes. I do it because its alot of fun.
The other night a cop stopped me, asked me if i was the one running around the city barefooted… he thought i was either wasted, or drugged up…haha… i asked him it was illegal… we talked, he ran my i.d. and told me to have a good night… it was at like 10 and night… but damn the man!!!
troy
I'm gonna save my comments on exercise for the post coming up next week. Don't blow your load on it guys. You've all made excellent points and I'll try to address almost every idea in the post that was laid down here.
Thanks for the tip Team Smith.
And yes, Troy can be the official footwear spokesman for 180. :)
Troy I may just have to try this, though living on a dirt road out in the country may pose different obstacles, of which non of them would be cops!!!
Team Smith,
Schwarzbein's comment about sprinting exercises is right in her book "The Program", in the exercise chapter. There's just a one-sentence throwaway line about the exercises she considers too burdensome for optimal health. I don't have my copy handy but it's something to the effect of "Note that if these exercises are done intensely for short very periods they can be healthful and would count as Resistive Exercises."
Ok, thanks, Brock. :) I know which quote you are talking about now. But just to be clear she was referring to doing high intensity (stimulating) activities in intervals of a few minutes with rest periods in between to allow the heart rate to recover at or below 90 beats/min. I actually use this bit in practice sometimes myself (like with heavy lifting or running). It's very helpful for taking advantage of the benefits of these exercises without overtaxing the body.
Okay, Matt, I'll shut up now and wait for your exercise post. :)
This is free on Scwharzbein's site:
http://www.schwarzbeinprinciple.com/pgs/newsletters/SP_Newsletter_Exercise.pdf
Might be somewhat dated though…
I love Schwarzbein. Argue with this and you will pay!
"Here are some
times when exercise actually does more harm
than good.
? When you are sick
? When you haven’t slept
? When you are overly stressed (can do calming
exercises)
? When you haven’t been eating enough
? If you are already in the mode of using more
than building, then any amount of exercise
will cause you to use even faster. This
accelerates the aging process.
? If you have a damaged metabolism
If you have a severely damaged metabolism, are
tired and/or sleep deprived, listen to your body and
rest. Exercise does not give you energy, it requires
energy"
Here's my experience guys. I specialize in bio-identical hormone balancing. So I have women of all ages come to me young, pre-menopausal, post-menopausal etc. In general, the thin ones who go to the gym all the time share these things in common: excessive cardio, burned out adrenals, hormone imbalance, low body temps and poor bone density. Of course most of them are also starving themselves. I spend a good amount of time de-indoctrinating them. I use Schwarzbein's NO CARDIO rule for burned out adrenals. They don't always listen 'cause even though their adrenals are burned, they still get high from endorphins so they think it's a good thing. Telling them to eat of course undoes the Diet Coke and salad mentality that all the brainless trainers and nutritionists have been telling them. But I do use a wholistic approach, bio-identicals, adrenal supportive supplements, iodine (oh yeah, they are usually Vit D deficient too), nutrition advice. Those who listen improve quickly. I keep sounding like a broken record, but a wholistic approach is a MUST to address all these different inter-related factors. Dr. Poppy
Personally, if I exercise I am more motivated to eat good food and avoid junk. But now here comes the IMPORTANT thing: if I continue with physical activity for long enough without eating enough calories, although I eat clean during all this time, suddenly the beast inside me who is crying for survival falls to a binge of junk triggered by any deviation of my habitual eating habits. And this is very counterproductive long-term, both for body composition and overall health.
So what I actually do is exercise coupled with HED, and it works wonderfully for me.
This are my two cents Matt.
Max
Thanks Max. That is a good assessment. There is a huge difference between exercising too much and exercising for health.
My basal body temperature rose immediately once I started RRARF, but I was pretty much totally overfeeding and close to bed rest a lot of the time. I didn't lei down in bed cause that's too hard on my breathing, but I sat in bed as long as I could stand the boredom. lol. I have my charts from before and after beginning RRARF on my blog here:
http://healingendo.blogspot.com/2010/07/hot-chick-coming-up.html
Still working on it….My goal is of course to reach 99.99 degrees F so I can join the Hot Chick's Club!!! :)
My problem is the "first thing upon waking in the morning". Cause I wake up about 4 times per night to go to the bathroom, so I never get a full long time in bed, but it's the best I can do at this time.
Question: Would it work to use an extra blanket, would that be cheating or would it encourage the body temperature to go up? I don't do this, again because of my breathing issues, but I wonder if for example staying warm in the day is better or if there is an advantage to staying deliberately cold, perhaps that would encourage the body temp to go up? Or is it all just food and rest, all internal, and not external? Like going to a sauna wouldn't up or down the basal temp?
So I just checked my temperature orally and it read 97.2, its a little before 1 am. Is that still low, is it higher the temperature the better (but not too high such as when someone has a fever).
It’s nice to see temps always over 98F. Seeing a dip late at night and really early isn’t that huge of a deal if there are no major low metabolism symptoms and temps rise up into the high 98’s during the day.