Persistent low-grade or high-grade fevers could signal that something else is going on in your body. “It’s certainly something to watch, but it’s hard to know the significance of this.” It doesn’t require any specific treatment, other than bringing your temperature down for comfort.Īs for that gray area in between a fever and the high end of a healthy temperature? “We generally call this a ‘low-grade’ temperature,” Dr. Oftentimes, a fever is your body’s reaction to an infection, like the flu. However, it’s normal for your temperature to change within a healthy range as you move through your day and your life.Īdvertising Policy Why is my temperature higher than normal?Ī temperature that’s higher than 100.4 F (or 38 C) is considered a fever, and it’s usually something you should bring to your doctor’s attention, Dr. And when you get too hot, it signals your body to make sweat to cool off.
When you get too cold, it signals your body to preserve heat by shrinking your blood vessels, and to produce heat by shivering. Ford.Ī part of your brain called the hypothalamus is responsible for this.
Temperature is one of your vital signs, and it’s an important indicator of your health.Ī healthy body, generally, is pretty good at keeping its temperature at a comfortable level: “For example, if you go outside on a very cold day, you will notice that your skin temperature is going to go down, but your core temperature inside will stay in the normal range,” explains Dr. Over 65 years old: 96.4 F (35.8 C) to 98.5 F (36.9 C).Ī temperature check is usually part of a routine visit to your healthcare provider - and probably something you do at home if you’re not feeling well.By stages, it looks like this (with all temperatures for an oral reading). It often rises from childhood into adulthood before dipping during the later years in life. Your “normal” body temperatures changes throughout your life, too. “But there are times when a perfectly healthy person might have a body temperature that’s slightly higher or slightly lower than that.” “Typically anything in the range of 97 to 99 degrees Fahrenheit is considered normal,” says Dr. Your body temperature can move up and down and all around, but it usually stays within a certain window. Everyone has their own ordinary - and even that is more of a sliding scale than one set number.
So which is right? Well, the reality is there isn’t one exact “normal” body temperature, says family medicine physician Donald Ford, MD, MBA. That widely accepted number originated from a study done in the mid-1800s.īut newer studies suggest the average person today actually runs a little cooler than that – somewhere between 97.5 F (36.4 C) and 97.9 F (36.6 C). Most people probably grew up being told a body’s normal temperature was 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (or 37 degrees Celsius). We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center.