What is your normal body temperature? Rethinking 98.6.

For years we have been told that our normal body temperature is 98.6.   Science is now suggesting that this our actual temperature may be less than we thought.

Some of us may be mildly higher or lower than this number.  Which one are you? When should you consider your higher temperature a fever?

During the covid era, we all had temperature scans in one place or another and often, the temperature of these scans were less. The idea was to catch those who had a fever and prevent infection of the virus.  The truth was that most people had no problems, yet businesses adopted these protocols which in most cases were useless.  Even the local Marshalls were checking with a temperature scanner as people walked in the store.

Check out the latest NY Times article concerning our body temperature.

The Average Human Body Temperature Is Not 98.6 Degrees

Here’s why we appear to be getting cooler, and what that could mean when it comes to fevers.

By Dana G. Smith

Oct. 12, 2023

Over the past few decades, evidence has been mounting that the average human body temperature is not really 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Instead, most people’s baseline is a little bit cooler.

The standard of 98.6 was established over 150 years ago by the German physician Dr. Carl Wunderlich, who reportedly took over a million measurements from 25,000 people. Temperatures ranged from 97.2 to 99.5, and the average was 98.6. Dr. Wunderlich also established 100.4 degrees as “probably febrile.”

However, a study published in September that evaluated the temperatures of more than 126,000 people between 2008 and 2017 found that the average is closer to 97.9 degrees. Other modern-day studies have reported similar numbers.

Experts who study body temperature have differing opinions about why we appear to have gotten cooler over time, and whether that matters when it comes to evaluating fevers and diagnosing infections.

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