After it receives messages on temperature, it conjures up solutions to keep the body comfortably warm. It may order us to mummy ourselves in a scarf, hat and mittens, run into the post office to feel heat or find someone else to snuggle up to. We also outsmart Jack Frost with a clever area of the brain called the hypothalamus. While the cerebral cortex is making us jump about to warm up, the hypothalamus is silently working like a thermostat to keep our body temperature in a constant, comfortable range of about 96.5 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. This part of the brain performs the tough job of regulating our inner source of heat.
Food is our kindling for the fire.
When the meatloaf we ate is digested, heat is released from cell activity or metabolism processes. This is why we often feel warmer after a meal. The hypothalamus makes sure heat is made through cell activity during digestion or by causing stored food in fat cells to be burned, then it strategically distributes the heat to help the body survive the cold. The hypothalamus performs a constant balancing act. While heat is being made it is also rapidly escaping through cold air or water that passes over our skin.