Body temperature weirdness

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Anyone else find their body temperature is outside the norm? Is it possibly AS-linked or just another strangeness I have?

Mine is always around 34C. The only times it ever gets up to the normal 37.5 is when I have flu or a severe cold and I have fever symptoms.

As well, my skin is always cold to the touch (unless I've just got out of bed, had a hot bath, been in the sun...) As for my feet, they don't feel like they belong to a living person - I struggle to touch them at times! But apart from my feet, I don't feel cold anywhere else, although my skin is cold. Logically, if I'm not losing much heat through my skin, my temperature should be hotter than the norm, no? And I do feel the cold but overheat easily in hot environments.

I've been tested a few times over the years for thyroid issues (I don't have any other symptoms of that) and other things I don't remember, but the results have always come back clear. I was chilly as a child as well, it just seems to be how I was made.

Mine is a bit lower (96.7 F) but i am usually feeling hot and others say i am hot to the touch.

Mine is 99.0°F. My skin is normally cold. But, someone should do a study. There might be something to this.

Mine is usually ~36 or 97.5.

I also have trouble with distinguishing "the room is cold" from "my body is having chills." Same for warmth.

Mine is lower than normal too.

Years ago, it was a really hot summer. I played sports really hard during the summer and my body started to adapt to the hot weather better by lowering the body temp.

Our bodies have capacity to change to suit our environment. This might be happening to you too.

I'm usually 96.6 to 97.6, but keep in mind normal body temperature can vary up to 1 degree Fahrenheit and is lower when taken from the mouth / through the skin (even lower).

Also I've read 98.6 is not the real average, it's a bit lower.

Also I often notice males have a higher temperature and I like being touched by them WAY less. Their skin feels like they're burning up to me.

Also my feet and hands are often way way way colder than the rest of me. Sometimes I think I'm half corpse or something. And warming them up is not good. My feet will turn bright red if warmed up and sometimes itch.

Definitely not implying this is the problem in your case, but one of the hallmark symptoms of hypothyroidism (under-active thyroid) or hyperythyroidism (over-active thyroid) is either a constant body temperature below or above normal. Having cold extremities and a constant temperature below 98.6 was one of the things that led me to see a doctor before having my blood tested and finding out that my thyroid was basically non-functional. That said, there's plenty of other symptoms with hypothyroidism (dry skin, brain fog, fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, depression, muscle and joint pain) that you'd definitely take note of if it were the case. Anyway, now that I'm on medication, my temperature is now normal or a tiny bit above, actually.

This. Get checked ASAP. Thyroid problems can be an isolated problem or a sign of things that are serious.

Body temperature isn't generally a problem for me, I handle the extremes very well. When I am physically active I sweat profusely, get very ht quickly but then go back to normal fast. As for cold, I always dress well for the cold but I don't generally have issueswith it. Otherwise, my body temp is normal at 36.8 deg C

Armpit testing reads lower as does time of day
It could be an issue if you have things like a runny nose, dry skin, maybe fatigue and extra weight.
If your in good health I wouldnt worry about a slightly low temp, but significant lowering, and any existing and corresponding health issues would warrant a review of lifestyle practises, that may contribute to a lower temperate

The wiki is very good http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_body_temperature

Last edited by Surfman on 29 Nov 2012, 3:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I've been checked a few times over the years for thyroid problems but the tests have always come back as normal. Besides, my skin & hair are greasy rather than dry, I don't get any aches & pains and the only time I have fatigue is when my anaemia or depression is severe.

But thanks for the suggestion and for being concerned about me.

I don't know what my temperature normally is, but I know I don't get unique body temperatures. I can tell the difference between me feeling cold or hot and the room feeling cold or hot.

I do tend to feel the cold more, but I didn't think that was to do with having AS. My friend is NT and she feels the heat more. I'm OK with working in warm conditions, while my friend faints in heat. I can't work when I'm cold though, I slow right down and my hands and feet go numb, but my friend can work in freezing temperatures. We're all different.

I don't know if you meant for this to be a reply to the OP or me (I also mentioned cold extremities). I'm currently getting this checked out. I don't have any of the other symptoms except for what people interpret as "fatigue". I'm just mentally tired.

@ColdEyesWarmHeart Awesome, super glad you're on top of that stuff and also happy the tests always come back normal!
@nonames Glad to hear you're getting checked out. I think a normal person in my shoes, wouldn't have had symptoms that progressed as far as mine (basically everything on the list) because I pretty much passed them off as more bearable than seeing a doctor for about a year before finally getting tested. That was an especially unproductive year, haha.

My body temperature is also consistently 2 degrees lower than normal. I also have very cold extremities and really feel the cold. My thyroid has been tested several times and despite that I do have most of the symptoms the results are always fine.

I have often wondered what effect having such a low temperature has on mental processes. I know for myself that I can cope overall MUCH better in the warmer months.

This is true - you don't need AS or autism to have issues with temperature. However, hypersensitivity and hyposensitivity can also apply to high and low temperatures - I am hyposensitive to cold temperatures and they don't bother me. Warm temperatures can be difficult, and heat is practically intolerable.

Other disorders can impact how one responds to heat or cold. I think MS can cause heat intolerance. My mother, niece, and I have fibromyalgia. My mother and my niece find cool temperatures painful and difficult. Further, my niece has kidney issues and is even more sensitive to cold because of it (sometimes she feels cold when it's 80 F / 26.67 C). I don't know if my issues with heat and cold are fibro or autism, but I do think my inability to sometimes tell if temperature is me or the environment probably has to do with autism.