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Posted by on Jan 11, 2016 in TellMeWhy |

Why Do You Shiver When You Are Cold?

Why Do You Shiver When You Are Cold?

Why Do You Shiver When You Are Cold? When your body gets cold you can help it warm up by doing some kind of exercise. If you do not do that, your body has its own automatic or reflex way of making muscles work just under your skin. That is what we call shivering.

Shivering is body’s smart way of keeping you warm! When you shiver, some of your muscles work involuntarily, they contract and relax very quickly repeatedly.

A great deal of heat is produced when your muscles work, and that is why hard exercise makes you so hot. Shivering makes your muscle cells burn up food faster, producing extra heat in order to maintain body temperature.

When you grow chilly, you can get warm most quickly by exercising to make your muscles produce heat and speed up blood circulation. Your blood takes up the heat, from the warmest places and carries it to the coldest places, such as the fingers and toes.

Content for this question contributed by Shayne Vaykovich, resident of Walnut Creek, Contra Costa County, California, USA