How to measure the temperature correctly

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

An increase in temperature is an important symptom of diseases, a signal that inflammation has begun somewhere in the body. Therefore, it is so important to know how many degrees you have inside.

Where and how can the temperature be measured

Body temperature is checked in different ways:

1. Rectally - in the rectum.
2. Orally - in the mouth.
3. Under the arm.
4. On the forehead - infrared scanners are used to check the artery.
5. In the ear - also with the help of scanners.

For each method, there are electronic thermometers specially designed for each location. There are plenty to choose from. But there is also a problem: cheap (sometimes not very cheap) devices often lie or fail. Therefore, when choosing an electronic thermometer, do not save money, be sure to read the reviews and at least once check the mercury readings.

The latter, by the way, is preferred by many. The maximum mercury thermometer (this is the correct name for a thermometer) costs a penny and is quite accurate, which cannot be said about many electronic devices with “so-so” quality. However, it is dangerous because it breaks easily, and shards of glass and mercury vapor have not made anyone healthier.

It doesn't matter which thermometer you use, read the instructions for it first.

After each use, it would be good to clean the thermometer: wash it, if possible, or wipe it with an antiseptic. Be careful if the thermometer is sensitive to moisture and may deteriorate. It's embarrassing to mention, but still, a rectal thermometer shouldn't be used anywhere else.

How to measure your armpit temperature

Most often, we measure the temperature under the arm with a conventional mercury or electronic thermometer. Here's how to do it right:

1. You can not measure the temperature after eating and physical activity. Wait half an hour.
2. Before starting the measurement, the glass thermometer must be shaken off: the mercury column should show less than 35 ° C. If the thermometer is electronic, just turn it on.
3. The armpit should be dry. Sweat must be wiped off.
4. Keep your hand tight. For the temperature under the armpit to become the same as inside the body, the skin must heat up, and this takes time. It is better to press the child's shoulder on your own, for example, taking the baby in your arms.
5. The good news: if you follow the previous rule, a mercury thermometer will take 5 minutes, and not 10, as is commonly believed. Many electronic thermometers respond to temperature changes and measure as long as there are changes. Therefore, if the hand is not pressed, the temperature can change for a long time and the results will be inaccurate.

How to measure temperature rectally

This method is sometimes needed when it is necessary to check the temperature of babies: it is difficult for them to hold their hand, it is unsafe to put something in their mouth, and not everyone has an expensive infrared sensor.

1. The part of the thermometer that you will enter into the rectum must be lubricated with petroleum jelly or petroleum jelly (sold at any pharmacy).
2. Lay the child on his side or back, bend his legs.
3. Carefully insert the thermometer into the anus at 1, 5-2, 5 cm (depending on the size of the sensor), hold the child while the measurement is in progress. A mercury thermometer should be kept for 2 minutes, an electronic thermometer - as long as it is written in the instructions (usually less than a minute).
4. Remove the thermometer, look at the data.
5. Treat the baby's skin if necessary. Wash the thermometer.

How to measure the temperature in your mouth

This method is not suitable for children under the age of four, because at this age children still cannot hold the thermometer with a guarantee. Do not measure your mouth temperature if you have eaten something cold in the past 30 minutes.

1. Wash the thermometer.
2. Place the sensor or reservoir of mercury under your tongue and hold the thermometer with your lips.
3. Measure the temperature with an ordinary thermometer for 3 minutes, with an electronic one - as much as necessary according to the instructions.

How to measure the temperature in the ear

For this, there are special infrared thermometers: it is useless to put other thermometers in the ear. For children under 6 months, the temperature in the ear is not measured, because due to developmental characteristics, the results will be inaccurate. You can measure the temperature in the ear only 15 minutes after you return from the street.

Pull your ear slightly to the side and insert the thermometer probe into your ear. It takes a few seconds to measure.

Some infrared devices measure the temperature on the forehead, where the artery passes. Forehead or ear data are not as accurate as other measurements, but they are fast. And for household measurements, it is not so important what your temperature is: 38, 3 or 38, 5 ° C.

How to read a thermometer reading

The measurement result depends on the accuracy of the thermometer, the correctness of the measurements, and where the measurements were taken.

The temperature in the mouth is higher than that under the arm by 0, 3–0, 6 ° C, rectal - by 0, 6–1, 2 ° C, in the ear - up to 1, 2 ° C. That is, 37.5 ° C is an alarming figure for measurement under the armpit, but not for rectal measurement.

Also, the rate depends on age. In children under one year old, the rectal temperature can rise to 37, 7 ° C (36, 5–37, 1 ° C under the arm), and there is nothing wrong with that. 37.1 ° C under the arm, which we suffer from, becomes a problem with age.

In addition, there are also individual characteristics. The temperature of a healthy adult ranges from 36, 1 to 37, 2 ° C under the arm, but someone's personal norm is 36, 9 ° C, and someone's is 36, 1. The difference is big, so it's not bad in an ideal world for fun measure your temperature when you are healthy, or at least remember what the thermometer showed there at the medical examination.