Question: can you explain the negative feedback loop for thermoregulation please, as it is a topic i find difficult

Hannah Scholes answered on 13 Feb 2026: last edited 13 Feb 2026 11:57

Okay. So the negative feedback loop for thermoregulation works kind of like a thermostat for the heating in your house. Your body wants to stay at a nice 37oC – the thermostat will turn on to heat things up if you get too cold, or turn the aircon on if you get too hot. It wants to keep you at that 37oC. It’s called negative feedback because it works to reverse the change (you’re too hot – it cools you down).

Your body gets stimulus that it’s too hot which is then detected by theromoreceptors (sensors) in the skin for example, which sends that “too hot!” message to the hypothalamus (thermostat control centre) in the brain via your nerves. The hypothalamus gets that “too hot” notification and works out what to do with it. This will then send a message down a different set of nerves to some “effectors” – these are muscles, sweat glands, and blood vessels, which will then work to cool you down – your sweat glands produce sweat, and blood vessels dilate (get wider) to help get rid of that heat.

If you then get too cold, those thermoreceptors (sensors) will put out a “too cold!” notification. That then goes back to the hypothalamus which will then tell your body to “put the heating back on” – stop making sweat, start shivering, and constrict/close up those blood vessels in your hands/feet and make sure your core temperature (main part of your body) sits at a nice, toasty 37oC.

Hope that helps! 🙂