6
Body Temperature Basics
Generally, you can take a body temperature on the forehead, in the ear
canal, under the armpit, in the mouth, or in the anus. The temperature
measured at different parts of the body may differ slightly.
Body Part
Normal Temperature Range
Forehead
36.1°C–37.5°C / 97.0°F–99.5°F
Ear canal
35.8°C–38.0°C / 96.4°F–100.4°F
Mouth
35.5°C–37.5°C / 95.9°F–99.5°F
Armpit
34.7°C–37.3°C / 94.5°F–99.1°F
Anus
36.6°C–38.0°C / 97.9°F–100.4°F
The normal body temperature range slightly varies with age and gender.
Generally, newborns or children have higher body temperature than adults,
and adults have higher body temperature than the elderly. Women's body
temperature are appropriately 0.3°C higher than men's.
Variation in body temperature
Normal body temperature varies
by the time of day and is also
affected by external factors.
The body temperature of an
individual is the lowest between
2:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. and the
highest between 14:00 p.m. and
20:00 p.m. An individual's body
temperature typically changes by
less than 1°C each day.
