Don’t blame your thermometer if the number seems “off.” Your age matters. Newborns run hot—think 99.5°F—while grannies can dip to 95°F and be fine.
Even your clothes cheat the reading. A heavy sweater? That armpit reading is lying to your face.
And exercising? You can spike to 104°F and still be perfectly healthy—just sweaty and heroic.
Why 98.6°F Became a Legend
Blame a German doctor named Carl Wunderlich in the 1800s. He stuck thermometers into over 25,000 armpits.
His average? 98.6°F. But he used old-school tools and measured sick people too. Modern science says we’re actually cooler now—by about 0.5°F.
Why? Better nutrition, less inflammation, and, honestly, fewer sweaty armpits in a modern laboratory. Our bodies are just chilling out.
What Is Considered Normal Body Temperatures – XCTF
