Thread: Why is my blood hot?

So I had a nose bleed the other day, and I had no shirt on, and some blood dripped on my chest. And it was hot! It hurt, like hot coffee. I touched it with my finger about a minute after it hit my chest, and it wasn't hot anymore.

But anyways, why was my blood so hot? Also, this might be related, but sometimes, when I'm having a good time, my face get's hot. So I assume some of the blood in my face was hot, and when it dripped on my chest it was still hot. But I don't know. I wonder if I just cut my face, if the blood will be hot.

What drugs were you on at the time?

Your skin is usually cooler than your blood and your internal organs. The skin is the major cooling/ temperature balancing organ of the body.

The only time you could reasonable expect that your skin would be warmer/ hotter than anything inside the skin would be when you're in a hot bath or shower or a sauna ... or you're deliberately heating your skin by sun or other heat exposure.

You might be interested in this other thread: Why 37?

Blood is just much hotter than the surface of the skin and it can come as a shock, seeming like it burns. Especially if it surprises you. The mind can be fooled.

Originally Posted by Weterman

why was my blood so hot?

Because your internal temperature is higher than the temperature of the surface of your skin, so your blood would feel warm immediately after leaving the body. Blood is kept at a certain temperature and pH in order to maintain healthy enzymatic processes.

Originally Posted by Weterman

some blood dripped on my chest. And it was hot! It hurt, like hot coffee.

No, it didn't. If it did, it probably had something to do with all the cocaine you were snorting.

Originally Posted by Weterman

when I'm having a good time, my face get's hot.

That is just due to increased blood flow associated with physical activity and some emotional responses.

Originally Posted by Weterman

So I had a nose bleed the other day, and I had no shirt on, and some blood dripped on my chest. And it was hot! It hurt, like hot coffee.

Ditto to all the other replies. Also, the source of the bleed from your nose was probably near core temperature (37°C or 98.6°F) that the body maintains because it's about one foot away from your heart. It probably felt very hot like hot coffee because the heat was totally unexpected; however, no one can tolerate over ~60°C or ~140°F for a split second on their hands and even 45°C or 113°F in the shower is too hot for most people, so I think the heat you felt was illusionary.

Originally Posted by jrmonroe

Originally Posted by Weterman

So I had a nose bleed the other day, and I had no shirt on, and some blood dripped on my chest. And it was hot! It hurt, like hot coffee.

Ditto to all the other replies. Also, the source of the bleed from your nose was probably near core temperature (37°C or 98.6°F) that the body maintains because it's about one foot away from your heart. It probably felt very hot like hot coffee because the heat was totally unexpected; however, no one can tolerate over ~60°C or ~140°F for a split second on their hands and even 45°C or 113°F in the shower is too hot for most people, so I think the heat you felt was illusionary.

Ok I see.