Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition: Commonly used in medicine, the word decubitus is used to mean lying down. It is derived from the Latin verb âdecumbereâ meaning to lie down.
The brain regulates metabolism and manages other functions to keep your body temperature within a normal range. But the brain can only do so much, and a host of outside factors can affect your body temperature. Controlling and managing these outside factors is key to maintaining a normal body temperature.
These actions move blood and heat closer to or farther from the skin, thus releasing or conserving warmth. When all parts of the body's heat-regulating mechanism operate smoothly, body temperature stays near 98.6 degrees. However, there are times when body temperature can go awry.