Chill occurs when our body tries to regulate it’s own core temperature, it is a sensation of feeling cold and shivering. Chill and fever mostly occur at the same time but if you feel chill without fever it can be little confusing and concerning. At the same time, chill happens between muscle contraction and relaxation.
Whereas, several conditions can cause chills without fever:
- Exposure to cold
- Infection or side effect to medication
- Hypothyroidism
- Anxiety or stress
- Extreme physical exercise
Here are some reasons that can cause chills without fever.
1. Exposure to cold
The most common feeling of chill occur when you are exposed to cold environment. Mostly chills will happen if you are not layers or wearing damp/wet clothes. Even some people can feel chill sensation indoor also if the air conditioner is on high temperature.
As the human body starts to age, it has a minimum tolerance for cold and it is hard to regulate body temperature. When you are in cold weather, your body loses heat faster than production. Chills are a way of the body to create warmth in the body and bring the temperature back to normal.
Remedy:- Wear layers according to the weather, your clothes are wet change into dry clothes. Drink hot beverages like tea, coffee or soup and use blanket for more warm feeling.
2. Anxiety and stress
Feeling anxious or stressed can cause chills in your body even without fever Because anxiety causes a rise in normal body temperature and gives the sensation of chill from head to toe. When under stress, the body releases stress hormones named adrenaline, which causes blood vessels to constrict, which takes blood away from the skin, causing sudden chillness.
Variety of reason can cause chillness like work pressure, relationships, important life decisions or financial problems. Anxiety or stress can cause some types of fever, too, including symptoms such as an increase in body temperature, feeling hot, fatigue or sudden chillness.
Remedy:- Practice relaxing techniques like meditation, deep breathing or yoga. Listening to calm music can relax your mind and calm the chill in your body.
3. Medication side effects
Some medication can cause side effect resulting to chillness. Over dose of medication or certain combination of medication can effect your body. Some new medication like antidepressant, migraine or illicit drugs can cause chill in your body.
Starting a new medication, taking a dose of certain medications or being prescribed drugs sometimes takes time to suit your body.
Remedy:- Read potential side effects before taking the medication. If you feel chills are because of medication consult your doctor or pharmacist about it.
4. Infection
Certain infections can cause chillness in the body, even without fever. When your body is fighting with bacteria, Your immune system releases inflammatory chemicals. Chills are the starting symptoms of infection. Viral or bacteria necessarily don’t have a fever, but a chill feeling can be the prediction for an upcoming fever. Maybe infection is a part of the body but doesn’t affect the core of the temperature to cause fever.
Remedy:- Take rest, over-the-counter medication and hydration can help in managing symptoms, plus helps in reducing frequent chilling sensation.
5. Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia is a condition normally caused when your blood sugar level decreases to an unsafe level. This mostly happens to diabetic patients when their medication or food is not in balance. This can also happen when a person skips meals and doesn’t manage their glucose level. Your body’s response to low sugar levels can cause shivering or a feeling of chill; although it’s rare to have hypoglycemia without diabetes, skipping meals on a daily basis can cause this problem.
Remedy:- Maintaining a balanced diet and monitor blood sugar level can helps with this. Basic home remedy can be simply eating sugar or hard candies can help with sugar level.
6. Thyroid disorders
An underactive thyroid condition is also known as Hypothyroidism. Basically, the thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in the neck which makes hormones that help keep the body warm and organs in proper working condition. If your thyroid doesn’t make enough of these hormones, this can lead to an underactive thyroid that can cause disturbance in the body’s temperature, which can lead to chillness even in a normal temperature. There are some other symptoms besides chilling without fever, such as constipation, fatigue, depression, and dry skin.
Remedy:- You can consult a doctor for the medication, which can be easily treated with given medication.
7. Anaemia
Anaemia is characterized by low haemoglobin or lack of healthy red blood cells. Iron deficiency anaemia is the most common type of anaemia. Your body uses iron to make haemoglobin, which has healthy red blood cells that carry oxygen around your body tissues. When your body is low on iron, you feel dizzy, weak, and may feel chills without fever.
Anaemia can develop due to iron shortage, chronic disorder, and poor diet, and in women is due to heavy menstrual bleeding.
To find out if a person has anaemia, you have to consult a doctor.
Remedy:- Anaemia is a serious condition, you should consult to your doctor for the medication and treatment.
8. Extreme physical activity
Intense physical activity can rise your body’s core temperature, that may lead to chills and dizziness. Mostly people who are marathon runners and extreme sport athletics can feel chills after there heavy workout.
When the weather is hot you might get dehydrated or get heat exhaustion, that can trigger chills in your body. Whereas in cold weather the risk of hypothermia increases and can cause dehydration too.
Remedy: Staying hydrated and dressing according to your workout can help with chilling, so try to avoid doing exercise in the coldest or hottest time of the day.
9. Malnutrition
Lacks the necessary nutrients in your body can cause malnutrition, including many reasons like:-
- No proper access to nutritional food
- An underlying condition that can affect your body’s ability to absorb proper nutrients.
Remedy:- If you suspect malnutrition, consult the doctor for better advice. Treatment of malnutrition is important.
Conclusion
Chills without fever can have many reasons, but some common reasons are cold weather, dehydration or extreme physical exercise. Chill can occur as a sign of upcoming fever, too. If you feel other symptoms, such as chills, consult your doctor about it.
