A quick shiver is your body’s natural response to cold temperatures. When you actually have the chills, this is often your body’s warning that a fever is on the way. Your body is fighting an infection by raising your temperature at the core; your skin can start to feel colder as blood is diverted away from the skin. You may even shiver with the chills.
Doctors say that most cases of the chills last only fifteen minutes before a fever becomes evident. Any infection could give you a chill… but the flu is one of the most common culprits.
So how do you warm up when you’ve got the chills? Here are some tips.
- The underlying cause of chills is an impending fever! If you treat the fever — with an over the counter remedy like Tylenol, aspirin, or Advil — it will ease your body’s struggle with the temperature.
- Get plenty of rest. Take it easy to help your body fight the virus that is playing with your internal temperature control.
- Push the fluids. Flush the bug out of your system and you’ll wash the chills away too!
- Huddle down under the blankets. There’s no reason why you can’t bundle up if you’ve got a case of the chills! Once the fever becomes obvious, you’ll be ready to come out of hibernation.
- Avoid alcohol — it can mask more serious symptoms that you may need to pay attention to.
- Sip a warm cup of tea or broth. The drink won’t do much to change your internal temperature, but it’s very soothing to have a warm cup in your hands.
Call your doctor if the chills and accompanying fever don’t go away after a day or two. Your doctor may be able to match up other symptoms — like pain or a cough — to see if you have an infection that should be treated with antibiotics.