Whenever you face chills or shivers – What do you do? Most of the time you go after the thermometer.
Though usually chills are accompanied by a fever, that’s not always the case. You can experience chills without having fever also in extreme cold environment.
Chills without fever is a medical condition when a person experiences chill but no fever.
There are many medicinal and psychic reasons why you can have chills, however no fever. Like an infection, pneumonia, food poisoning, thyroid dysfunction, anxiety or stress disorders and much more.
Even medications can lead to the appearance of chills, this being a side-effect. In this post, we will help you to know everything about chills without the fever.
Such as, what is chills without fever, why you are getting it, symptoms of chills without fever, treatment/home remedies for chills without a fever.
Table of Contents
Quick Tips If You Just Suffered From Chills Without Fever
There are some effective tips which you should use as a first aid If you just suffered from chills without a fever.
- First of all, don’t panic
- Wear warm clothes
- Drink warm liquid like water, soup, etc
- Warm shower helps greatly
- Sleep for 4-5 hrs in a warm blanket.
What Is Chills Without Fever And Why Am I Getting It?
Chills without fever is a feeling of coldness accompanied by shivering or goosebumps but no fever. This occurs when the body is exposed to the extremely cold environment. For instance, if you enter in a cold place after doing exercise, you will get goosebumps.
Chills or shivering usually occur in two situations: when body exposed to the extremely cold environment and as an accompaniment to fever.
Whenever our body attempts to generate heat, in order to raise the body’s core temperature muscle contraction occurs. This rapid contraction and relaxing of muscles lead to shivering and goosebumps on the skin which we termed as chills.
Possible Causes Of Chills Without A Fever
There are several possible causes that can trigger chills without fever in your body. So, we have listed out these causes among two categories one is common causes and another is rare causes.
A. Common Causes Chills Without A Fever
1. Hypoglycemia Or Low Blood Sugar
Hypoglycemia is a medical condition in which a person is having a low blood sugar state and is often linked to diabetes.
Due to hypoglycemia, the sugar/glucose level drops down to such an extent that body stops functioning properly. And causes shaking chills in your body without fever. Other symptoms of low blood sugar are sweating, hunger, pounding heart, and anxiety.
2. Side Effects Of Medications
Medication helps you in many medical situations but there may be side-effects of it like chills without the fever. Most of the medications prints a note(line) on them stating that chills without are often a side effect of taking this medication.
Ibuprofen, Effexor, Voltaren, and Ondansetron are some of the medication that prints chills without fever as a possible side effect. If you find medication as the cause of chills, then you should consult with your doctor.
3. Cystitis Or Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
Cystitis or infection of the bladder may cause you instant chills and shiver with mild fever or without fever. Bladder infection is caused by bacteria that enter into your urethra and women are found to be much more affected by this infection than men.
Symptoms of chills due to Urinary Tract Infection may include :
- Urinating frequently: Cystitis can induce a feeling of a full bladder even if you just emptied it. It may cause you several trips to the bathroom urination. Though the amount of urine on every trip is much lesser.
- Chills (with or without a mild fever): If the infection in bladder reaches to the kidney than It can cause you severe chills and shiver. Chill due to cystitis is not commonly seen but if it does happen, medical attention must be taken immediately.
- Bad-smelling and bloody Urine: In case of cystitis, cloudy and strong(bad) smelling urine is often noticed. Other reasons behind strong-smelling urine are dehydration, an autoimmune disorder, or other kidney/bladder infections. On the other hand, bloody urine is observed when bladder infection reaches kidney and kidney allows red blood cells to enter the bladder. That’s why sometimes bladder infected person witnesses blood in their urine.
- Pain during Urination: Infection in bladder or cystitis can expose you to a pain while urinating and in some cases, this pain can be extreme.
4. Anxiety/Panic Attacks
If you are experiencing uncontrollable shaking and chills without a fever than panic attacks or anxiety could be the cause for that.
Anxiety/Panic disorder could cause you lot more than random chills with no fever like chills with a pounding heart, trembling, chest pain, nausea, and feeling dizzy. In fact, one medical journal published that anxiety can induce a feeling of a fear of dying.
5. Anemia Or Low Hemoglobin
Anemia or low hemoglobin can be one of the reasons for your chills but no fever. It is a deficiency of red blood cells in the blood or low hemoglobin.
Due to low red blood cells in the blood, your body is more vulnerable to get shaking, shivering, fatigue and headaches.
6. Cold Environment
This is the most common cause of sudden shivering body i.e. sudden chills but no fever. When you incidentally move from warm environment to cold environment, you will feel a sudden goosebump and your body will start shaking.
Because in cold environment your body will try to raise its core temperature by contracting and expanding muscles to generate more heat. And best way to do this is by shaking your body i.e shivering or chills.
B.Other Causes(rare) Chills Without A Fever
1. Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism is a condition when a small gland named thyroid located in a person’s neck produces lesser thyroid hormones.
Thyroid hormones are necessary for regulating body’s metabolism, its deficiency can cause you chills without a fever.
A person having hypothyroidism is more vulnerable to get shivering or chills but no fever because of sensitivity towards cold increases due to this condition.
Other symptoms include depression, constipation, pale skin, weight gain, slow speech, and heavy menstruation.
2. Lack Of Sleep
Sometimes if you are not getting proper sleep at night you can experience sudden shivering of the body without fever.
This happens because in sleep your body temperature drops and if you haven’t sleep enough you body starts randomly shivering because your body is trying to lower your core temperature while you are awake. Other symptoms are Sleepiness, irritability, weight gain, yawning, depression, and moodiness.
3. Spider Bites
It is rarely seen that someone is bitten by a spider but if it does, it can cause you an allergic reaction and give you severe chills. Most of the spider bites are harmless except black widow or brown recluse spider bites.
These spider bites can cause you more than chills or shiver like muscle spasms, headache, vomiting and nausea, a rash, and joint stiffness.
Emergency medical attention should be taken to avoid any life-threatening symptoms if you ever bitten by these spiders.
4. Food Poisoning
In some cases, the person who is suffering from the food poisoning can experience chills without fever accompanied by vomiting and diarrhea. It is advised by doctors to eat fresh and healthy food in case of chills or shivering because of food poisoning.
5. Dehydration
Due to deficiency of water in your body muscles starts contracting and can results in chills without a fever. Other symptoms include dizziness, headache, and low overall body energy.
To overcome chills you should keep drinking warm water in a time gap of every 30 minutes and try to avoid cold water.
Signs Of Chills Without Fever
It is generally observed that chills can remain for some days constantly or can come randomly.
Some of the most common signs of Chills Without Fever are listed below:
- Shivering/shaking – This is caused by the contractions of your muscles when your body is exposed to the sudden cold environment. The muscles contracts because the body tries to generate heat to increase body inner temperature.
- Sweating – In cold environment your body tries to generate more heat, your warmer spots like armpits stars producing more and more sweat.
- Teeth Chattering: Whenever you are in the extreme cold your teeth start chattering to increase your internal temperature. Chills are often accompanied by teeth chattering.
- Goosebumps – You might experience repetitious goosebumps when you are feeling cold.
What To Eat Or Avoid During Chills Without Fever?
You should change your diet plan to support your immune system for proper working. You should know What food to eat during chills and What food to avoid.
Eat These Foods
Your diet should include foods that are rich in Vitamin C and other minerals. Also, include a hot/warm liquid that can soothe your body and keep it warm.
- Drink orange juice to increase Vitamin C.
- Warm Water, chicken soup, and herbal tea.
- Apples and cranberries.
- Chicken, fish, turkey, bananas, and oatmeal.
Avoid These Foods
Try to avoid those foods which can increase your chills symptoms. Such as foods that increase dehydration should be avoided.
- Avoid alcohol as it dehydrates your body
- Avoid cold foods like ice-creams, cold drinks
- Caffeinated beverages like coffee
8 Home Remedies For Getting Relief From Chills Without Fever
Home remedies are considered to be the natural way of healing your disease whether its chills with fever or chills without the fever. These home remedies are most beneficial to those chills which are not caused due to medication.
Below we have listed a few of home remedies:
1. Sleep
- Getting 8-9 hrs sleep at night will greatly reduce the severity of your chills. The sleeping room should be warm or use a warm blanket while sleeping. As in sleep, your body temperature cools down.
- And if you haven’t slept properly at night you are more likely to get chills while you are awake. Because your body is trying to lower the temperature by shivering. So good night sleeping should be taken if you experience chills but no fever.
- According to research, 1 AM to 4 AM is the time when you are in your deep sleep. Therefore don’t forget to add these hours to your sleep plan.
2. Healthy Diet
- In case of chills without fever, eating a healthy diet on a regular basis can make you feel better.
- You should intake some form of nutrition(small) every hour. Remember to eat protein enrich meals and do not skip any meal.
- Your healthy diet should include boiled or steamed green vegetable and fresh fruits.
3. Body Movement
- Exercise or a walk can help you in reducing the frequency of chills but do not forget to wear some warm clothes while doing it.
- Try to avoid cold environment for some time after exercising. You have to select some basic type of exercise and continue doing it for at least one week.
- A walk around your building could be considered as good exercise.
4. Vitamin B Supplement
- If you get a random or sudden attack of chills, consumption of vitamin B supplement can be profitable to your body.
- As It reduces chills severity and enhances your overall body energy. Chills without a fever cause your body to lose extra energy by shivering or shaking.
- Due to which your body experiences fatigue and headaches. That is Why you need an immediate energy boost to make your body energetic in the form of vitamin B supplement.
5. Drink Warm Water
- If you just suffered from chills without a fever, soothe your body by drinking warm water. Because dehydration may be the cause of your chills.
- Warm water not only keeps you hydrated but also warmth your body temperature. Carry a bottle filled with warm water, so that you can easily drink it after every 30 minutes.
6. Warm Bath
- If you experience a sudden attack of shivering, a warm bath should be taken to soothe your body.
- This will calm and warm your body, thus dissipating the chills. After warm bath try to avoid cold environment(AC room) for 10-20 minutes.
7. Herbal Tea
- Intake of herbal tea is beneficial in controlling the chills frequency. It is known as an alternative health provider as its intake includes necessary vitamins and minerals for the body.
- It also soothes your body and helps in regaining overall energy. Drink 3-4 cup of herbal tea in a day and for a taste, you can add honey or sugar.
8. Warm Chicken Soup
- Chicken soup is considered as one of the best home remedies to fight the symptoms of respiratory tract infections and chills.
- Consume warm chicken soup as soon as you feel shivering but no fever. Ingredients of chicken soup are easy to digest and protein rich.
FAQ’s Related To Chills Without Fever
Question ⁃ What can Cause Chills Without fever?
Solution: Chills without fever can occur due to a cold environment or bacterial infection.
Question ⁃ What does it mean when you have chills and no fever?
Solution: Chills or shivering are of two type with or without fever. In chills but no fever condition, you will feel random and sudden shivering but there will be no fever.
Question ⁃ How to check chills are with or without fever?
Solution: The simple way to check your chill or shivering type is by using a thermometer. As in case of chills without fever thermometer won’t show any high reading.
Question ⁃ Can low iron give you the chills?
Solution: People with iron deficiency are more sensitive toward cold. Even in the warm surrounding, they can feel cold so low iron can give you the chills.
Question ⁃ Why my body is shivering?
Solution: When your inner body temperature drops, the shivering or shaking starts to maintain homeostasis. Shivering helps in producing energy by muscles contraction to increase inner temperature.
Question ⁃ What is good for body aches and chills?
Solution: Chills may be accompanied by body aches. In this case, wrap yourself in a warm blanket to reduce chills. And for body aches, use medication such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen.
Question ⁃ Does low sleep cause chills but no fever?
Solution: Yes, lack of sleep can be one of the reasons behind your random or sudden chills.
Question ⁃ How can I stop shaking?
Solution: Stress and anxiety may have caused you shivering so try to maintain a proper exercise plan. Your exercise plan may include small exercise, yoga or small walks.
Question ⁃ What are chills for?
Solution: Chills are feeling of coldness and is the reflex of our body against the cold environment. Chills help our body to maintain a temperature in the cold environment.
Question ⁃ What causes cold chills and nausea?
Solution: Chills without fever and nausea are the symptoms of Anxiety or panic attacks.
Question ⁃ What causes headaches, sweating and sometimes chills but no fever?
Solution: Hypoglycemia or low blood sugar is responsible for your headaches, sweating and sometimes chills but no fever. In this condition, your energy drains to such an extent that body stops functioning properly.
Conclusion
Chills without fever is a common phenomenon mostly due to the cold environment. It can be cured at home by applying any of the home remedies stated above.
First, try to find out the cause of your chills and then what to do?. If the chills are severe then don’t rely only on home remedies, you must visit a hospital for the proper cure.
Hope you have got enough information about chills without a fever. If you have any question regarding this, please comment it below in comment section. Your question will be answered by a proper medical staff.