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Why do we experience chills during a fever as our body temperature increases?Nicole Van Groningen:
Anyone who’s battled the flu knows that a fever isn’t uncomfortable because of heat—it’s uncomfortable because of the intense cold. You get goosebumps, shiver uncontrollably, and find yourself layering up with blankets.
Fever, or pyrexia, is when the body’s temperature rises above normal levels due to a shift in the body's internal thermostat. While fever is most commonly linked to infections, it can also occur with autoimmune diseases, cancer, drug reactions, and even blood clots. Fever doesn’t result directly from these conditions, but from the activation of the body's inflammatory responses. A crucial part of this process is a group of molecules called pyrogens, which directly affect the hypothalamus in the brain to trigger a fever.
The hypothalamus acts as the body’s thermostat. When it is triggered by pyrogens, it instructs the body to generate heat by causing shivering, goosebumps, and narrowing of blood vessels near the skin. It even creates a sensation of cold, prompting you to take actions like grabbing a blanket to increase body temperature.
These responses are helpful when your body temperature dips below its typical set point (around 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit), which usually happens in colder weather. However, they become unusual during a fever, when the hypothalamus signals the body to increase its temperature well beyond normal levels.
If pyrogens suddenly leave the bloodstream, as seen in intermittent fevers, the hypothalamus quickly detects the temperature is too high and activates the body’s cooling mechanisms. This is why people sweat heavily when their fever 'breaks.'
This post originally appeared on Quora. Click here to view.
