Chills without fever can be a perplexing and even frightening experience, especially if you don’t know what’s causing them. While chills without fever may not be as serious as chills with fever, they can indicate various medical issues.
In some cases, chills without fever may be caused by an infection, such as the flu or a sinus infection. Other possible causes may include an allergic reaction, dehydration, medication side effects, or a thyroid disorder.
Treating the underlying cause of the chills is the best way to eliminate them. This article will discuss 17 common causes of chills without fever.
Symptoms of Chills Without Fever
Here are some common symptoms of chills without fever:
- Shivering: Chills can cause shivering, which is the body’s way of generating heat to raise its temperature.
- Cold skin: People with chills may experience cold, clammy skin.
- Muscle aches: Chills can also cause muscle aches, especially in the arms, legs, and back.
- Fatigue: People with chills may feel tired and weak as the body uses energy to fight off whatever is causing the chills.
- Nausea: Chills can sometimes cause nausea, which may be due to an underlying infection or illness.
- Headache: People with chills may experience a headache, a symptom of a viral or bacterial infection.
- Sweating: Some people may experience sweating and chills as the body tries to regulate its temperature.
17 Common Causes for Chills Without Fever
1. Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia refers to the sugar level in the body being so low that the body cannot work correctly. People who suffer from this condition normally have diabetes. One of the most common symptoms of this condition is experiencing chills without fever. When your body’s sugar level is very low, it will not function correctly.
Hypoglycemia can cause chills without a fever. Other symptoms of hypoglycemia include dizziness, cold sweats, hunger, rapid heartbeat, headaches, sweating, anxiety, and dizziness.
If you feel this condition is the leading cause of your chills, drink something sweet. This can be the temporary fix you need to eliminate the chills. Eating something sweet when you have diabetes may not be the best option.
You may take something safer, like apple cider vinegar, to give you the needed sugar without the possible complications.
2. Side Effects of Drugs
Prolonged medications such as ibuprofen, Effexor, Voltaren, and ondansetron may cause side effects like chills without fever. Sometimes, an intense cold may be caused by Narcotic painkillers or drugs like beta interferons.
Make sure to read the medication packaging to learn potential side effects information. If you suspect that the drug is the cause of your shivering, you should consult your doctor immediately.
3. Cystitis or Urinary Tract Infection
Cystitis or Urinary Tract Infection may be the primary reason you have chills, but you do not have any fever. When bacteria get into your urethra, the infection may turn more severe. Women are more likely to experience this infection than men.
When you try to urinate, you may feel that it is painful. There are instances when you are unable to urinate at all. In addition, other common symptoms include:
- Urinating frequently: Cystitis can cause a full bladder feeling, making you go to the bathroom often. However, there is not much urine every time.
- Smelly and bloody urine: Cystitis can cause a cloudy and strong bad urine smell. Sometimes you may notice blood in the urine. This is because inflammation causes a bladder infection that reaches the kidneys and causes red blood cells to enter the bladder.
If you get a bladder infection, the first thing you need to do is to have yourself checked by the doctor. You would have to prevent the disease from spreading to your kidneys because this will only make things worse.
You will be recommended to drink a lot of water because this will help flush out the toxins from your body. At the same time, you can drink cranberry juice to cure yourself faster. Some studies show this also prevents UTIs from occurring when you drink cranberry juice.
4. Anxiety, Panic Attack, or Stress
Panic attacks, anxiety, or stress can also cause hormonal imbalances affecting the body’s temperature regulation mechanism. This will lead to uncontrollable chills without a fever. The shivering may accompany chest pain, nausea, heart beating, and dizziness. These are the most common symptoms associated with anxiety disorders.
If it is anxiety that you are having problems with, you need to try to relax. There are different ways that you can reduce your feelings of stress.
- Do deep breathing exercises.
- Try to undergo meditation. Even if it takes just a few minutes, it will be enough to calm you down.
- Try to choose from different essential oils that can relax the mind and the body. Some recommended ones are bergamot, jasmine, lavender, and chamomile.
5. Anemia
Anemia is one of the most common causes of chills that aren’t accompanied by fever. It can occur when there are not enough red blood cells in the blood or low hemoglobin. This can cause headaches, dizziness, fatigue, and shaking.
In addition, the lack of iron can cause you to get anemia. A balanced diet can effectively help you prevent anemia. You can eat green leafy vegetables, beans, nuts, almonds, poultry, egg yolk, and seafood. These are good sources of iron.
6. Malnutrition
Malnutrition may be due to inadequate nutrient-rich foods, anorexia, or a poor ability to absorb nutrients. Without enough nutrients, your body can’t work correctly.
Malnutrition can cause chills without a fever. Other symptoms include pale skin, rash, heart palpitations, dizziness, fatigue, drowsiness, or female menstrual cycle disorder.
Moreover, malnutrition, such as deficiency of vitamin B-complex, can also make you more susceptible to anemia. This will also affect your ability to tolerate cold.
Meat, dairy products, eggs, salmon, eel, and spirulina provide enough vitamin B12 to help prevent anemia caused by vitamin B12 deficiency.
To cure malnutrition, you have to double-check your diet. You can work with a nutritionist to follow a healthy diet that will give you all the necessary vitamins.
7. Cold Environment
This is the most common cause of chills without a fever. When you move from a warm to a cold environment, your body will increase its temperature by contracting and expanding muscles to produce more heat. This will make your body start to shake.
These types of chills will disappear after your body warms. But if your body continues to shiver, complications such as hypothermia or frostbite may occur. These conditions are severe, and you should seek immediate medical help.
8. Hypothermia
Getting chills and shaking is one of the first signs of getting hypothermia. This is a condition that occurs when your body temperature drops too much.
This may happen when you plunge into the icy water and your body cannot warm up. The chills are caused by your muscles contracting to warm up your body. If the hypothermia worsens, the chills will stop. The person will become disoriented and confused. Sometimes, people will have a hard time speaking.
The older the person is, the higher the risk of getting hypothermia. The moment that you notice that someone seems to be suffering from hypothermia, here are some of the things that you should do:
- Adjust the room temperature so that it will be warmer.
- Put a warm blanket around the person.
9. Hypothyroidism
The thyroid gland is located in the lower section of the neck. It can produce thyroid hormones necessary to regulate the body’s metabolism.
Thyroid disorder can cause fatigue along with frequent chills without any fever. Other symptoms include depression, constipation, dry skin, weight gain, sluggish speech, and easy colds.
A balanced diet is essential for your thyroid function. It would help if you ate healthier fats like seeds, nuts, coconut oil, fish, and legumes. In addition, you can take iodine supplements to enhance your thyroid function.
10. Lack of Sleep
Sometimes, lacking sleep may make you experience sudden chills from the body without a fever. This is because your body temperature drops during sleep.
If you do not sleep enough, your body will lower the heart’s temperature when awake. Other symptoms include drowsiness, irritability, weight gain, yawning, depression, and mood swings.
If this is your problem, you need to get enough sleep. You can take a break from work and sleep. It will allow your body to recover.
11. Allergic Reaction
Allergic reactions sometimes cause chills. When exposed to an allergen or bitten by an insect, you may have a cold without a fever. Spider bites are the most common cause.
Most spider bites are harmless, but some spiders, such as black widows or brown spiders, can cause allergic reactions, causing you to have chills or irritations such as muscle cramps, headaches, vomiting and nausea, rashes, and joint stiffness. Emergency medical measures should be taken to avoid life-threatening symptoms if these spiders bite you.
12. Food Poisoning
Sometimes, the person suffering from food poisoning may experience chills without fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. If severe food poisoning occurs, you need to see your doctor immediately.
13. Dehydration
Dehydration of the body causes the muscles to contract, causing chills without fever. Other symptoms include dizziness, headaches, and low body energy.
To get rid of the chills caused by dehydration, you can drink hot water. Remember to avoid cold water; otherwise, it will aggravate the condition.
14. Surgery
They are called postoperative chills. This is a symptom that often occurs after surgery. It can lead to chills without a fever. This is often due to decreased surgical temperature or an anesthetic product.
15. Menopause
Menopause can change the hormone levels in the body, affecting the body’s brain temperature control center (the hypothalamus).
This condition will result in redness and the sensation of heat accompanied by chills without a fever. Other symptoms include headache, fever, redness, excessive sweating, anxiety, insomnia, and joint pain.
16. Sepsis
This is a condition wherein the blood is already infected. This blood infection can cause multiple organ failures, temperature drops, and blood clotting. This is a life-threatening condition. Those who undergo sepsis may not have a fever while suffering from chills.
Sepsis is caused by bacteria that get into the bloodstream. Sometimes, the reason is so simple that people do not expect it. Often, other severe conditions cause sepsis, such as the following:
- Meningitis
- Pneumonia
- Appendicitis
If you start to feel like you have this condition or suspect someone you know has this condition, you need to consult with your doctor immediately.
17. Emotional reaction
When you experience a strong emotion, your body releases hormones. The most well-known is adrenaline, which floods your system when you’re in a stressful situation.
Adrenaline can increase your heart rate and blood pressure, leading to chills without fever. In addition, some emotional reactions, such as fear or anxiety, can also cause this condition.
Home Remedies For Chills Without Fever
After you have learned the underlying condition behind getting chills without fever, here are some natural treatments that can help stop colds from overtaking your body:
1. Stay Hydrated: Drinking plenty of fluids, such as water, juice, and herbal teas, can help to replenish lost fluids and keep the body hydrated. This may help to reduce chills.
2. Get Plenty of Rest: Resting and taking it easy may help reduce chills. This can help the body focus on fighting off any underlying infection.
3. Use a Warm Compress: Applying a warm compress to the forehead, neck, or chest may help to reduce chills.
4. Dress in Layers: Dressing in multiple layers can help to regulate body temperature and reduce chills.
5. Take a Warm Bath or Shower: Taking a warm bath or shower may help to reduce chills.
6. Keep the Room Warm: Keeping the temperature in the room warm may help to reduce chills.
7. Eat Spicy Foods: Eating spicy foods, such as chilies, hot peppers, and cayenne, may help to reduce chills.
8. Exercise: Exercise can help to reduce chills by raising body temperature.
9. Use a Humidifier: Using a humidifier can help to reduce chills by adding moisture to the air. 10. Drink Ginger Tea: Drinking ginger tea may help to reduce chills by increasing body temperature and providing antioxidant benefits.
Conclusion
Chills without fever are a common phenomenon. It can be cured at home by applying one of the above home remedies. If the chills are severe, do not rely only on home remedies; you must visit a hospital for the proper treatment.
