When a person has a fever, their body increases its temperature to fight off the infection. Shivering is a thermoregulation mechanism that occurs when the brain perceives a difference between the current body temperature and the desired temperature. Shivering helps to increase body heat by causing the muscles to shake, generating heat.
Fever is a response of the body to fight infections. The organism then decides to raise its internal temperature. However, our usual temperature is around 37 degrees. As soon as the body wants to raise the internal thermostat, it realizes that it is still too low compared to its new goal. To quickly bridge this gap, it triggers shivering. These are actually rapid muscle contractions that generate heat. In short, this strange uncomfortable sensation just means that our body is in the midst of an immune battle and adjusting its thermal settings.
In our brain, a small region called the hypothalamus acts as an internal thermostat. When it detects that the body temperature is no longer suitable, it decides it's time to react. It sends signals to other areas of the brain and activates various physical mechanisms to adjust our temperature. To heat up, it stimulates the muscles to contract rapidly, causing the famous shivers. Conversely, to cool the body down, it triggers sweating or dilates the small blood vessels on the surface of the skin. This little brain thermostat operates almost on its own, without us really having a say in the matter!
When you have a fever, it means the body has decided to raise its internal temperature to better fight off an invader (virus, bacteria...). To heat up quickly, the brain orders the muscles to move very rapidly: these mini muscle contractions are precisely what we call shivering. Essentially, shivering is like when you tremble from the cold, except that this time it's your body itself triggering this mechanism, even though you already feel a sensation of warmth. All of this is controlled by the hypothalamus, a sort of natural thermostat in your brain responsible for regulating body temperature. The ultimate goal of shivering is simply to quickly reach a new higher body temperature, set by this brain thermostat.
When you have a fever, it is often because your body is fighting an infection. To wage this battle, your body triggers immune responses: certain cells send small molecules called cytokines to the brain to inform it of the problem. Your brain, particularly at the level of the hypothalamus, reacts to these messages by increasing the body's temperature to make life difficult for the microbes. As a result, the internal thermostat temporarily malfunctions, and your body tries to reach this higher temperature by generating chills. These rapid and uncontrollable muscle contractions help produce more heat, while giving you that unpleasant sensation of intense cold.
We are not all equal when it comes to chills during a fever. Some people will clearly experience intense chills as soon as their internal temperature begins to rise, while others, even with a high fever, will have little to no shivering. This difference typically comes from your individual sensitivity to the thermoregulation mechanism controlled by your hypothalamus. It also depends on a lot of things: your age, your overall health, your physical constitution, and even your experiences with various past infections. In short, some people shiver more quickly and more often than others; it's just a matter of individual variations in how our brain handles fever episodes.
Caffeine can slightly raise your body temperature. Therefore, it would be wise to limit caffeinated beverages when you have a fever.
Some people experience chills even before the fever becomes detectable on the thermometer, as chills are often one of the first signs of an anticipated increase in body temperature.
When we feel hot due to a fever, our first instinct is sometimes to cover ourselves more to stop shivering. However, dressing too warmly or covering up excessively can prevent the body from naturally shedding excess heat.
The region of the hypothalamus located in your brain is like the control center that maintains your body temperature at a constant around 37°C. An infection can disrupt this internal thermostat and cause the unpleasant sensation of chills.
No, not necessarily. Chills occur when there is a significant gap between the current internal temperature and the temperature required by the brain to fight the infection. Although chills can accompany serious infections, they can also appear during mild infections or common viral illnesses such as the flu or a common cold.
It mainly depends on individual comfort. It is recommended to wear comfortable clothing (avoiding both excess and deficiency in thermal insulation), stay under a light blanket while waiting for the temperature to stabilize, drink enough water, and possibly take an antipyretic medication (such as paracetamol) if symptoms become bothersome, always following usual medical advice.
This difference can be explained by individual variability. Each person has a different sensitivity to thermal changes, influenced by various factors such as age, genetics, overall health, or even the presence of underlying conditions. Therefore, two people may have the same body temperature yet experience the onset of chills differently.
In most cases, the chills associated with a mild fever during a common infection are not alarming signs. However, if the chills are very intense, prolonged, and accompanied by severe symptoms such as respiratory issues, chest pain, or confusion, it is advisable to seek medical advice promptly.
This phenomenon is related to the body's thermal regulation mechanism. During a fever, the internal thermostat (located in the hypothalamus of the brain) is set to a higher temperature. The body then perceives a difference between its current temperature and this new elevated set point, causing sensations of cold and shivering to quickly raise the body temperature.
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