Chills Without Fever Causes & Treatment

Ever wondered why you have chills without fever? What exactly does it indicate? What are the causes and how do get rid of it? What if you experience only at night? What does it mean when it comes with body aches, headaches, nausea, vomiting, during pregnancy & sore throat? Read on to find out.

Can you have chills without fever? What does it Mean?

Normally, chills are accompanied by fever. However, there are times when chills occur but no fever. In most cases, a chill without fever is a symptom of certain medical conditions. Sometimes, it is a reaction of the body to cold weather or simply a reaction when you panic or get scared.

More often than not, chills without fever is not a sign of anything serious. In fact, such chills will disappear after a short time or upon treatment of the underlying condition.

What causes Cold chills without fever

Below are some of the reasons you have chills but no fever;

Urinary tract infection (Cystitis)

This is an infection in the bladder and it is sometimes responsible for chills without fever. Cystitis occurs when bacteria comes into contact with your urethra causing an infection. Dr. Jennifer Robinson explains that, when the bladder infection is too serious, it results to chills without fever.

Medication side effects

On most medicines, you will find that one of the side effects is chills but not fever. Some of the medicines include; Voltaren, Ibuprofen, Ondansetron, and Effexor. At such incidents, you do not need to worry since drugs side effects go away as soon as you are through with the prescription.

Anemia

Anemia occurs in the case where the body lacks sufficient red blood cells. This results to dizziness, shaking, and headaches. Dr. Melinda Ratni points out on WebMD that, vitamin B12 or iron deficiencies are some of the leading causes of anemia.  One of the symptoms of anemia is chills without fever.

Hypothyroidism

This is a condition which occurs following insufficient production of thyroid hormone by thyroid glands. There is a connection between your thyroid and metabolism. American Thyroid Association explains that, when your thyroid in underactive, you tend to be more sensitive to the cold. This as a result means you shiver more, meaning you have chills that are not accompanied by fever.

Panic attacks (Anxiety)

When you are terrified, you may react by shivering and a pounding heart. Therefore, any time you are scared, do not be surprised if you have chills. People with anxiety disorder experience this more often than not. The Emergency Medicine Journal notes that, chills, fear of death, and lightheadedness are the major symptoms associated with anxiety disorder.

Hypothermia

Chills are identified as the first signs that show presence of hypothermia condition in your body. When your body temperature goes down and there is contraction of muscles in order to try warm the body, hypothermia is said to have occurred. The elderly are at a higher risk of experiencing hypothermia and hence unexpected chills.

Blood poisoning (sepsis)

Also referred to as septicemia, Sepsis is a very serious blood infection which is likely to cause blood clotting, organ failure, and a drop in blood pressure. Actually, it is listed among the life threatening health conditions. Dr. Melinda Ratni explains that one of the symptoms associated with this condition is chills which are not necessarily accompanied by a fever.

Hypoglycemia

Mostly associated with diabetes, hypoglycemia occurs where you have low blood sugar. One of the main symptoms of hypoglycemia is chills without a fever. Sometimes, your blood sugar levels drop if you stay hungry for long.

Have you ever experienced shivering when you are very hungry without necessarily having a fever?  This is usually because the low blood sugar makes your body weak and hence it is not in place to function properly.

Malnutrition

If you are malnourished, you are easily attacked by diseases since your immune system is generally weak. When the body fails to get sufficient nutrients, it is at a risk of being attacked by bacteria and viruses.

With malnutrition, your our body lacks the energy to perform its basic roles. One of the main symptoms of people with insufficient body nutrients is chills without fever.  When you are malnourished, you lack sufficient body heat. This is because; you do not have sufficient body fats. Remember, it is the excess body fats that are broken down to heat the body up.

Less fat results to less heat for the malnourished individuals. As a result, you end up feeling very cold and you may experience chills without any fever.

Insomnia (Lack of sleep)

Doctors advise that you get at least 6 to 7 hours of sleep a day. If you sleep for lesser hours, your body becomes prone to diseases. Lack of sleep is one of the causes of chills without fever. When you sleep, your body temperature drops.

When you do not get enough sleep, you end up with chills as your body tries to lower the temperatures while you are actually awake. Lack of sleep, therefore, as simple as it may sound; may actually be the reason you have continuous chills without fever.

A cold environment

You may be having chills because of the most obvious reason; staying in the cold. Shivering when it is cold is very normal. Even that, when the cold is too much, you may experience prolonged episodes of chills without fever.

When your body is left in the cold, it tries to coax your body muscles to produce more heat so as to warm the body. One of the ways through which the body does this is through shivering.

Symptoms

When you have chills without fever, it may come with some accompanying symptoms;

Goosebumps

When you have chills that are as a result of too much cold, you may experience goosebumps. It is not always the case that you get goose bumps when you have chills.

Shaking

When you have chills, you end up shaking and shivering. This is usually brought about by contractions of your body muscles.

Chattering teeth

When your body temperature drops, a signal is send to the rest of the body by the hypothalamus. This signal is meant to alert the body that it should release more heat.  Shivering stimulates release of body heat by contracting the body muscles.  You will notice that chattering of teeth will accompany chills in most cases.

Sweating

Chills cause body reactions which stimulate production of heat throughout the body.  In attempt by the body to generate more heat, your warmer spots in the body such as armpits tend to produce more sweat. Apart from that, the cold body temperature is likely to cause moisture evaporation which in turn makes your skin feel sweaty.[1]

How to get rid of chills with fever-treat/get rid

Treating chills without favor majorly depends on the particular cause of the chills.  Discussed below are the possible treatment options;

Treating urinary tract infections (UTI)

Where the chills are caused by UTI, you may need to seek medical attention. This is because, if you wait for the infection to go away, you have to be ready to live with the chills. Once you get treated, you may need to undertake preventive measures so that you avoid a recurrence of the infection.  Some of the preventive measures include the following;

• Avoid use of products that have strong chemicals as the ingredients around your genitals. This includes soaps with strong perfumes as well as talcum powder.
• Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water. This stops bacteria from spreading to your urethra and bladder.
• After using the toilet, wipe the bottom by making a movement from the front to the back. This prevents any entrance of the bacteria to the urethra.
• As soon as you have sexual intercourse, urinate or wash the genital area to do away with any bacteria that may build up around the genitals.
• Use underwear made of cotton as they allow proper breathing of the genital area. Try to reduce the number of times you wear tight fitting clothes as they are likely to stress your genital area.

Maintain a balanced diet

This works best in the case where the cause of the chills is malnutrition.  You are required to ensure your meals are enriched with proteins, carbohydrates, fruits, and vegetables.  You should avoid junk food at whatever time of the day.

Get treatment for anemia

In case your chills come as a symptom of anemia, you will need to seek treatment. Your doctor will determine the cause of anemia and thereafter offer treatment. This is because, the treatment of anemia is dependent on its cause.

If anemia is caused by iron deficiency, the doctor will give you supplements which you add to your diet. In case it is caused by loss of blood, you will undergo blood transfusion. If you have an autoimmune condition, your doctor prescribes some drugs meant to keep your immune system in check.

You are also advised to implement preventive measures of anemia. This is because, if you get it in future, you will have to deal again with chills that come without fever. Some of the preventive measures include; eating foods that are rich in iron, taking iron supplements and eating foods rich in folate.

Treating hypoglycemia

Where you get chills because of low blood sugar, you will need to treat the underlying condition, hypoglycemia. You will also need to observe certain measures which are crucial in keeping your blood sugar levels on check.

Some of the measures include; eating plenty of carbohydrates, and eating some food or snack after every 2 hours. Generally, you need to maintain a checkup on your glucose levels. Drinking too much alcohol should as well be avoided especially if you have diabetes running in your family.

Treating hypothyroidism

Your doctor will offer directions on what you need to do if your body does not generate the hormones required to control the way your body uses energy. Some the things you must do to overcome hypothyroidism include;

• Avoid taking soy-rich products
• Do not smoke anything that is likely to affect your thyroid or rather, make the existing thyroid condition worse
• Ensure your thyroid system is checked regularly for any complications

Getting enough sleep

Lack of sleep is one of the easy to treat causes of chills without fever. It is advisable that you avoid any stimulants at night. Proper exercise also allows you to sleep soundly. Sleeping during the day is likely to interfere with your sleeping patterns. Bottom line; always avoid anything that is likely to interfere with your sleep.

Keeping warm

You need to avoid exposure to too much cold. Always dress in warm clothes at any time you are going to very cold areas. Take a warm shower during cold weather.

What to do in severe cases

Although chills without fever disappear within a short period of time, there are times you need to take serious measures. Where the chills are persistent such that they interfere with your normal way of life, you should rush to the nearest medical center for a checkup.

Sweating and chills without fever at Night

Sometimes, the chills at night are accompanied by sweating. When you sweat excessively at night, your body temperature decreases and you may as a result experience chills. There are several reasons as to why you experience night sweats.

Night sweats are for instance caused by the aging process. Apart from that, you may get night sweats following stress, and different reactions to emotional situation. Other reasons for sweating at night include; menopause, infections, and cancer.

Chills but no fever and body aches & Headaches

Chills with no fever can be a sign of a serious illness if they are accompanied by body aches and headaches. For instance, chills with or without fever, headaches and body aches are identified as symptoms of flu. People were found to attach body aches to recent work outs. You are however advised to consider asking your doctor if it may be a flu-symptom.

Chills without fever combined with Nausea and Vomiting

When nausea and vomiting occur at the same time with chills but no fever, there might be a serious illness that is about to show up. For instance, people with serious cases of migraines reported that they experience chills and nausea as well.

Another condition that your physician may look out for is viral gastroenteritis which has over time been associated with chills as well as nausea and vomiting.

Chills no fever pregnancy

It is normal to have chills during pregnancy. Nevertheless, this can show that you have an infection. One of the causes of chills without fever during pregnancy is; viral gastroenteritis which is mostly as a result of consumption of contaminated food. One of the symptoms is chills without fever and you will most likely experience this during your first trimester of pregnancy.

Other causes of chills during pregnancy include; urinary tract infections, preeclampsia, and salmonellosis. You may need to seek medical attention if you get chills during your pregnancy so that your physician may determine if there is an underlying condition.

Sudden chills and body shaking without fever

In most cases, you will experience chills and shaking without fever immediately your body is exposed to an excessively cold environment. When you are hit by the cold and you probably have nothing to cover yourself, your body will respond by trying to release heat. As it tries to do this, you will end up shaking.

Apart from that, you will suddenly experience chills and shaking without fever if you are scared of something that is about to happen. The adrenalin rush any time you panic and become nervous; causes your whole body to be shaky.

Chills without fever sore throat

Just like the case of headaches and body aches, when chills without fever are combined with sore throat, you are most likely about to get a flu. Sore throat in most cases comes as a sign of a flu and chills occurring at the same time are a confirmation of the flu.[2]

Resources

[1]https://www.healthline.com/symptom/chills

[2] https://www.healthline.com/health/cold-flu/early-flu-symptoms