Why am i shaky and cold

Causes, treatment, and when to see a doctor

Shivering occurs most commonly when a person is cold. It is usually temporary and should stop once the individual warms up.

However, shivering can also be a symptom of physical or mental illness.

Below are eight potential causes of shivering:

1. Fever

Other than being cold, the most common cause of shivering is fever, which doctors define as a body temperature higher than 100°F.

Fever usually occurs as a result of infection, but inflammation or an allergic reaction can also increase body temperature. Some people with a fever may also have signs of flu, but others will have no additional symptoms.

Drinking plenty of fluids and taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can help to reduce a temperature.

If a person has other symptoms, particularly a stiff neck, rapid heartbeat, or shallow breathing, they should seek medical advice within 24 hours. If they have no other symptoms, they will only need to visit a doctor if the fever lasts for more than 3 days.

2. Psychogenic movement disorders

For some people, stress or mental health factors can cause shivering and other involuntary movements. This usually occurs due to a psychogenic movement disorder, which can affect any part of the body.

A doctor who specializes in medical conditions affecting the brain, called a neurologist, will usually diagnose psychogenic movement disorders. They may look for the following characteristics when making a diagnosis:

movements happening suddenly, without warning
memories of a traumatic event triggering movements
movements stopping if a person is distracted
underlying mental health issues, such as depression

There is often no underlying brain or nerve damage. Instead, shivering is the body’s response to stress.

Doctors will often treat psychogenic movement disorders with a combination of mental health therapy and physical therapy.

3. Postanesthetic shivering

Share on PinterestA person may shiver when recovering from an anesthetic.

Shivering can occur when a person regains consciousness after a general anesthetic.

A person’s temperature may drop during a surgical procedure, which can cause them to shiver when they wake up after the operation is over.

Anesthetics can also affect the body’s ability to regulate temperature, which can make it difficult for the body to warm up quickly after an operation.

Doctors will usually check a person’s temperature and provide them with blankets or heaters if necessary.

4. Fear, excitement, or stress

Strong emotions can cause a person to shake or shiver. This is often due to a surge of adrenaline in the body. Adrenaline is a hormone that triggers the body’s fight-or-flight response.

Shivering should stop after the adrenaline leaves the body. For many people, this will happen very rarely, perhaps during a particularly exciting or frightening moment. For those who experience chronic stress, adrenaline surges and shaking can be more frequent.

5.

Tremor

Involuntary trembling, shaking, or shivering can be due to a medical condition called essential tremor. Essential tremor is a neurological condition, meaning that it relates to the brain.

This condition affects approximately 10 million people in the United States and can cause trembling in the hands, legs, body, or voice.

Tremors can also be a symptom of Parkinson’s disease. This is a disorder that affects an area of the brain and tends to develop gradually.

6. Low blood sugar

If a person has not had food or water for a long time, the level of glucose in their blood can drop. This low blood sugar can cause shivering or shaking.

For people who have diabetes, this will be known as hypoglycemia, and it can be severe. People with diabetes should check their blood glucose regularly to prevent their levels from dropping too low.

7. Anxiety

Anxiety is a mental health condition that can affect the body as well as the mind. It can cause physical symptoms, such as nausea, increased heart rate, and shivering or shaking.

Treatment for anxiety may include therapy, medication, and lifestyle changes. Activities that might help a person to manage their anxiety include exercising, listening to music, and spending time with supportive friends and family.

8. Sepsis

Sepsis is an overwhelming response of the body to infection, and it often occurs in connection with lung, skin, gut, or urinary tract infections.

One of the symptoms of sepsis is shivering. Other symptoms include confusion, feeling sweaty or clammy, pain, raised heart rate, and shortness of breath.

Sepsis is a medical emergency. People with sepsis will need prompt treatment with antibiotics in a hospital.

Shivering is usually temporary. If it occurs due to a fever, low blood sugar, or a strong emotion, it should resolve once a person treats the underlying cause. They can:

treat a fever with fluids and NSAIDs
eat to restore blood sugar levels
sit down somewhere quiet and breathe slowly to calm strong emotions

Other causes of shivering may be due to an underlying medical condition. If a person is concerned, they should note any other symptoms and seek medical advice.

Shivering can be a more severe symptom for older adults or people with an underlying health condition. Older adults are often less able to regulate their body temperature so they may become cold more quickly. Keeping warm in cold weather is essential for good health.

Fever increases the heart rate and makes breathing faster. This can be serious if a person has a heart or lung condition.

Chills without fever: 5 potential causes

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Chills are the sensation of feeling cold. They often occur alongside a fever, which is when a person’s body temperature is higher than normal. However, a person can also experience chills without a fever, and there can be many different reasons for this.

Potential causes include:

being cold
having hypothyroidism, which causes more sensitivity to cold
infection
doing intensive exercises in the cold
having anemia

This article looks at these causes, what a person can do to resolve them, and when they should see a doctor.

Share on PinterestA person may have chills with no fever due to wearing wet clothes and being outside in windy conditions.

The most common reason for a person to have chills with no fever is because of cold weather.

If a person is not wearing sufficient layers and the air temperature is low, they may experience chills.

If a person is wearing wet clothes, they will feel cold more quickly. This is because the water in their clothes evaporates, using the heat energy in their body for this process.

Windy conditions can also make a person feel cold. When the wind blows cold air, it removes warm air trapped around a person’s skin or under clothes.

Risks

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), if a person’s body temperature falls too low, they can develop hypothermia. Hypothermia is a potentially life-threatening condition that can make a person confused, tired, and clumsy.

If a person stays too cold for too long, they can fall unconscious, and may eventually die.

Remedies

By wearing plenty of layers, a person can insulate themselves from the cold and put a barrier between their body and the wind.

Replacing wet clothes with dry clothes is also useful.

Hypothyroidism is when a person’s thyroid gland does not produce enough of the hormone that regulates their metabolism.

For some people, this can mean they are more sensitive to the cold and may feel chills more frequently.

Symptoms

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), other symptoms can include:

tiredness
gaining weight
a puffy face
muscle and joint pain
constipation
dry skin
thinning hair
not sweating as much as usual
irregular or heavy menstrual periods
fertility issues
depression
slow heart rate
an enlarged thyroid

A person should speak to a doctor if they have these symptoms.

Diagnosis and treatment

According to the NIDDK, a doctor can do blood tests to see if a person has an underactive thyroid. If so a person can take medication to replace the hormone that their body is not producing.

A person will often experience chills and a fever at the same time. However, sometimes the experience of chills can occur before a person gets a fever.

This is possible in response to any infection, but it is a classic symptom of malaria.

Symptoms of malaria

According to the CDC, malaria can have three stages:

a cold stage, where a person experiences chills
a hot stage, where they have a high temperature
a sweating stage

If a person suspects they have malaria, for example, because they live in or recently visited a country where infection can occur, then they should speak to a doctor immediately.

Treatment for infections

According to the CDC, a person’s body can usually resolve most common infections, such as flu, by itself. However, if a person’s symptoms do not get better, become significantly worse, or they are at high risk of flu-related complications, they should speak to a medical professional.

If a person does intensive exercise in cold weather, they might feel chills when they finish the activity. This is in part because a person’s body produces heat when they are exercising.

How exercise affects body temperature

When a person stops exercising they will quickly get cold, particularly if they are not wearing sufficient layers to keep them warm after stopping.

Doing intensive exercise may also disrupt a person’s ability to regulate their body temperature. This means they may feel chills more than they otherwise might.

Prevention

To avoid chills after intensive exercise, a person should quickly replace any wet clothing with dry clothing and put on extra layers until they feel warm.

Spinach is rich in iron and can help ward off anemia.

Anemia is when a person does not have enough iron in their blood.

The most common symptoms include waking up tired, looking pale, and always feeling cold with chills.

A person may develop anemia due to poor diet, age, chronic illness, or medication. Women are more at risk than men.

To find out if someone has anemia, a doctor will carry out a blood test.

Treatment

If someone has anemia, their doctor may recommend taking iron supplements or, in severe cases, a blood transfusion.

There is a selection of iron supplements available for purchase online.

Prevention

Eating a diet rich in iron could help ward off anemia. A diet rich in iron could include:

spinach — squeeze on some citrus, such as lemon, to help release the iron
red meat
oysters
peanut butter
pumpkin or squash seeds
kidney beans and lentils
dried fruits

If a person experiences chills because they are in a cold climate or are experiencing the early signs of a mild fever, they probably will not need to see a doctor.

However, if a person experiences other symptoms, or they frequently feel cold even when it is warm, and they are wearing many layers, they may have an underlying health issue. A doctor can help diagnose what this is and suggest appropriate treatment.

There is a variety of reasons why a person may experience chills without a fever.

Identifying what is causing the chills will enable a person to either take steps to resolve their chills themselves, or decide if they need to speak to a doctor to get treatment.

Why chills occur without fever

The feeling of cold, in which the body is covered with goosebumps, can accompany various physiological processes. But a sharp chill and trembling can indicate the development of some serious pathologies. What you should pay attention to and when the causes of chills without fever in men and women require a visit to the doctor, in our article.

What is thermoregulation?

Thermoregulation is the body's ability to maintain a constant body temperature regardless of environmental conditions. With a decrease in air temperature, the body reduces heat loss by constricting blood vessels and reducing evaporation. With its increase, it increases heat transfer due to vasodilation and more sweat production.

When it's cold outside, the body gets chills, a muscle and skin reaction that helps the body warm up. It is formed by trembling and muscle spasm, which increases heat production. Also, a feeling of chills accompanies "goosebumps" - the appearance of goosebumps on the skin that raise the hairline. After getting into a warm room, all these signs disappear.

Chills often occur against the background of high temperature in infectious diseases and severe inflammation. This is due to a violation of the processes of thermoregulation and attempts by the body to bring the system into a state of equilibrium. But these sensations can also occur for other reasons without hyper- or hypothermia.

Causes of severe chills without fever

The causes of chills are physiological and pathological. Most often, it occurs due to the fact that a person is in a cold room for a long time or is not dressed for the weather. The brain receives the appropriate signals and starts processes that help a person warm up.

Other causes of this condition, which is not accompanied by freezing or infection, include the following:

Feature group	Cause
Trauma and severe stress	The symptom develops against the background of the release of stress hormones.
Endocrine disorders	Diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism and some other metabolic disorders lead to impaired thermoregulation
Autonomic disorders of the nervous system	Vegetovascular dystonia, somatoform disorder, hyperexcitability also cause violations of thermoregulation
Diseases of the cardiovascular system	They can cause a violation of the peripheral blood supply, due to which thermoregulation cannot proceed normally.
Systemic and autoimmune diseases	With the destruction of the nervous tissue, the normal regulation of body temperature is also disturbed.
Some infections	For example, with tuberculosis or chronic infection, night chills may be observed against the background of increased sweating and normal body temperature.
Medication	It can also be thrown into the cold while taking certain medications. Such a property, for example, may have local anesthesia.

In addition, it can be shivering against the background of allergic and oncological diseases, severe forms of anemia and during the development of a hypertensive crisis. As a result of these processes, the normal state of the internal environment of the body is disturbed, which leads to hypothermia and impaired temperature regulation.

Important! In women, violation of thermoregulation, on the background of which she begins to shiver, can occur against the background of menopause. If the attacks occur infrequently, go away on their own and are not accompanied by other symptoms, this does not require treatment.

What symptoms to look for if it freezes without a temperature?

By itself, chills, especially if it is short-term and quickly passes by itself, is not a pathology or disease. It can be caused by the fact that the room is cold, or be a response to an unaccounted for stress factor. In this case, the chills do not accompany the person constantly and pass on their own if you dress warmly and reduce stress levels.

However, if the chills happen abruptly without visible external factors and are accompanied by the following symptoms, this is an occasion to consult a doctor and undergo an examination. What are these symptoms?

Abrupt changes in body weight without changing the diet and physical activity (both its increase and decrease).
General weakness, dizziness, fatigue.
Changes in the menstrual cycle in women.
Neurological symptoms (pain, mood swings, etc.) that appear for no apparent reason.
Hair loss.
Frequent thirst that does not go away even after drinking.
Violent itching with chills.
Sensation of constriction in the throat or chest.
Increased sweating at night.

These signs may indicate endocrine disorders, dysfunction in the functioning of the nervous system, and other diseases. Sudden chills, which are accompanied by an attack of suffocation or chest pain, require immediate medical attention, as there may be symptoms of anaphylactic shock against an allergy or hypertensive crisis.

When a person is thrown into the cold without an increase or decrease in body temperature, this indicates serious dysfunctions in the body. Our experts will help you narrow your search and choose diagnostic methods.

Which doctor should be consulted when the body is shaking without fever?

If he often throws into the cold and against this background the patient notices other symptoms, it is necessary to consult with a general practitioner or general practitioner. He will conduct an initial diagnosis and narrow down the circle of reasons why a person suddenly becomes cold.

Diagnosing the causes of chills includes the following steps:

History taking and visual examination.
General and biochemical analysis of blood.
Blood test for latent anemia.
Tests for diabetes mellitus.
Blood test for thyroid hormones.
Bakposevy on flora.
General urine analysis.
Allergy tests.
ELISA and PCR for infectious agents.
Ultrasound examinations of organs.
Computed and magnetic resonance imaging.
Radiography.
Dopplerography.

Based on these studies, a diagnosis is made, and the patient is referred for a consultation with specialized specialists - an endocrinologist, gynecologist, oncologist, neuropathologist. The doctor will select a treatment that will help get rid of unpleasant symptoms.

What should I do to get rid of chills at normal temperature?

Treatment tactics depend on what caused this condition. In the case when you are shivering against the background of cold weather or inappropriate clothing, you need to drink something warm, go into the room or change clothes to more suitable ones. If it's cold at home, you need to dress warmly and use indoor heaters.

Do not use alcohol for this. Although alcohol causes a temporary sensation of warmth, it leads to vasodilation, which increases heat loss and can cause hypothermia. In some cases, this can lead to fainting and injury.

In all other cases, it is necessary to correct the underlying cause that led to the development of this symptom. The specific treatment is selected by the doctor based on the tests and studies that the patient has undergone. In some cases, such as hormone replacement therapy for menopause or hypothyroidism, treatment may be lifelong.

In the rest, it is carried out until complete recovery or remission, if the cause of chills is a chronic pathology. In this case, it is also recommended to undergo periodic medical examinations to prevent the development of a relapse of the disease. If a hypertensive crisis or a severe allergic reaction is suspected, the patient is hospitalized.

If there is doubt about the diagnosis or treatment prescribed, another doctor should be consulted. Our service provides a "Second Opinion" service, through which you can discuss the disease with a specialized specialist. This is especially true for small towns, where one specialized doctor often sees.

FAQ

Why does the chill happen?

This feeling is the result of the work of thermoregulatory processes. Normally, it occurs in case of a decrease in ambient temperature or with severe stress. However, this feeling can be a sign of serious pathologies.

Why is it chilly and freezing, but there is no temperature?

This can be a symptom of endocrine changes, hormonal disorders, infectious diseases in a chronic form, dysfunction in the nervous system, cancer and some other pathologies.

What causes, when shivering without fever, require treatment?

If the feeling of chills is not caused by external causes (a decrease in air temperature or clothing that is not appropriate for the weather), it requires a visit to a doctor and treatment. The method of therapy depends on the specific cause and severity of the underlying disease.

What to do to get warm?

It depends on the reason why it got cold. If a person is just cold, you need to drink something warm and wear warm clothes. However, if you throw yourself into the cold due to illness, you need to find and eliminate the reason why this happens.

Expert opinion

In itself, the feeling of cold is a normal reaction of the body to environmental factors. However, sometimes it indicates the development of pathological processes that can worsen the quality of life and even lead to death. When this symptom appears, especially if it is accompanied by other signs of illness, you need to consult a doctor as soon as possible in order to undergo a diagnosis and choose the right treatment.

We publish only verified information

Article author

Cherepenko Lyudmila Vikentievna doctor - therapist • doctor - cardiologist

Experience 37 years

Consultations 9715

Articles 95

A specialist with extensive experience in the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular diseases, as well as their consequences. Participates, enters at medical conferences, seminars, lectures by Bayer.

It suddenly becomes cold and starts shaking: causes - argumenti.ru

Arguments of the Week → Health → Healthy life 13+

31 December 2019, 10:46

causes of sudden chills, photo of social networks

It becomes sharply cold and starts shaking - one of the symptoms of chills.

In medicine, sudden chills are interpreted as a clinical manifestation of thermogenesis reactions , accompanied by acute transient muscle tremors. There is a feeling of chilliness, sweat ceases to stand out, and the skin turns pale. Inside the body, spasms of the walls of blood vessels occur, due to which the blood ceases to be transported at the usual speed - the person freezes.

But chills do not always appear due to hypothermia, low temperatures. It can be produced for no apparent reason. At the same time, a person will not feel sick, inflammatory processes and loss of appetite. Most likely, there will be weakness, a breakdown. Such symptoms may indicate a violation of the autonomic system. It is she who controls the work of all organs, as well as the muscular and nervous systems.

Today we will announce the answers to questions that will help to find out the symptoms, the causes of a sharp chill. You will learn:

What causes chills (causes, symptoms)?
Why is there a sharp chill and what happens in the body?
What to do if it's cold and shaking?
Who should I contact with this problem?
Prevention of sudden severe chills?

If you have symptoms of chills - the article will help you find out their causes. Take immediate and necessary action. But after - you should consult a specialist. With its help, you can create conditions for the prevention of diseases caused by chills.

It suddenly became cold - causes and symptoms?

There are quite a few cases where chills are not due to winter frosts or hypothermia. And because of the imbalance in the vegetative system. Many people know that we have sympathetic and parasympathetic vegetative work. Sympathetic is responsible for the excitation of nerve cells. Parasympathetic inhibits the nervous process. As soon as a person begins to get nervous, to be afraid, there is an inconsistent work between the two species. The man starts shaking.

In simple words: shaking and cold all over the body - a protective reaction of the body to: stress, fear, fear of various factors.

But this is not the only reason for the amazing chills. There are a number of reasons that cause such a reaction:

Exhaustion of nerve cells. This result occurs against the background of constant, chronic stress and anxiety. Because of the hard and stressful work that can overwork the body of people.
Disturbed work of some parts of the brain. For example, the hypothalamus is responsible for a large number of functions within us. Including the autonomic system, nervous activity. If in this structure there is a violation of the work of the vessels - this is a disease, shaking and chills can become a symptom.
Diseases. It becomes sharply cold due to diseases of the cardiovascular system, infectious diseases, colds and SARS. They also include an allergic reaction to objects, animals, plants and food.
Menses or menopause. Such causes cause chills only in women. During the period when the hormonal background is being rebuilt for a new job. With a decrease or increase in sex hormones. Only your doctor can prescribe treatment in this case.
Endocrinology. In such a situation, there is a disorder of the main gland, which is responsible for thermoregulation in the human body - the thyroid. Moreover, diabetes is also a cause of trembling.
Hypothermia due to low temperatures. The most common and common cause of cold and trembling of the body. The easiest way to get rid of it is to simply warm up and drink a hot drink.

Symptoms of malfunctioning thermoregulation:

Coldness all over the body.
Trembling and shaking of the whole body.
Shakes and freezes without temperature.
General weakness, pale skin and circles under the eyes.
Panic and fear appear.
Unable to control shaking.

If you identify at least one of the reasons - immediately contact an ambulance. Remember! - it can be anything, do not risk your health and life.

Actions inside the body during a sudden and severe chill

Here events can develop in two directions. Either chills will be accompanied by an increase in temperature to impressive degrees. Or it will start without a temperature, but due to various reasons.

In the first case, it concerns fever, SARS.

At the moment when immunity falls, thermoregulation takes on a protective function. Raising the temperature inside the body. That is, heat production increases, and heat transfer decreases. Due to this, the degree rises, but the person becomes very cold and begins to shake.

In the second case - frostbite, stress, fear.

The person's temperature remains normal, but they still begin to shake. Why? This is a reaction of the nervous system, or (if frostbite) thermoregulation. Muscles begin to contract quickly and regardless of the desire of the person - trembling appears. Also, vasoconstriction occurs, which means that blood circulates through the body at a low speed - significantly reducing heat transfer.

Two conditions appear in a person: weakness, pallor of the skin, the pulse rises, and the pressure drops. In more severe cases, and in diseases, people lose consciousness, enter a state of apathy and fear, involuntary urination occurs.

Throws in the cold, what should be done immediately?

If you are sure it is:

Not a disease.
Managed to find out the cause of the chills.
You know that this happens to you due to some factors.
You do not have a temperature and symptoms of dangerous diseases.

The following steps may help. You can do them at home:

Drink a warming drink. It can be anything. But it is not recommended to drink coffee, as it can affect the pressure. Warm-hot black tea with lemon, herbal or green tea, cocoa, warm milk with honey. Drinks will help to warm up, due to the fact that they will accelerate blood circulation inside the body and will retain heat.
Warm bath with essential oils, or a heating pad under the feet. A warm bath should be taken after a hot drink. Essential oils will help not only to warm up, but also to relax the nervous tension caused by the cold.
Wrap yourself in a blanket. Far from the worst idea. This will calm the general condition, and bring thermoregulation back to normal, since blood will begin to flow through the vessels in the usual way. And the vascular walls will expand to the required size.
Trembling caused by stress. Calm down, drink slightly warm water, take a deep breath. Take sedatives that you drank earlier.

Which doctor will give advice if it suddenly becomes cold and starts shaking?

Chills , as you already understood, can occur not only because of hypothermia and nerves. The reason for the appearance often becomes - the disease.

It is worth contacting therapist . He will be able to find out what exactly is wrong in your body by taking tests, interviewing the patient.

After learning the results of the tests, the doctor will announce the diagnosis, or redirect to a specialized specialist.

These can be doctors: endocrinologists, psychologists (if you are stressed), infectious disease specialists, cardiologists.

Endocrinologists can detect decreased thyroid function. An additional biochemical analysis will be prescribed, which will reveal the level of hormones in the blood. After that, he will make a diagnosis and prescribe treatment.
A psychologist will help you find out what causes stress. Conduct a consultation with you. He will tell you what to do if shaking occurs with nervous disorders.
Infectionists, specialists who deal with diseases associated with infection. Often, in the case of severe poisoning, a person begins to shake due to an increase in temperature. The first measures that the doctor will take are to lower the degree with the help of injections, prescribe tests, and begin treatment.
Cardiologists. The disease vegetovascular dystonia is quite common. It can cause cold, chills and trembling. As a rule, cardiologists prescribe a treatment that will strengthen the walls of blood vessels. These are medications, along with diet, regimen and the rejection of bad habits.
Therapist. Many do not go far from these doctors, when the cause of the chills lies in the diseases of acute respiratory viral infections, a cold. The doctor prescribes treatment, heavy drinking, bed rest.

Prevention to avoid sudden strong chills without fever

We remind you that the recommended follow-up actions from us can only be performed by a healthy person. Who was just chilled, was stressed.

Chills are affected by many triggers, but by taking care of yourself, you can eliminate them.

What should I do?

Start to gradually harden.
Learn more