Why is it when you have a fever you feel so cold?

Answer 1

Feeling Cold All The Time The tendency to feel cold is indicative of circulatory problems and issues, as it is blood flow which causes us to have a sensation of warmth. A perfectly healthy individual can feel cold all the time if they live with "hot" people who over air condition their environment or if they frequent public establishments that are run by "hot" people who tend to over air condition their environment--or is it just me? Here are more opinions and answers from other WikiAnswers Contributors: LOW THYROID FUNCTION. Try drenamin and go check out this web site www.gohealthgirl.com. She had that problem, her diet helps you to regain circulation. You could be anemic. One possibility is hypothyroidism , in which levels of thyroid hormone are below normal. There are many causes of feeling cold all the time. This could be from anemia or a thyroid disorder or circulatory problems related to Diabetes, high cholesterol or many various other disorders. You should see your family doctor for a routine check up and labwork to know for sure! I know another answer, although insignificant, apparently, not getting enough affection, can make you cold. I read it in my textbook because I'm studying childcare and they did tests and all that. Some people don't have enough muscle mass or the insulating fat layer which helps keep most people warm. The muscles help warm the body, while the fat layer helps keep the heat where it belongs. There is also a possibility or hormone imbalance. Raynaud's Disease. Do a search for that, you will find good information about this condition. It is bad circulation in your feet, fingers and nose. Your body temperature is always lower than most people. You will be surrounded by people who love "air conditioning", yet the heater is your best friend. I hate the winter, because it is so hard to stay warm, without melting co-workers or my husband. LOL. Good luck. No treatment is found for this, my research has shown it to be annoying more than a health issue. One reason people feel Cold, in hands and feet, can be due to dips in blood pressure. This is acctually fairly common as it is caused by not drinking enough water. Drink more water and see if it helps. The drops in blood pressure also can cause 'black outs', fainting or dizzy spells...

Answer 2

The hypothalamus, a part of the brain just above the pituitary gland, contains the body's "thermostat." It senses the temperature of the blood and compares it with a "setpoint"—the desired temperature. If the actual temperature differs from the setpoint, it tries to adjust the temperature. This is similar to what a thermostat in your house or car does. However, it can't just turn on the furnace or the air conditioner. Instead, it sends out signals that cause us to sweat if we are too hot or to shiver if we are too cold. (Sweating cools the body as the sweat evaporates; shivering warms the body, because much of the energy used by shivering muscles is converted to heat.) In addition, it causes us to feel uncomfortable, which prompts us to seek out a source of heat or cold. For example, if your body temperature is too low, you'll look for a warmer place or some blankets. If it's too high, you'll look for a cooler spot or reduce your exercise level (since exercise generates heat).

When you develop a fever, the body sends signals to the hypothalamus that tells it to raise the setpoint to a higher temperature. Often, but not always, this is a response to an infection, such as a bacterium or a virus. The immune cells that respond to the infection secrete molecules called "endogenous pyrogens." (Endogenous means made by the body, and a pyrogen is something that causes the temperature to rise.) The endogenous pyrogens travel through the blood and reach the hypothalamus, where they cause the setpoint to increase. Once that happens, the hypothalamus tells the body, "You're too cold." Remember that the temperature may be normal in this situation, but what matters is that the temperature is lower than the setpoint, which has been raised. So you feel cold, get under the blankets, and shiver.

A while later, when the temperature has risen to the setpoint, the hypothalamus sends out the signal, "Your temperature is fine now." Then you no longer feel cold and often throw off some of the blankets. And when the fever "breaks," the level of endogenous pyrogens decreases, the hypothalamus changes its setpoint back to normal, and now the elevated temperature again seems too hot. Suddenly you start to sweat and throw off all the blankets! Soon this leads to a decrease in temperature back to the normal setpoint, and you feel normal again.

So you actually feel coldest when the temperature is starting to rise and hottest when it's starting to fall. This seems strange, but it's all the hypothalamus's way of getting you to alter your behavior to change the temperature to a new setpoint. When your temperature is at the setpoint—whatever it is—you tend to feel normal, even if the actual temperature is high. What you perceive is not the temperature itself, but the difference between the setpoint and the actual temperature.

Elevated temperature resulting from exercise (such as heat exhaustion) is different. In this situation, the body temperature rises because of hot weather or heavy exercise. Because the body is not producing pyrogens, the hypothalamus does not raise its setpoint. So people whose temperature rises during exercise typically feel hot, not cold, because their temperature is above the setpoint. (In heatstroke, they may not feel hot, but that's because the temperature is so high that the hypothalamus actually malfunctions.)

When my patients come to me and say they've had a fever, the first thing I ask them is, "What do you mean?" Often people think they should feel warm when they have a fever, but as you've pointed out, as the temperature goes up, they feel cold, and when it stays high, they may feel normal (until it falls). So I always ask about their symptoms and whether they've actually measured their temperature. In my experience, most patients are not very good at knowing when they've had a fever. I also ask if they've had shakes or chills or if they've had sweats—all signs of changing temperatures. Of course, people may shake from fear or sweat from exercise, so the answers have to be interpreted in terms of the whole situation.

Why do we have fevers? The most likely answer is that fever represents part of the body's immune response to infections and that it is somehow involved in controlling the infection. The details of this are not fully understood. The point is that the fever is generally not harmful in itself, unless it's very high.

Answer 3

A fever is when your body increases its internal thermostat, found in the hypothalamus. If you exercise hard or it's a hot day, your body temperature might increase, but the thermostat remains at around 36.8°C. When you feel hot the hypothalamus tries to correct this with sweating and increased blood flow to the skin. But with a fever, it is the thermostat that has risen. This means your body temperature is now below 36.8°C, so you feel cold and shiver, to try and raise your temperature. The higher body temperature may help fight infection by speeding white blood cell production and slowing bacteria reproduction ...

Answer 4

There are many potential causes for feeling cold all the time. It could be a sign of anemia, hypothyroidism, or poor circulation. It could also be a side effect of certain medications or a result of malnutrition. If someone is feeling cold all the time, it is important to see a doctor to rule out any serious underlying conditions.

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Answer 5

There are many causes for this. The most common being overly tired. Others include iron deficiency, anaemia, and a slow metabolism and being out in cold weather without sufficient clothing.

It could be symptoms of Anemia, Hypothyroidism, blood vessel problem, diabetes and other diseases, once the the feel toward temperature is abnormal, basic checks are necessary to find out if any above mentioned diseases are on the way. BOC Sciences bocsci(dot)com also provides drug discovery......

Answer 6

well, it might be caused by the temperature in your house, classroom, outside, or the people around you because they all might have coldness in them or it could be your body temperature

Answer2: Believe it or not it could very well be your thyroid. I found out this was my issue after years and years of complaining about how cold I always felt. It was only after I saw an Endocrinologist that I received a diagnosis of hypothyroidism and was told this is the reason I felt so cold all the time. The condition is very treatable so seek medical help. Good health to you.

Answer 7

because relative to your body, the room is colder than usual. the temperature of the room may be the same, but you yourself are warmer. you feel cold because more heat than usual is traveling from you to the room.

Answer 8

Low iron which leads to anemia. Beets, and leafy foods are great to boost iron levels the natural way. If you are a picky eater then smoothies are the way to go. smoothies first thing in the morning help with energy and promote a healthy gut. Plus they are delicious. I started smoothies to get my veggie and fruit intake up and it has also kept my energy and iron levels up. I'm all about natural methods versus medicine. check out the smoothies drink, they are healthy and delicious! I added a link in my bio. Its real, it works, believe me I proof of it.

Answer 9

Simple. You are prabably too cold from the temperature, or jsut have a quick chill. Put on a sweathirt and you will feel better.

Answer 10

Because your bodies thermostat has raised when you have fever and your body is trying to warm you up to the higher setting