One of the signs that a person is sick is the appearance of chills. This occurs due to spasm blood vessels, penetrating the entire skin and located close to its top layer. Chills mean a feeling of cold, accompanied by muscle tremors and spasms of the skin muscles, which lead to the appearance of the so-called “goose bumps”. It can appear at any time of the day and last different period time, it depends on the reasons that caused it.
In this article, we will find out exactly why body chills appear: permanent and short-term (only in the evenings or at night), and what to do when it appears.
Causes of chills in humans
Doctors identify a large number of reasons for the appearance of such a phenomenon as chills. These include:
- mild hypothermia and overheating in the sun;
- trauma accompanied by shock;
- stress, nervous tension, severe fatigue, anxiety, excessive agitation, lack of sleep;
- hormonal disorders(climate syndrome or diabetes);
- increase or decrease in pressure;
- ARVI, influenza and other diseases accompanied by high promotion body temperature;
- poisoning and intestinal infection;
- a long-term diet that provoked a slowdown in metabolism in the body.
To get rid of this condition, you must determine its cause and carry out the necessary treatment.
When is chills a sign of illness?It is very important to determine in a timely manner that the appearance of chills is a symptom of a disease, and not a temporary condition of a person. Therefore, you should pay attention to accompanying signs.
The cause of severe chills, accompanied by vomiting, nausea and diarrhea, is most often an intestinal infection, intoxication or disruption of the intestines, in which an inflammatory process occurs. This condition can also occur as one of the symptoms food allergies, after taking an allergen product.
If this condition is accompanied by fever, cough, and runny nose, then most likely it is a viral or infectious disease. Particularly severe chills are observed with malaria, and also with it appears headache, lack of appetite, insomnia and weakness. People most often get sick with it after visiting exotic countries, and when the first signs appear, you should immediately contact an infectious disease doctor.
If throughout long period, every day at the same time there is an evening or night chill in the sternum area, then the cause is the rise blood pressure, which can subsequently lead to the development of hypertension or provoke a stroke. In this case, you need to consult a doctor who will examine the heart and prescribe medication.
Causes of chills in women
Since women are more emotional than men, in stressful situations or after a strong nervous tension, they may start to get scared. In such cases, you should take a sedative, listen to calm music, drink tea or lie in a hot bath, in general, do something that helps to relax the body.
If the state of chills alternates with hot flashes, increased sweating is noted, then this is a sign of the onset of climatic syndrome or menopause. You need to contact a gynecologist or endocrinologist to determine hormonal imbalances and prescribe treatment.
To deal with the reasons that caused the chills, you should not self-medicate, but immediately contact a therapist or family doctor, who will then clinical tests and examination will determine which specialist will be able to prescribe the necessary treatment.
Chills are a feeling of coldness and chilliness. We can safely say that this feeling is familiar to many. Often chills accompany acute infectious diseases and is accompanied by a rise in temperature. But it happens that a person periodically gets chills for no reason at all, while the temperature remains normal. What are possible reasons such a state?
Chills due to hypothermia
A person may shiver after. Under the influence of low temperature, the body's defense mechanisms are activated: peripheral vessels spasm and blood flows from the limbs to internal organs. The legs and arms turn pale and become cold to the touch. To keep the body warm, another one turns on defense mechanism- muscle contraction, which produces heat. Outwardly, all this manifests itself as chills.
What to do?
The action plan for hypothermia is simple - you need to warm up. To do this, you need to go into a warm room and change clothes. You can crawl under the blanket. To quickly warm up, warm drinks, such as tea, are recommended. If the above manipulations do not help, you can take a warm bath. As you warm up, thermoregulation processes are restored and the chills disappear.
Chills in psycho-emotional disorders
Repeated sensations of chills, muscle tremors are companions anxiety disorders. provoke the release of catecholamines into the blood. High concentrations of these hormones lead to muscle tension. This causes muscle tremors, chills and a desire to wrap yourself in something warm. A sharp dilation of blood vessels can soon lead to the opposite effect - a feeling of heat in the body. As they say, from one extreme to another.
Chills caused by stressful situations, is also accompanied by rapid heartbeat and breathing, short-term,. In addition, anxiety and restlessness arise.
What to do?
If such situations are familiar to you, you need to master stress management techniques. When situations like this arise, focus on your breathing. Pay attention to how you inhale cold air, how it passes through chest and then exhale. Breathing should be calm and measured.
You can eliminate muscle tension as follows. Take a comfortable position and squeeze the muscles of your feet very, very hard for a few minutes, relax. Then squeeze your calf muscles and relax. So, going up the body, do the same with all muscle groups. Fix your attention on sensations muscle tension and subsequent pleasant relaxation. These manipulations will relieve tension, eliminate trembling and chills.
Chills in infectious diseases
Chills can be a harbinger of infectious diseases. For example, the first symptoms are often weakness, fatigue, and chills. And only then the body temperature rises, and symptoms arise.
In addition, chills can also be observed with a number of other infectious diseases, for example. A typical attack of malaria begins with chills. Hands and feet become cold, lips turn blue. The chills are severe and can last about half an hour to an hour. And then it is sure to be replaced by fever and an increase in body temperature. After six to twelve hours, the heat gives way to sweat and the temperature drops. This is a typical picture of an attack of malaria.
What to do?
Chills may be a sign of an infectious disease. If, in addition to chills, you are also bothered by any other symptoms, be sure to consult a doctor. This is a reason to conduct an examination of the body.
Chills with anemia
Chills with blood pressure fluctuations
Sharp fluctuations in blood pressure may be accompanied by chills. So, when the blood supply to the skin deteriorates, the hands and feet are cold to the touch, the person shudders and it is difficult for him to warm up. In addition, the satellite low blood pressure are weakness, dizziness, and a tendency to faint.
High blood pressure can also cause chills. Thus, it is accompanied by chills, alternating with fever and redness of the face, headaches, anxiety, fear, and tinnitus.
What to do?
Extreme fluctuations in blood pressure represent real threat for life. In case of hypotension, it is necessary to find out the cause this state and influence it. In case of moderate hypotension, the doctor may prescribe medications that increase blood pressure.
Hypertensive crisis requires immediate treatment medical care, because this condition threatens the development of and. To relieve this condition, antihypertensive drugs are prescribed.
Chills during menopause
It is characterized by physiological changes in hormonal levels, mainly by a decrease in estrogen production. This hormone affects the thermoregulation center located in the hypothalamus. When there is a lack of estrogen, the thermoregulation center receives a conditioned signal that the body is overheating. Therefore, “cooling” mechanisms are automatically activated: the heartbeat quickens, peripheral vessels dilate, and sweating increases. All this is accompanied by a feeling of heat in the body and redness of the face. This condition of a woman is called “hot flashes”.
However, with rapid cooling, a mechanism for resuming normal heat exchange may be activated. In this case, there is an increase in heat production by narrowing peripheral vessels, as well as muscle tremors. At such moments, the woman feels chills.
What to do?
Menopausal women should avoid overheating, give preference to clothing made from natural fabrics and, of course, do not forget about hats in the summer. If the symptoms of menopause poison a woman’s life, then you can resort to, that is, the use of tablets containing female hormones.
Chills in endocrine diseases
The thyroid gland is an organ that plays vital role in thermoregulation. With a disease such as hypothyroidism, the production of the hormone thyroxine decreases. A low concentration of this hormone in the blood leads to a slowdown in metabolism and a decrease in heat production. Symptoms of hypothyroidism include not only chills, but also low temperature, slow heartbeat, dry skin, lethargy, apathy.
Also accompanied by chills. When glucose levels rise, in addition to chills, a pronounced feeling of thirst occurs,
Thermoregulation of the body mainly depends on external conditions, but can also be disrupted under the influence of various internal processes. As a rule, this is facilitated by infectious and inflammatory diseases accompanied by fever. But in some cases there is chills without fever - the reasons for this phenomenon in women are quite numerous, and include: pathological conditions, and completely normal physiological reactions.
Causes of chills without fever at night in women
Subjective feeling of coldness and trembling in the body during sleep - typical symptom diabetes mellitus This endocrine disease usually accompanied by excessive sweating, as a result of which the body cools down faster even under comfortable external thermal conditions.
Night chills Without fever, women also experience other factors:
- depression and chronic stress;
- hypothermia the night before bedtime;
- long-term stress muscular system during the day;
- hyperhidrosis – excessive sweating, to the point of wet sheets;
- increased blood viscosity;
- tendency to thrombosis, including hemorrhoidal veins;
- osteochondrosis and joint inflammation;
In addition to trembling, the listed problems are accompanied by other unpleasant symptoms, for example, irritability, pain syndrome, myalgia.
Causes of chills and nausea without fever
In most cases, the clinical manifestations under consideration are characteristic of cardiovascular pathologies. They are often combined with sudden jumps in blood pressure, which provokes rapid expansion and narrowing of capillaries, which disrupts the thermoregulation of the female body.
Also, a feeling of trembling, dizziness and nausea is characteristic of traumatic brain injuries, usually concussions. Additionally, depending on the severity of the damage, vomiting, disorientation in space, a tendency to fainting, and disturbances of consciousness are observed.
In addition, the following conditions and diseases can cause the described symptoms:
- tuberculosis;
- syphilis;
- acute disorders blood circulation;
- autonomic disorders;
- Raynaud's syndrome;
- sluggish chronic infections;
- spasms of blood vessels;
- and other pathologies endocrine system, functions thyroid gland;
- internal bleeding;
- neuroses and neuralgia.
It is important to note that chills and nausea are typical clinical manifestations various exotic fevers that occur after insect bites - midges, mosquitoes, flies, beetles. If you start freezing immediately after arriving from vacation, you need to urgently visit an infectious disease doctor.
Frequent attacks of vomiting are dangerous due to the loss of large amounts of moisture and disruption of water and electrolyte balance, hypoxia. Therefore, with the symptoms in question, it is important to monitor drinking regime, consuming an increased volume of fluid per day, and consult a doctor as soon as possible.
Other causes of chills without fever in women
Feeling cold and trembling may well be a variant of normal physiological reactions to fluctuations in the level of sex hormones and changes in the functioning of the ovaries. In women, chills are often early sign started menopause, pregnancy, part of premenstrual syndrome. Because of hormonal imbalance thermoregulation processes change, as a result of which the body retains heat worse and cools quickly.
Such conditions are also accompanied by other symptoms - hot flashes, pain in the lower abdomen, sweating, skin rashes, change of mood.
Oh chill, according to standard medical definition is a condition during which one feels cold and crawling all over the body.
This is a common phenomenon and, as a rule, it is associated with colds. But this is not always axiomatic.
Chills are a normal reaction of the body to many pathological conditions, as well as a physiological condition. You need to understand each specific situation separately.
The causes of chills in women and the stronger sex in some cases vary. What do you need to know about such manifestations of pathogenic processes?
The first group of factors applies to all patients without exception, of any gender and age. The reasons listed below do not have demographic or age-gender characteristics in general. We need to look at them in more detail.
Endocrine disorders
As a rule, we are talking about hyperthyroidism. This is a condition in which there is a disruption in the adequate production of thyroid hormones (endocrine organ substances). We are talking about the hormones of the pituitary gland and the thyroid gland itself: T3, T4, TSH.
The culprit of hyperthyroidism is the latter. TSH is produced by the pituitary gland and encourages the organ to work harder. Hence the proliferation anatomical structure and an increase in the mass of thyrocyte cells, a so-called goiter appears, diffuse (when the entire gland grows) or nodular type (only certain areas of the organ increase).
Hyperthyroidism is almost always accompanied by chills. If there is severe chills but no temperature, the cause should be sought in the endocrine sphere.
As a rule, everything is limited to the sensation of goosebumps running through the body, as with a cold. This process is observed due to stenosis of peripheral vessels.
Literally, the body begins to work for wear and tear, which affects the quality and life expectancy of the patient.
In addition, symptoms include: pain in the thyroid gland, breathing problems, speaking problems, changes in the relief of the neck, a sharp decline body weight and some other factors.
The treatment is specific. It consists of prescribing a specialized diet low in iodine. It is also possible to perform resection of overgrown areas of the thyroid gland (if diffuse goiter this is not feasible). It is important not to confuse goiter and cancer, therefore in all cases a diagnostic puncture (puncture) of the thyroid gland is indicated.
Diabetes
It develops as a consequence of a malfunction of the pancreas, which is unable to produce full-fledged insulin. In rare cases, the cause of diabetes is the patient's excess body weight (lipid metabolism disorder).
The disease provokes metabolic disorders at the local and generalized levels, and spasms of large muscles of various types.
The insidiousness of the disease lies in its long asymptomatic course, or with minimal signs to which the patient does not pay attention.
The first signs of diabetes: These are night chills with a feeling of extreme thirst and hyperhidrosis ( increased sweating), coldness and tingling of the fingers, polyuria (production of excess urine per day), changes in the skin: even small scratches heal 3-4 times longer.
At the advanced stage, there is a sharp decrease or increase in weight, pain behind the sternum and in the epigastric region (caused by spasm of muscle tissue).
Specific therapy. Consists of periodically taking insulin and following a diet with reduced content Sahara. This is an extremely complex and multifaceted disease; primary diabetes mellitus (types 1 and 2) is incurable.
Anemia
Causes of persistent chills without fever also include various shapes anemic process. Anemia is any process that results in a decrease in the level of hemoglobin in the bloodstream to less than 110 units per liter.
In men, blood hemoglobin levels are slightly higher than in the fairer sex.
There are several types of pathological process: Iron-deficiency anemia, a malignant variety (the so-called megaloblastic anemia) and some others. In all cases, a combination of two syndromes is observed: sideropenic and anemic.
The causes of the disease are multiple. They are usually associated with regular bleeding (and here we should remember the constant cyclical changes in the body of women), as well as insufficient intake of certain elements into the body through food.
Of course, this does not limit the entire list of reasons. But these are the factors that occur most often. The influence of genetic and autoimmune causes is also possible.
The symptoms are very characteristic. There is hair loss, decreased skin elasticity, fragility bone tissue, perversion of taste, smell, fast fatiguability, chills and sweating, bone pain, aches throughout the body and many other manifestations that experienced doctor will understand immediately.
Treatment consists of eliminating the root cause of the condition. Iron deficiency anemia is the most common, so therapy comes down to normalizing the diet and taking oral iron supplements.
Acute respiratory viral infections
Oddly enough, even they can occur without an increase in body temperature. The development of infectious diseases is associated with the penetration of various viruses, bacteria, and fungi into the patient’s body.
Pathological processes are most often caused by representatives of the pyogenic flora (staphylococci with streptococci), herpes viruses from types one to six, rotaviruses, influenza viruses, adenoviruses and candida fungi.
It is believed that diseases always occur with an increase in temperature, but this is not so.
There is a direct correlation between the intensity of the body's immune response and the severity of the chills. As a rule, weak body resistance is accompanied by severe chills and vice versa. What this is connected with is not known for certain. However, there is a connection.
The symptoms of ARVI are always identical. As a rule, there is a severe headache, dizziness, and acute period diseases.
It is also accompanied by a sore throat, cough, runny nose, aches throughout the body, especially in the limbs, and other manifestations of a typical cold. Hyperthermia may or may not be present. Differential diagnosis is required.
Treatment is also typical. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, antiviral or antifungal drugs wide range actions.
Also antiseptic solutions and some other drugs depending on the situation. It is important to stop the disease in the bud so that there are no complications.
Sudden changes in blood pressure
Usually in patients hypertension. The pathology appears to be a persistent increase in blood pressure to levels of 140/90 or more.
Chills and muscle tremors occur when sudden change pressure from significant figures to below or even normal levels. The cause of this condition is usually the use of a powerful antihypertensive drug. These are: “Anaprilin”, “Enalapril”, “Capoten” and others.
It is important to prescribe them as part of complex therapy and do not take a large dosage once. The vessels may fail, and a hemorrhagic stroke will occur.
Treatment is appropriate. Etiological (aimed at eliminating the root cause, rather than relieving symptoms) with the use of several groups of broad-spectrum antihypertensive drugs.
Psycho-emotional overload
Sudden chills develop as a result of the release of specific hormones of the adrenal cortex (cortisol, adrenaline, norepinephrine), as well as catecholamines, into the blood.
There is a sharp and significant narrowing of peripheral blood vessels, and the blood supply central authorities and systems, on the contrary, are strengthening. Blood pressure rises, which also affects the likelihood of developing chills.
In such situations we are talking about purely psychosomatic reason, which is not treated with classical drugs.
Hypothermia of the body
A kind of “classic of the genre”. There is not only chills, but also trembling in all muscles, which is associated with the need to raise body temperature. it's the same dangerous condition, which is fraught with death.
Tuberculosis
It is an infectious-inflammatory and at the same time degenerative disease of the pulmonary structures. The parenchyma of the hollow organ is destroyed and rough scars form. The tissues literally disintegrate and melt.
The causative agent of the disease is always the same: it is the microbacterium tuberculosis, also called Koch's bacillus. This microorganism is capable of penetrating other organs and systems, therefore, as a rule, the matter is not limited to the lungs.
The disease can cause severe constant chills, but, paradoxically, an increase in body temperature is uncharacteristic of the tuberculosis process.
Individual episodes of hyperthermia are possible, but they occur relatively rarely. Chills in in this case acts, on the contrary, as a frequent companion of the pathological process.
It is provoked by a violation of normal thermoregulation as a result of the course of the disease. The pathology is accompanied by a host of symptoms, in addition to chills.
The patient suddenly loses weight, there is shortness of breath, suffocation, persistent cough without visible reasons, chest pain, heart rhythm disturbances.
The treatment is always the same. It is carried out in a hospital setting. Usually prescribed loading doses fluoroquinolones and anti-inflammatory drugs of steroid origin. Vitamins and antihistamines are also used.
Chills without fever: causes in women
In men, the causes of chills with no temperature are identical to the factors for the development of the problem in the fairer sex, but in women there are two more separate factors that are quite significant.
Premenstrual syndrome
Aka PMS. As practice shows, this is a complex of psychophysiological manifestations that accompany a woman until the start of menstruation itself.
In addition to chills, irritability, tearfulness, pain in the lower abdomen, disturbances of appetite and mood, general mental weakness and drowsiness are observed.
This is normal physiological phenomenon. There is no need to correct it in any way, except in particularly severe cases.
Menopause or menopause
Also postmenopausal. But it is premenopause (an acute process) that women experience especially hard. In addition to chills, a number of characteristic manifestations are observed: blood pressure disorders, pain in the lower abdomen, mental problems and other phenomena.
Menopause itself is a normal process of attenuation of the ovaries and, accordingly, fertility. Correction of the condition is carried out by a gynecologist.
Anemia
Also common cause chills in women is anemia, which often becomes a consequence of menorrhagia (excessively active menstrual bleeding) and opsomenorrhea (prolonged menstrual cycle, more than usual) in patients of fertile age.
Diagnostic measures
By identifying pathological processes, accompanied by chills and a feeling of goose bumps in general, are dealt with by specialists of various specialties.
We can talk about a neurologist, psychotherapist, otolaryngologist, endocrinologist, cardiologist, gynecologist and other doctors.
Regardless of specialty, initial appointment The doctor interviews the patient for characteristic complaints. It is also important to obtain a life history to identify the possible underlying cause of the condition.
- General blood and urine analysis.
- Throat swab.
- A smear from the genital tract.
Constant chills may be a reaction of the human body to increased thermogenesis. In addition to fever, trembling and spasms, it is characterized by pale skin, the formation of “goose bumps”, a feeling of cold, lack of sweating, etc.
It should be noted that chills are a consequence of prolonged hypothermia of the body or occur during an acute febrile reaction to any processes (infectious, autoimmune, allergic and others). The most common and well-known causes of a febrile state in humans are malaria, sepsis, inflammatory processes in organs with the formation of pus, acute phase of lupus erythematosus, etc.
The main causes of chills may be mechanical injuries body, vegetative-vascular dystonia, neurotic diseases, hypertension or high blood pressure, infections and viruses, hypothermia, fever and others. Also very often constant feeling cold occurs when the thyroid gland and endocrine system are disrupted. This is due to the fact that it is capable of secreting a certain group of hormones that take part in the process of thermoregulation. human body. Accordingly, when this function decreases in a patient this symptom.
The presence of infectious diseases also causes chills. In this case, when a harmful virus penetrates, special substances are produced. The body begins to release pyrogens, which they can destroy on their own. But at the same time there is an increase in blood temperature and, as a result, the whole body. In the process of equalizing these indicators, a person feels trembling and chills.
The appearance of trembling, which is characterized by chills without fever, is associated with a sharp narrowing of the walls of the blood vessels of the skin, as a result of which blood flow significantly slows down. This is what leads to chilliness and cessation of sweating. It should be noted that in addition to trembling, tinnitus, nausea and chills throughout the body may appear.
Very often, chills without fever or chills are a symptom of nervous overexcitation or occur during severe fright. In this case, it performs the function of protecting the body from the effects external environment. Therefore, in case of illness nervous system such phenomena can occur quite often.
In order to get rid of unpleasant symptoms, it is advisable to start treatment on time. As a rule, when elevated temperature it is necessary to give the victim an antipyretic; in no case should he be subjected to cooling procedures, which may aggravate the situation.
Of course, when you have a chill, it is advisable to drink a large amount of liquid (mostly acidic) and ensure yourself peace. The best option is various herbal decoctions, berry fruit drinks, a solution of lemon juice or acid. If not high temperature, then you can take a hot bath and drink Herb tea with the addition of honey or raspberry jam. After the procedure, provide warmth (wool socks, blanket).
To withdraw harmful substances from the body, brew lingonberry leaves, as this remedy has a diuretic effect. Never drink alcoholic beverages, which cause vasodilation and increase blood pressure. As a rule, after this the patient’s general well-being worsens, muscle weakness and dizziness appear.
