Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHealth ConditionsMedication Side EffectsExposure to ColdReaction to ExerciseFrisson
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Health Conditions
Medication Side Effects
Exposure to Cold
Reaction to Exercise
Frisson
Chills have many possible causes, including health conditions, being in a cold environment, and a reaction to medications. No matter the cause, chills serve one purpose: to raise your core body temperature.
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Health conditions cause chills for different reasons. Though chills are often associated with having a fever, you can have them without a fever. Here are six conditions that commonly trigger chills:
Fever
Feversare uncomfortable but they’re an essential part of your body’s response to an infection. The fever raises your body temperature, making it harder for bacteria and viruses to live.
Common infections that can cause fever and chills include:
For most people, the average core temperature hovers around 98.6 F (37 C). However, individual averages can fall between 97 F and 99 F (36.1 C and 37.2 C).
Hypoglycemia (Low Blood Sugar)
Hypoglycemiaoccurs when blood sugar (glucose) drops below the healthy range. This condition most often develops in people withdiabetesif they take too much medicine or take their usual dose of insulin while:
Though uncommon, you can have low blood sugar even if you’re not diabetic. Nondiabetic hypoglycemia may arise due to:
No matter what causes hypoglycemia, its symptoms include:
Hypoglycemia While SleepingYour blood sugar can drop while sleeping. Watch for signs of nighttime such as:Having nightmaresSweating through your pajamas or beddingBeing tired, irritable, or confused upon waking
Hypoglycemia While Sleeping
Your blood sugar can drop while sleeping. Watch for signs of nighttime such as:Having nightmaresSweating through your pajamas or beddingBeing tired, irritable, or confused upon waking
Your blood sugar can drop while sleeping. Watch for signs of nighttime such as:
Hypothyroidism (Underactive Thyroid)
Hypothyroidismcauses low thyroid hormones. As a result, your metabolism slows and body temperature may decrease. Hypothyroidism causesintolerance to the cold, so you’re more likely to experience chills.
Hypothyroidism risk factors or causes include:
Hypothyroidism can be treated with medications that restore hormone levels.
Malnutrition
Feeling cold all the time or most of the time is a symptom ofmalnutrition. Malnutrition is when your body is starving for nutrients and cannot function properly. Research suggests that even the lack of one vitamin can lead to malnutrition.
Malnutrition has many causes, including:
Without the necessary nutrients it needs, your body cannot maintain a healthy and comfortable body temperature, so you’ll experience chills.
Panic Attacks
Apanic attackis an intense physical response to anxiety, fear, or dread. These attacks occur rapidly and usually out of the blue, causing sudden, unexpected symptoms such as:
Even if you don’t have a full-blown panic attack, you may have anxiety chills. Anxiety causes an automatic release of adrenalin, which diverts blood to essential activities. As a result, your core body temperature can drop, leading to chills.
Leukemia
Leukemia and other blood cancers may cause chills and a fever. If these symptoms don’t improve or you have other signs like swollen lymph nodes, a poor appetite, stomach pain, or night sweats, you should schedule a consultation with your healthcare provider.
Drug Withdrawal
Drugs like alcohol, morphine, cocaine, benzodiazepines, hallucinogens, and some opioids can raise your body temperature. When you stop taking the drugs, your body temperature drops, causing chills.
Certain opioids may also change the body’s ability to regulate its core temperature. As a result, your temperature may drop, leading to shivering and chills.
Menopausal Hot Flashes
Estrogen helps regulate your body temperature. When estrogen production stops during menopause, the body can’t maintain a steady core temperature and it suddenly shoots up. This can result in hot flashes and night sweats.
Some chills are the result of the body’s response to taking medications and adjusting or stopping medications:
Make note of medication side effects to discuss with your healthcare provider. In severe cases, a healthcare provider may be able to prescribe other drugs to help you cope with your chills when they result as side effects to medications.
When you’re in a cold environment, your brain sends signals to your body to involuntarily move (shake, chatter, tremble) to produce more heat. These chills typically resolve when your body temperature returns to normal.
If you’re experiencing chills at home on a cold day, you can always add layers (sweaters, thicker socks), get under some blankets, or drink a cup of tea.
There’s a reason for the descriptions “warming up” and “cooling down.” When you exercise, your blood circulates to the muscles and skin, raising your temperature. If you stop the physical activity abruptly, your body can experience temperature shock.
Your internal temperature will drop without gradual adjustments, and you may experience chills as a way of warming up to your average temperature again.
Preventing this unpleasant transition means planning a short cool-down period to help your body’s temperature adjust to different levels of physical activity.
Frisson, also known as musical or aesthetic chills, causes a reaction that feels like chills but isn’t related to your body temperature. Frisson is a sensation of excitement that causes shivering, chills, and goosebumps. This reaction is similar to being cold but without exposure to a physical trigger.
Frisson is a short-term, common reaction, and there are many ways of describing the physical response, including:
Research suggests we’re more susceptible to auditory frisson when it comes from a moving stimulus or trigger, including:Certain musical melodies, especially with sudden changes in volume or voiceCertain buzzing of bugs, such as a mosquito, bee, or fly, especially buzzing near the ear or neck
Research suggests we’re more susceptible to auditory frisson when it comes from a moving stimulus or trigger, including:
Summary
If you have chills and signs of illness, or chills for no obvious reason, check with your healthcare provider to determine if you need treatment for an urgent medical issue.
20 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About pneumonia.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Clinical features of malaria.
National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Body temperature norms.
National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Hypoglycemia.
National Library of Medicine.Low blood sugar.
American Diabetes Association.Signs, symptoms, and treatment for hypoglycemia.
American Diabetes Association.Hypoglycemia.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Hypothyroidism.
NationalInstitute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease.Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid).
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National Institute of Mental Health.Panic disorder.
Baptist Health.Anxiety chills.
American Cancer Society.Signs and symptoms of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
University of California San Francisco.Drug-induced hyperthermia.
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