Question

Why is shivering likely during the onset of a fever?

Short answer

When the body starts feeling cold during fever, the hypothalamus works to raise body temperature to maintain homeostasis.

Step-by-step solution

Body heat

The heat produced during cellular respiration when cells of a living organism like the human body burn energy can be called body heat.

Fever

The physiological condition in which an elevated body temperature causes the body to overheat is called fever. The primary symptoms associated with fever are tiredness, hot skin, shivering, dehydration, suffering body ache, looking sick, chills, and general weakness.

The common causes of fever are heat exhaustion, food poisoning, overdressing (mainly in infants), alcohol withdrawal, vaccination, hyperthyroidism, and severe sunburn.

The treatments related to fever are avoiding cold baths, drinking plenty of water or fluids, dabbing oneself with a lukewarm washcloth, and taking paracetamol.

Reason for shivering during fever

The shivering gets triggered through the hypothalamus through muscle contraction during the onset of a fever. The immune system triggers an involuntary response (shivering) to fight infection through muscle contraction and relaxation to create body heat.