A fever means your body is trying to fight an infection.
If you have a fever, you may feel:
- Warm or hot — but often without sweat.
- Chills. The temperature inside your body can be very different from the temperature in the room!
- Achy. When I have a fever, my joints ache. For other people, the ache may be all over or only in certain places.
- Headachy. A fever almost always comes with a headache for me!
- Fuzzy-headed or easily distracted.
Treating a fever doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are some things you can do at home to treat a fever.
- Take a pain and fever reliever, like aspirin or acetaminophen. You can also relieve pain and fever naturally with willow.
- Drink plenty of fluids. This can help your body fight the infection and help lower your temperature.
- Rest and stay quiet.
- Keep the room temperature at a comfortable level — between 70 and 74 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Wear loose-fitting cotton pajamas or other lightweight, comfortable clothes. The light clothes will allow your body to release heat.
- Snuggle up in a blanket if you are cold or have chills, but take it off if you start to get warm. You don’t need to force yourself to sweat out the fever.
If your child has a fever, NEVER give aspirin. Aspirin can — in rare cases — trigger a life-threatening illness known as Reye Syndrome. Give your child a pain reliever and fever reducer with acetaminophen, instead.
If you have experienced a fever, it is generally a good idea to give yourself an extra day off afterwards to recover — and make sure the fever doesn’t come back. Stay home from work or school to rest, if you can. Studies have shown that toughing it out and going to work when you’re sick doesn’t increase productivity any AND you might get your coworkers sick! Stay home and get better — you’ll be more useful at work that way.