Table of contents:
- Sweating with fever, good or bad?
- Physical activity can help get rid of fever
- Things you can do to lower your body temperature
- 1. Compress with cold water
- 2. Take a shower with warm water
- 3. Drink lots of water
- 4. Eat hot and spicy foods
- 5. Don't wear too thick clothes
When you have a fever, especially when you have a cold, sweating is often used as a sign that the heat has decreased. Finally, this becomes a rule, if you sweat when you have a fever, your body's condition will improve and heal. However, is it true that sweating during a fever is a good sign?
Sweating with fever, good or bad?
Basically, sweating is one way for the body to lower its temperature naturally. If you sweat when you have a fever, it means that at that time your body is trying to return to normal temperature, so that organ function remains good.
The reason is, if the body temperature is too excessive, you are at risk of experiencing a condition calledheat stroke or heat stroke. Generally, this problem occurs when the body temperature reaches 40 degrees Celsius, even more.
Now, when the body starts to sweat, in fact it is a response to lower the body temperature which is already high enough. That way, the fever will go down slowly.
However, if you have a fever due to a viral or bacterial infection, sweating is not a sign that the infection has cleared up. Sweat that comes out of the body will not make viruses and bacteria disappear from the body, you still need medical treatment for that.
This has been proven in a journal published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. The journal states that the sweat that comes out when you are sick has nothing to do with the process of treating a cold due to flu.
Physical activity can help get rid of fever
When you are sick, you can still do activities that produce sweat, such as exercising. This was disclosed by Leeja Carter, an assistant professor in Sports Psychology at Long Island University.
Leeja Carter states that doing physical activity when you're sick can help you release mood-enhancing endorphins (mood) and various other positive effects that you need when you are sick.
Even so, still pay attention to your condition, considering that your body is not as fit as usual. Therefore, avoid physical activity that is too strenuous so that you don't get tired and it will actually worsen your condition.
However, if your condition is not possible, such as a high fever accompanied by a severe cough and tightness in the chest, don't force yourself to exercise because you may actually experience several other health problems such as pneumonia or bronchitis.
Things you can do to lower your body temperature
Not only exercising, if you have a cold and have a fever accompanied by a moderate fever, there are several activities you can do to lower your body temperature. With a lower body temperature, you will feel better.
1. Compress with cold water
When the body starts to sweat, you can speed up recovery during a fever by compressing several parts of the body such as the neck, forehead and armpits.
This may not immediately make you recover from fever. But at least this will help lower your body temperature and make you much more comfortable.
You can also soak your feet in a basin of ice water as an alternative to lowering body temperature.
2. Take a shower with warm water
If a cold compress can help lower your body temperature, taking a warm bath can help your body sweat.
When you sweat, your body is naturally lowering its temperature. So if you sweat when you have a fever, then your body temperature is more likely to drop.
Even so, don't take a shower for too long and drink water after you finish showering to keep yourself hydrated.
3. Drink lots of water
Dehydration can potentially be one reason your body temperature is high. This is because dehydration decreases the body's ability to lower and neutralize body temperature.
If you want to bring your body temperature back to normal, drink plenty of water. By drinking water, your body will be hydrated again and your body temperature will slowly return to normal.
To restore body temperature, you can consume mineral water or coconut water, because the content contained in coconut water such as vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes can help the body's hydration process to be more effective. Apart from that, coconut water can also increase your energy.
4. Eat hot and spicy foods
Although spicy foods can make your stomach feel hot, if you eat them in the right portions, these foods can help you lower your body temperature.
This happens because the capsaicin in chilies sends a signal to the brain that your body is too hot. Then, this causes the body to sweat more than usual and restore body temperature to normal.
In addition, if you have a cold and flu at the same time, hot and spicy foods can help you deal with flu symptoms such as a cold, as warm and spicy foods can trigger the water inside your nose to come out so that your breathing will be smoother and your nose is not blocked.
However, you must pay attention to the amount of spicy food you consume, because if it is too excessive and uncontrolled, your body will actually get hotter.
5. Don't wear too thick clothes
Wear light clothing, in cool, comfortable materials such as cotton or silk. Wearing clothes that are not too thick can help fight body heat.
That way, your body temperature will tend to be lower. In fact, wearing clothes that are too thick or sleeping on a thick blanket will not help lower your body temperature and make you uncomfortable because your body is sweating when you have a fever.
