Fever is a very common symptom that usually appears when there is any inflammation or infection in the body, and is therefore associated with almost all types of changes in health status, from the simplest situations, such as flu or tonsillitis, to more serious such as lupus, HIV or cancer, for example.
Generally, fever is most easily felt during the day when you are awake, as it is accompanied by other symptoms such as severe headache or generalized muscle pain, however, there are also several cases where fever can get worse at night, causing you to wake up with excessive sweat production.
Regardless of when it appears, fever should always be evaluated by a general practitioner, especially when it is persistent and lasts for more than 3 days, not improving through natural techniques such as putting wet cloths on the forehead or using home remedies such as tea. macela or eucalyptus, for example. Check out some natural ways to lower fever.
Main causes
Fever is a natural response of the body and can happen as a result of several situations, the main ones being:
- Virus infection, such as flu, cold and COVID-19;
- Bacterial infection;
- During the crisis of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease;
- As a result of the use of some medications that can lead to a decrease in the functioning of the immune system;
- After applying vaccines.
It is important that the cause of the fever is identified, so that it is possible to start the most appropriate treatment, if necessary. Learn more about the causes of fever.
What to do
To relieve fever, it is important that the cause is identified. In the case of infections, it is important that treatment be started to fight the infectious agent, and the doctor may recommend the use of antibiotics or antivirals. In addition, it is common that the use of anti-inflammatory and/or antipyretics is indicated. In addition, it is interesting to stay in an environment with lots of ventilation, wear light clothes, rest and take a shower with warm water. Learn more about what to do to lower fever.
When night fever can be severe
Night fever is rarely a sign of a serious problem, and even when it has no apparent cause, it is more often caused by environmental factors such as increased room temperature or excessive clothing, which end up increasing the metabolism of the body.
However, there are some illnesses that may have night fever as the only symptom. Some examples are:
- Lyme Disease;
- HIV;
- Tuberculosis;
- Hepatitis;
- Lupus.
Some types of cancer may also have night fever as a first symptom, but they are usually accompanied by weight loss that cannot be justified by changes in diet or exercise pattern.
Because the fever rises at night
In most cases, fever appears or worsens during the night due to the natural cycle of functioning of the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is the part of the brain responsible for producing hormones that regulate body temperature and is normally more active at night, which can cause a rise in temperature when sleeping.
In addition, due to the normal functioning of the metabolism, it is also common for the body temperature to increase slightly throughout the day, being higher at night and even causing excessive sweating. Know the 8 main causes of night sweats.
So having a fever at night is rarely a sign of a serious problem, especially if it’s associated with other symptoms that might indicate an infection. However, whenever it lasts longer than 3 days, it is important to go to the general practitioner to identify if it is necessary to take any specific medication, such as antibiotics, or to undergo tests that help identify the correct cause.
