What Causes a Fever?

December 13, 2022

Feeling sick can make your weekly routine grind to a halt. When you don’t feel well, even the most simple tasks can seem hard to accomplish! This is especially true if one of your symptoms is a fever.

While some fevers can appear without any unpleasant effects, others can make you miserable. In each instance, your fever is actually working in your favor to help speed up your healing process. Read on from our AFC Urgent Care Statesville team to learn about how fevers can help your illness below.

Why Do Fevers Happen?

In order for you to overcome an illness, your body has to work hard to fight off whatever is making you sick. In order to do this, your body temperature starts to rise to create a more inhospitable environment for the invader or infection to grow. Most infections replicate best when your body temperature is at its baseline, so the higher your temperature, the harder it is for the infection to replicate and grow!

Our body temperatures fluctuate throughout the day, so an official fever is not diagnosed until your body temperature reaches 100.4 degrees or higher. Once you reach official fever status, you can certainly take medication to reduce it. However, it is important to remember that if you feel OK, letting your fever go untreated allows your body to react how it needs to in order to feel better.

Treating a Fever at Home

OTC medication
Rest and get more sleep
Plenty of fluids

When Will My Fever Go Away?

With most illnesses, fevers go away on their own within a few hours or a day or so as your body beats the infection. As your symptoms start to improve, so should your body temperature!

If your fever lingers for multiple days without any relief, or if your temperature reads 103 degrees or higher, you should seek out a medical professional for a further evaluation. Any really high temperatures or a recurrent fever could indicate a more serious issue that needs prompt medical attention.