Chills usually respond well to over-the-counter fever reducers like acetaminophen or ibuprofen, warm fluids, and layering up with blankets. Most chills are your body’s way of generating heat when it detects an infection or drop in core temperature, so the goal is to address the underlying cause while keeping yourself comfortable.
Over-the-Counter Fever Reducers
If your chills come with a fever, acetaminophen and ibuprofen are the two go-to options. Both lower your body’s temperature set point, which stops the shivering cycle. You can take them individually or use combination products that contain both. Adults should not exceed 4,000 milligrams of acetaminophen in 24 hours, as higher amounts can damage the liver. Be careful to check all your medications for acetaminophen, since it’s a hidden ingredient in many cold and flu products.
Ibuprofen has the added benefit of reducing inflammation, which can help if your chills are accompanied by body aches or sore throat. For combination tablets containing 250 mg acetaminophen and 125 mg ibuprofen, the standard adult dose is 2 tablets every 8 hours, with a maximum of 6 tablets per day. Take ibuprofen with food to protect your stomach lining.
Warm Fluids and Hydration
Drinking warm liquids does double duty: it raises your core temperature from the inside and replaces fluid you lose through sweating when a fever breaks. Water, broth, herbal tea, and warm water with honey and lemon all work. Broth is especially useful because it provides sodium, which helps your body retain the fluid you’re taking in.
Dehydration itself can worsen chills and make you feel significantly worse during an illness. If you’ve been vomiting or have diarrhea alongside your chills, an oral rehydration solution (available as packets at most drugstores) replaces both fluids and electrolytes more effectively than water alone. You can also make a basic version at home with sugar, salt, and water, though pre-made packets have more precise ratios.
Layering Up the Right Way
Your instinct to pile on blankets when you have chills is reasonable. Lightweight, breathable layers trap body heat without causing you to overheat once your fever breaks. The key is making layers easy to remove. A fever often cycles between chills and sweating, and being stuck under heavy comforters can push your temperature higher than your body intends.
Stick with cotton or moisture-wicking fabrics next to your skin so sweat doesn’t leave you damp and cold again. Wool socks can help if your feet feel icy, which is common since blood flow to your extremities decreases when your body is trying to conserve core heat.
Lukewarm Baths, Not Cold Ones
A lukewarm bath can help bring down a fever and relax tense muscles from shivering. Get out once the water starts to cool. Avoid cold baths, cold showers, and ice packs. While dunking into cold water sounds logical when you’re burning up, it triggers more shivering, which actually raises your body temperature. Shivering also burns through calories and energy you need for recovery. In children, a sudden temperature change from a cold bath can even trigger a febrile seizure.
Chills Without a Fever
Not all chills signal an infection. If you’re shivering but your thermometer reads normal, several other conditions could be responsible.
An underactive thyroid is one of the most common causes of persistent cold intolerance. Your thyroid controls your metabolic rate, which is essentially how much heat your body produces at rest. When thyroid hormone levels drop, you feel cold in rooms where everyone else is comfortable. This is treated with a daily hormone replacement pill, and most people notice improvement within weeks of starting it.
Low iron (anemia) reduces your blood’s ability to carry oxygen, which impairs heat production. You might also notice fatigue, pale skin, and shortness of breath with exertion. Low blood sugar can cause sudden chills along with shakiness, sweating, and confusion, and eating something with carbohydrates typically resolves it within minutes.
Stress and anxiety can also trigger chills. The surge of adrenaline that comes with a panic attack or acute stress redirects blood away from your skin and toward your muscles, leaving you shaky and cold. These episodes pass on their own but tend to recur until the underlying anxiety is addressed.
What to Give Children
For children, acetaminophen dosing is based on weight, not age. If you don’t know your child’s weight, age can serve as a rough guide, but weighing them first is more accurate. Standard pediatric liquid acetaminophen comes in a concentration of 160 mg per 5 mL. Children under 12 can take it every 4 hours as needed, up to 5 doses in 24 hours. Do not give acetaminophen to children under 2 without a doctor’s guidance.
Extra-strength acetaminophen (500 mg) is not appropriate for children under 12, and extended-release formulations (650 mg) should not be given to anyone under 18. If you’re unsure about the correct dose, the packaging includes a weight-based chart, or your pediatrician’s office can walk you through it over the phone.
For any baby under 3 months old with a fever, skip the home remedies and get medical help right away. Their immune systems are too immature to safely wait and see.
Signs That Chills Need Medical Attention
Most chills resolve within a day or two as your immune system fights off whatever triggered them. But certain patterns warrant a call to your doctor or a trip to urgent care. A fever above 103°F (39.4°C) in an adult that doesn’t respond to acetaminophen or ibuprofen, chills that last more than 48 hours, or chills accompanied by a stiff neck, confusion, difficulty breathing, or a rash all suggest something more serious than a routine virus. Repeated episodes of chills without an obvious cause, like feeling perpetually cold or shivering at room temperature for weeks, point toward a metabolic issue worth investigating with blood work.