If you’ve ever had a fever before, you know how inconvenient, uncomfortable, and debilitating they can be. Fevers can often leave you feeling fatigued, weak, and achy.
For those who do have a fever, it’s a good indicator that something else more serious is happening in the body. It’s important to stay away from others until you can determine the issue. If you’re wondering how to know if you have a fever, you’ve come to the right place.
Here are the top ways that you can tell if you or someone else has a fever.
1. High Temperature
One of the top signs of a fever that someone will experience is a high temperature. You can determine your temperature by using a traditional or smart temp thermometer.
There are different temperatures for babies, children, and adults that can be considered as a fever. For babies, the fever temperature will read higher than 99 degrees (armpit temperature) or 100.4 degrees (rectal temperature). For children and adults, any temperature above 100.4 degrees (oral temperature) is also a fever.
Press the back of your hand to the forehead, cheeks, or on the back of the neck. If it feels warmer than normal, consider checking the patient’s temperature. Cool rags, showers, and liquids may help temporarily reduce the average fever.
2. Sweating and Chills
When your temperature is higher than normal, this can cause your body to experience intense feelings of hot and cold. This will produce sweating and chills in the average fever patient.
One common experience among those with a fever is waking up in the middle of the night to one of these symptoms. If you are colder than usual, your body will experience goosebumps and shivering. If you are hotter than usual, you may wake up sweating or breathing heavier.
This is one of the top ways for how to tell if you have a fever without a thermometer. Be sure to have cool rags or warm blankets nearby to keep your body temperature regular.
3. Dehydration
As your body temperature fluctuates with a fever, this can cause you to lose electrolytes and necessary fluid. This can lead you to become dehydrated, which can have severe potential health issues.
Dehydration is common in fever patients because the higher the body temperature, the more liquids are lost. If you’re suffering from intense dehydration and body temperature changes, there is a good chance that you have a fever. It’s important to stay hydrated with water, juice, and other beverages full of electrolytes and vitamins.
4. Aches
Another uncomfortable sign for how to tell if someone has a fever is body aches. If the patient is experiencing soreness or dull-like pain that is noticeable all over the body, they may have a fever.
Body aches can cause you to feel weak, exhausted, and feeling uncomfortable for days on end. One way to soothe body aches from a fever is to take an Epsom salt bath. Be sure that the water is not too hot or too cold to avoid affecting your body temperature.
Learn How to Know if You Have a Fever
As common as fevers are, they can also put your regular life on hold until you feel better. It’s important to learn how to know if you have a fever to recover faster and keep others around you healthy.
For other articles on health, lifestyle, and more, be sure to check out the rest of our website.
