The chills are the feeling you get when you are cold but cannot find a decent reason. Maybe you just came back inside after being outside for even just a little while, but the cold from outside does not seem to want to leave. Keep reading to learn some great home remedies for the chills.

You can get the chills from being cold. When you get cold, you shiver to warm back up. With shivering comes the contracting and expanding of your skin and muscles and this action can leave you feeling chilled.

The cold is not the only thing that can leave you feeling chilled. The chills can also come as a symptom or a side effect of the flu, fever, strep throat, malaria, meningitis, pneumonia, a urinary tract infection, and the common cold or a virus.

Home Remedies for Chills

1. Layers

The first thing to try is. warming yourself back up. When you get the chills, get some blankets, slipper socks, a hoodie, whatever. Just keep yourself warm and try your best to stop the shivering.

 

2. Ease the Fever

One of the most common causes of chills is fevers. There are a couple of different ways you can get rid of a fever at home, but it should be noted that if your fever is over 101.4 or if you have had the fever for longer than two days, it would not be unwise to go to the hospital.

Without going to the hospital, you can take Tylenol, take a cool bath or shower, sponge or wipe your body down with a cool sponge or cloth. Make to notice the word ‘cool’. You do not want to use cold water for any of this as cold water could make the chills worse.

To learn more ways to treat a fever, read our article 21 Home Remedies for Fever.

 

3. Lemon and Hot Water

If you are trying to fight off a cold, flu, or another virus, than this might be able to help. Lemons are great when it comes to killing bacteria and viruses thanks to the antioxidants it gets from the vitamin C in it.

To make this hot drink, you need a cup of warm water, a teaspoon and a half of lemon juice and half of teaspoon of grated ginger. You can drink this on an empty stomach, shortly after a meal, or with a meal.

4. Chicken Soup

Chicken soup (with or without noodles) helping you to fight off a cold is not just a myth. There are antioxidants in the chicken and most of the spices that can do amazing things for fighting off whatever illness or virus that might be causing your chills. On top of that, the heat of the soup itself can do wonders for staving off the chills.

You can buy a can of the soup from the store and add your own spices in or you can make it yourself. If you are just buying a can of soup, considering adding onions, garlic, apple cider vinegar, turmeric, carrot, thyme, celery, and sage. All of these veggies and spices have different compounds that can help you to fight the cold.

 

 

5. Tea

Tea is a good way to get rid of the chills because of the heat of the drink and if the tea is herbal, it can help you to fight off the illness that causing you to chills. If you do not have an illness than the herbal tea can help you not to become ill.

To make tea, there are premade tea bags, some of which are made to help you to fight off a cold or can combine your own dried herbs. Pick the herbs that you want, put a teaspoon or three in a cup or tea ball, bring some water to a boil and pour the water into the cup with leaves (or tea ball) and let it stoop for about 15 minutes. If you used the tea ball, you can just leave the tea ball in the cup and enjoy the tea; if you did not use a tea ball, it might be in your best interest to strain out the leaves before you drink the tea.

You can add sweetener to the tea, though honey might be the best choice seeing as how the honey can help to ease a sore throat if you are suffering from one.

 

6. Water

Water is always an important thing to drink, even when you are not ill. You should drink more water than usual when you are ill. On the note of water, dehydration can also give you chills. So if you do not have an illness or have not been out in the cold recently, trying drinking some water and see what it does.

 

7. Dietary Changes

None of the suggested changes are going to be for weight loss. Weight loss is something you want to avoid when fighting an illness of any kind. The suggested changes in diet are for when you are ill because they are foods that are easier to deal with on an upset stomach or are foods that can help you to get better faster.

Boiled vegetables are always good to place to start. Veggies are packed full of vitamins and minerals that can help you to get better and once they are boiled, they should be soft enough that they do not hurt an upset stomach.

Soups of almost any kind (veggie soups and chicken soup are best though) can help you as well. They give you nutrients while helping to warm you up and keep you hydrated. Different kinds of bread- a whole grain- are also helpful; so are soda crackers.

Food to avoid when ill include dairy products, spicy foods, oils, and fats.

8. Warm Shower

This one is huge when concerning a couple different things. A warm shower can help to unclog your sinuses from congestion while helping to prevent from coming if you are not suffering from it. The warmth and steam of the shower can also help you to warm up. Showers, warm water and steam, are a good way to relax too.

9. Cranberry Juice

It was mentioned that one of the causes of chills could be a urinary tract infection. It can also be a side effect of kidney stones or infection. Cranberry juice can help to battle both infections. Keep in mind that if you do have either of these infections, you should speak to your doctor seeing as how cranberry juice can help to speed up your recovery time but cannot actually get rid of the infections on its own. So in addition to your water, drink a couple glasses of cranberry juice a day.

If you think your chills are due to a UTI, check out our article 20 Home Remedies for a UTI (Urinary Tract Infection).

 

10. Caution

If you have been outside in the last couple days and you cannot get rid of the chills no matter what you do, talk to your doctor. It is not impossible that you have some form of frostbite or nerve damage from having been in the cold for too long. It is strongly suggested that you speak with your doctor if you cannot get rid of the chills after having been outside.

 

11. Allergy Medication

Some people get chills along with their allergies. Whether it is a seasonal allergy or an allergy to an animal. There are multiple kinds of the over the counter pills for allergies that you can get that say they fight off the chills. Also, if you have a cold, the allergy medications can even help to limit the congestion you suffer from the cold or flu.

 

12. Sleep

Sleep is vital for human life and it can help to combat colds, infections, and flus. That is why people can sleep like the dead during the day, yet sleep like they have not touched a bed in a week at night when they are ill. It is one of the body’s most natural ways of killing off a virus. So make sure that you are getting more than enough sleep.

If you find yourself having trouble sleeping, try some lavender tea or you can take just a little bit of castor oil and rub a tiny amount on the outsides of your eyelids. The castor oil should put you to sleep in no time.

13. Boiled Lettuce Water

Oddly enough, burns can cause the chills or a shiver. This another tip that might help but you should definitely go to the hospital in a couple of hours if it does not. You want to boil lettuce leave for ten minutes. Take out the leaves and let the water cool so that it is warm but do not let it cool enough that it is cold. Apply the water to the burned skin.

 

14. Breath Steam

Breathing steam can help you because it will congestion while warming you up a little bit. You can warm up a small pot of water on the stove and add a couple drops of peppermint, lavender, tea tree, and/or eucalyptus essential oils for a little boost to help you breathe even better.

15. Ease Anemia

Anemia, not having enough iron and vitamin B12 in your blood, can also cause shivering. There are a couple of easy ways that you can boost your iron and B12 amount. You can take supplement pills for both, or you can just add different foods to your diet.

To get more vitamin B, you can add. fish, red meat, dairy, tofu, and soy milk to your meals. If you want to take in more iron,  you can try. fish, beans, peas, broccoli and other leafy greens, breads, and pastas and cereals that have been fortified with iron, and just about any kind of natural meat.

To learn more about treating anemia, read our article 36 Home Remedies for Anemia.

 

16. Calming Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is another common cause of the chills. You want to avoid smoking or use of any tobacco product as it makes the condition worse. You should also avoid consuming too much. It is okay to eat soy, you just do not want to eat too much.

If your hypothyroidism does not get better, please speak to your doctor so that you can receive proper care for your condition.

17. Spider Bites

If you do not know what kind of spider bit you, go to the emergency room as soon as you can. If you know for certain what kind of spider it was and that it is not a poisonous one, take care of the bite. You can get ointments over the counter that help to quicken the healing. You can also take a tiny bit of meat tenderizer and mix with just enough water (spit works too) to make a paste. Then rub the paste on the bit. This helps to draw out any fluids from the spiderś bite that should not naturally be in your body.

 

18. Exercise

Getting enough exercise can increase your average body temperature a little bit and it stops you from getting the chills. Also, exercising itself gets your blood flowing and can warm you up pretty quickly. Also, the healthier you are, the easier it is to take yourself, the less often you ill, and the less often you get the chills from illness.

 

19. Relax

If you have ever had an anxiety or panic attack, then you know that you can sometimes sweat without really being overheated. Sweat is a natural way for the body to cool itself, but if the body is cooling yourself when it is not overheated, then that can just make you cold. So if you have already had the panic or anxiety attack and find yourself with the chills, then take a warm shower, put in your favorite movie or music, take a nap, whatever it is you do to ease yourself after an attack. You are going to be alright.

If you feel an attack coming on, then try meditation, set up an oil diffuser or just smell some essential oils, you can try deep breathing. If you find that deep breathing helps a least a little bit, go one step deeper and try 4-7-8. For 4-7-8, you breathe in deeply for four seconds, hold your breath for seven seconds, and let it go over a count of eight seconds. Repeat this until you feel you are doing a little better.   

Which of these home remedies are you most likely to try? Comment below!       

Sources

https://naturalremedyideas.com/chills-without-fever/

https://www.healthybuilderz.com/natural-remedies-chills/

https://www.doctorshealthpress.com/general-health/uncontrollable-shivering/

http://www.homeremedycentral.com/en/home-remedies/natural-cure/chills.html

https://getridofthings.com/health/symptoms/get-rid-of-the-chills/

https://www.fashionlady.in/home-remedies-to-get-rid-of-chills-without-fever/114073

https://www.healthline.com/symptom/chills