Fever is a very common symptom that usually arises when there is inflammation or infection in the body and is therefore associated with almost all kinds of changes in health, from the simplest situations, such as flu or tonsillitis, to such as lupus, HIV or cancer, for example.
Generally, the fever is most easily felt during the day when you are awake, since it is accompanied by other symptoms such as intense headache or generalized muscle pain, however, there are also several cases where the fever may worsen at night, causing it to wake up to the excessive production of sweat.
Regardless of timing, 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. macule or eucalyptus, for example. Check out some natural ways to lower the fever.
Because fever increases at night
In most cases, the fever appears or worsens at night due to the natural cycle of the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is the part of the brain responsible for producing hormones that regulate body temperature and is usually more active at night, which can cause an increase in temperature when sleeping.
In addition, due to the normal functioning of metabolism, it is also common for body temperature to increase slightly throughout the day, being higher at night and causing even excess sweat. Know the top 8 causes of night sweats.
Thus, having a fever at night is rarely a sign of a serious problem, especially if it is associated with other symptoms that may indicate an infection. However, whenever it lasts more than 3 days it is important to go to the general practitioner to find out if it is necessary to take any antibiotics or do tests to help identify the correct cause.
When the night fever can be severe
Night fever is rarely a sign of a serious problem, and even when there is no apparent cause, it is more often caused by environmental factors such as increased room temperature or excessive use of clothes, which increase the metabolism of the body.
However, there are some diseases that may have as their only symptom the onset of night fever every night. Some examples are:
- Lyme disease;
- HIV;
- Tuberculosis;
- Hepatitis;
- Lupus.
Some types of cancer may also have, as a first symptom, night fever, but are usually accompanied by weight loss that can not be justified with changes in diet or exercise pattern.
