When we have a flu we have bone tickling/inner coldness sensation. What is exactly happening that makes us feel that way?

Question

When we have a flu we have bone tickling/inner coldness sensation. What is exactly happening that makes us feel that way?

In: 5

Answer 1

Inside your brain is a structure called hypothalamus. It has a lot of function, but the one important for your question is its function to monitor body temperature. It has something like a thermostat which dictates how high your body temperature should be.

Normally, the thermostat is adjusted to around 37°C or 98.6°F. However, if you stand in the sun too long, your body temperature will be higher that. Because your body temperature is higher than than your internal thermostat divtates, your body activates cooling mechanisms to bring it down to the temperature your hypothalamus wants, 37°C/98.6°F. If you spend your time in the snow, your body temperature will fall below the 37°C/98.6°F which will activate heating mechanisms ehich want to bring your temperature to the one dictated by your internal thermometer.

To answer your question, it is important that you notice that you can also cause the same effects not by raising and lowering your body temperature, but by raising and lowering the temperature setting in your internal thermostat. Let’s say that your body temperature and thermostat setting are the same value of 37°C/98.6°F, and let’s say that your internal thermostat gets raised somehow to a higher temperature than that. Let’s say 39°C/102.2°F. Because the thermostat it is the one who dictates how you feel, your body will feel cold although you have an othrrwise normal body temperature. But now, because the thermostat’s temperature raised, it defined the new normal temperature. This makes your body produce and maintain heat in order to bring your body temperature to than new normal temperature. The same principle would apply, albeit in the other way, had your internal thermometer’s setting fallen to a lower temperature.

While sick, your body, and pathogens, create mollecules that we call pyretics. Pyretics raise your body temperature by hijacking your internal thermostat and adjusting it to a higher temperature. That tricks your body into thinking it’s cold by a mechanism described above. You start feeling cold, even though you’re running up a fever. Your body thinks it’s cold so you feel cold.

If you have further questions, or if I haven’t explained properly, please ask.