Why does fever feel so much hotter despite it being only a few degrees of difference?

Question

Like, 37 to 38 feels like you are really hot, even touching a person, they can feel hot. Shouldn’t you be unable to tell the difference or be barely able to do so (especially if you touch a person)?

In: 4

Answer 1

Let’s say you weigh 50 kilos.

That means you’re about 35 kilos of water.

To raise 35 kilos of water 1°C takes ~146,000 joules, or 146 kJ, or ~41 Watt Hours.

A typical human body at test radiates about 100 Watts as heat.

Say it took four hours for your fever to rise that 1°C. That would mean your metabolism was running 10 percent higher all that time. That’s not sustainable long term.