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Body Chills: What’s Causing Them?

Chills quiz

Take a quiz to find out what's causing your chills.

11 most common cause(s)

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Why are you having chills?

Chills can be uncomfortable. You may be wrapped in the heaviest down blanket, but still unable to get warm. You may feel cold and clammy, or you may be sweating with a fever and feeling overheated.

Chills, or shivering, can happen one time or they can be frequent. They can last a few seconds or as long as an hour. Sometimes chills can cause noticeable shaking movements; other times visible symptoms are minimal—you may just feel chilled to the bone.

Chills are your body’s attempt to raise your internal body temperature if you’re cold or sick. When your muscles involuntarily contract and relax, it generates heat. If you’re sick, chills can create more heat to help kill a virus or bacteria.

Chills can also be caused by menopause, low blood sugar levels, or when you’re experiencing profound emotions like shock, fear, or anxiety.

Extreme exertion—such as running a marathon—can also cause chills as your body tries to regulate temperature to avoid overheating.

1. Gastroenteritis (stomach flu)

• Nausea or vomiting
• Stomach pain
• Chills or fever

Gastroenteritis, or stomach flu , is inflammation of your gastrointestinal organs, like your stomach and intestines. It is usually caused by infection with a virus, such as the rotavirus or norovirus . Most people recover on their own in a few days without any specific medical treatment beyond caring for themselves at home.

It is very important to stay hydrated as the body can lose a lot of water and electrolytes from throwing up or diarrhea. If you think you’re dehydrated or cannot keep any foods or liquids down, talk to your doctor. Your doctor may recommend hospitalization for monitoring and IV fluids for rehydration.

Also, gastroenteritis can sometimes mimic other more serious conditions such as appendicitis, which often has symptoms like fever, nausea and vomiting, and belly pain. Call your doctor when in doubt about the cause of your symptoms.

2. Influenza (flu)

• Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea (especially in young children)

The flu is an infection of the respiratory tract (your lungs, nose, and mouth) caused by the influenza virus. There are different types of flu viruses. The reason you need to get a flu shot every year is because the version it protects against changes.

Most people who get the flu recover in a few days. Sometimes, it develops into pneumonia , which can be life-threatening, especially for the elderly or people with compromised immune systems.

If you are at risk of severe flu symptoms, see your doctor right away or go to urgent care. They may prescribe an antiviral medication. It can reduce how many days you are sick and the risk of complications.

Treating the flu is about taking care of your symptoms. You can take over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Get plenty of rest and drink lots of fluids.

It’s important to see a doctor if symptoms don’t get better or your fever lasts for more than 3 to 5 days.

Sometimes patients tell me that they feel “silly” about bringing up questions about their chills. We are always here to help patients and hear their concerns. You mentioning your chills could be a vital step in first alerting us that something may be wrong with your health. — Dr. Petrina Craine

3. Pneumonia

• Cough (which may also produce mucus/phlegm)
• Trouble breathing or increased breathing rate
• Nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, and diarrhea (especially in younger children)
• Confusion (especially in the elderly)

Pneumonia is an infection in your lungs that is usually caused by viruses and bacteria. The infection irritates the air sacs, filling them with pus and other fluids. Colds, bronchitis , influenza, and other respiratory infections can become pneumonia as bacteria settles into your lungs.

Pneumonia can be life-threatening, especially to the elderly or people with compromised immune systems.

Pneumonia is often diagnosed with a chest x-ray. Pneumonia caused by bacteria can be treated with antibiotics and many people can continue taking the medication as they recover at home.

You may have to be admitted to the hospital if you have low oxygen levels, severe dehydration, or other complications.

4. COVID-19

• Loss of taste or smell
• Cough or congestion, which may produce mucus
• Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
• Low oxygen levels on a pulse oximeter (oxygen measuring device)

COVID-19 is a highly contagious virus caused by a coronavirus, specifically the SARS-CoV-2 variant. This virus infects the respiratory tract (including your nose, throat, sinuses, and lungs). Although it is a respiratory infection, it can also affect other organs including the brain, blood vessels, and the skin.

Symptoms are very similar to those seen in the flu and the common cold. Sometimes, cases of COVID-19 that begin with mild symptoms worsen and become life-threatening. COVID-19 is very contagious, even when people don’t have symptoms.

Rest and hydration can be important in treating symptoms and feeling better for people with mild cases of COVID-19. If you suspect COVID-19, monitor your symptoms and speak with your doctor about your condition.

They will give you additional at-home treatment plans . These may include over-the-counter medication, oxygen-monitoring devices, or prescription medication, like an inhaler. They can also advise you when to go to the hospital if your symptoms get worse.

5. Sinusitis

• Facial pain or pressure
• Cough that may produce mucus
• Foul-smelling breath or taste in mouth

The sinuses normally produce thin mucus to help trap foreign materials. When infected with viruses or bacteria, this fluid often increases and gets thicker—causing blockages. The infection affects the small air pockets in your forehead, nose, cheekbones, and in between your eyes. This is called sinusitis . Most sinus infections are caused by viruses, so antibiotics won’t help treat symptoms. If your symptoms last longer than 10 days or get worse after 5 to 7 days, you may have a bacterial infection. Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics. 

Over-the-counter decongestants (such as pseudoephedrine) should be used with care. Taking beyond 3 days may lead to an increased risk of the congestion coming back. It can sometimes be even worse than before. Watch your symptoms. Hydrate (liquids like water and tea) to help relieve pressure.

6. Strep throat

• Sore throat
• Painful swallowing
• Tender lymph nodes
• Swollen, red tonsils

Strep throat is a throat infection caused by a bacteria called group A Streptococcus. Strep throat is contagious and more common in children than adults. A main symptom is a very sore throat that can make eating, talking, or swallowing difficult. Sometimes, you get strep throat with a rash that looks like sandpaper—this rash is known as scarlet fever.

Strep throat is diagnosed with a test. It is treated with antibiotics. If not treated, strep can turn into a more serious illness such as rheumatic fever. Antibiotics may make you feel better within a few days, but you must take the antibiotics for the full amount prescribed.

Not all chills are necessarily negative. Some happen after deeply positive emotions, like after experiencing inspiring or moving music. This reaction is called “frisson.” — Dr. Craine

7. Urinary tract infection (UTI)

• Painful urination
• Increased urge or frequency of urination
• Pain in pelvic or rectal area
• Fever and chills (more so for an upper UTI)
• Confusion (especially in elderly)

A urinary tract infection is an infection of your urinary tract that can affect the bladder, the urethra (the tube you urinate through), or the kidneys, which filter urine. This infection is commonly caused by bacteria but can also be caused by other germs like fungi. Pregnant women are prone to UTIs.

Most people who experience chills from a UTI have an upper urinary tract infection. This is a sign that your kidneys and ureters (inner tube that passes urine from the kidneys to the bladder) are infected.

A UTI is diagnosed with a urine sample and can be treated with antibiotics. If not treated, a UTI can become very serious and infect your kidneys (pyelonephritis) and your bloodstream.

8. Common cold

• Cough and congestion
• Chills and body aches (usually mild)

A common cold is a viral infection of the respiratory tract (usually just your nose and mouth). Many types of viruses can cause it, but rhinoviruses are a common culprit.

Most people with the cold do not have severe symptoms and get better without complications. Over-the-counter medications, such as decongestants (such as pseudoepinephrine) and natural foods like honey (in ages 2 and older), may relieve symptoms like congestion, cough, and sore throat. Resting and staying hydrated can also help you feel better.

9. Medication side effect

• Recently taking or changing medications

Recovering from anesthesia after a surgery can sometimes cause chills. This is from anesthetics affecting body temperature regulation, the cool temperature of operating rooms, and your body cooling down while under anesthesia.

Abruptly stopping certain medications or substances, such as benzodiazepines, alcohol (in a person who drinks large amounts of it daily), or opioids like heroin or oxycodone (in a person dependent on them) can cause chills.

Let your doctor know if you’re experiencing chills as a reaction to a new medication or if you’re withdrawing from a medication or substance.

10. Hypothyroidism

• Unexplained weight gain
• Dry, cool skin
• Constipation
• Leg and face swelling
• Decreased appetite

Hypothyroidism is a condition in which your thyroid is underactive. Thyroid hormones are involved in various body processes, a key one being metabolism. Low thyroid hormone levels increase your sensitivity to temperature changes and make you more likely to feel chilled.

Hypothyroidism can be caused by various conditions such as your immune system attacking your thyroid or a nutritional deficiency in iodine (an important mineral for thyroid hormone production).

Diagnosis is made with a blood test. Medications can be used to manage hypothyroidism.

• Fever that comes and goes
• Unexplained weight loss
• Easily bruised skin
• Swollen lymph nodes

Cancer can be associated with a persistent low-grade fever, as well as chills. This is especially true for certain blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma , or myeloma.

See your doctor If a fever doesn’t break or you have a continual low-grade fever or a low-grade fever that seems to come and go. You may also notice other symptoms, such as unexplained weight loss, swollen lymph glands, or fatigue. Blood cancers may also cause symptoms that include easily bruised skin or bleeding gums.

Tests can be used to diagnose cancer. Treatment depends on the type of cancer and how far it has progressed. Treatment may include chemotherapy, radiation, and/or surgery.

12. Autoimmune disease

• Swollen glands
• Digestive issues
• Skin or hair changes

Chills are often a symptom of various autoimmune diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis . Of those suffering from an autoimmune disease, nearly 80% are women . The reasons for this are not entirely clear, but hormonal changes (e.g. with estrogen and progesterone) and variations in sex chromosomes are thought to contribute to the large amount of women over men with autoimmune disorders.

Autoimmune disorders can have a range of symptoms and can be complicated to diagnose. Often, diagnosis is made by ruling out other causes. Treatment can include symptom management, medication, and immunotherapy.

13. Menopause

• Hot flashes
• Mood changes
• Unexplained weight changes
• Decreased libido

Menopause is a period in a woman’s life in which her menstrual cycle ceases. It usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 55. Women experience significant changes in hormones, which can affect their body’s temperature regulation. It typically can cause “hot flashes,” but it can also cause chills. Chills can occur after a woman is “cooling down” after a hot flash or in place of hot flashes, a phenomenon known as  “cold flashes.”

Your doctor may recommend blood tests to test hormone levels. Treatment can include symptom management with medications, including hormone-replacement therapy.

• Feeling cold or chills
• Lightheadedness or dizziness
• Palpitations (irregular, rapid, or particularly strong  heartbeat)
• Shortness of breath

Anemia occurs when your body doesn’t have enough red blood cells to carry oxygen to your tissues. This affects nearly every process in the body, including temperature regulation. There are different causes of anemia, including problems with iron (e.g., losing blood from colon cancer or heavy menstrual cycles). Anemia is more common in women than men, and can be a particular problem for pregnant women due to increased nutritional needs during pregnancy.

A doctor may recommend iron supplements.

Sometimes patients look for goosebumps—when the hair on your body sticks up on skin—when they feel chills. They are not the same. Goosebumps can happen with chills, like if you are outside in the cold or if you are having a strong emotional reaction. But they are not always present with chills, such as chills with fever. — Dr. Craine

Other possible causes

A number of conditions may also cause chills, though these are either rare or chills are not the defining symptom. These include extreme sunburn (rare), malaria, and tuberculosis.

When to call the doctor

• Chills persist even when you don’t have a fever.
• You have a cough, cold, or sore throat you can’t seem to shake.
• You experience body aches even when you haven’t exercised or exerted yourself.
• You have night sweats.
• You have a low-grade fever that doesn’t resolve, or seems to come and go.
• You notice hair or skin changes like your hair falling out.
• You’ve had unexplained weight loss.
• You experience fatigue regardless of how much you’ve slept.
• You experience constipation or diarrhea despite dietary changes.

Should I go to the ER for chills?

You should go to the emergency department if you have any of these signs:

• Rapid or irregular heartbeat that persists
• Skin color changes such as turning red, white, or black
• Fever (usually 102°F and greater)
• Confusion or hallucinations
• Dizziness or fainting

Those with weakened immune systems (e.g., elderly adults, babies, people with cancer, people on medications that suppress the immune system, people with chronic conditions like diabetes, kidney failure, etc.) should visit an emergency room as chills could be a sign of a severe infection brewing.

At-home care

• Medications to help reduce fever  such as acetaminophen ( Tylenol ) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ( Advil , Motrin )
• Drink lots of fluids
• Warming up if you’ve been outside in cold temperatures

Other treatments you might have

• Medical testing to help identify the cause of chills
• IV hydration
• Hospital monitoring
• Medication review to ID any medications or interactions that may cause chills as a side effect
• Prescription medication or additional treatments to treat the underlying cause of chills

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What Causes Chills?

Exposure to cold, side effects of medication, reaction to exercise, hypothyroidism, hypoglycemia, malnutrition.

Chills are the shaking, shivering, trembling, and cold feeling you get when your core body temperature drops. Chills can be uncomfortable, but they help raise your core temperature back to a healthy range . When you have chills, your muscles rapidly relax and contract in response to causes like cold temperatures, viruses, or infections.

For most people, the average core temperature hovers around 98.6 F (37 C). Personal averages can be between 97 F and 99 F (36.1 C and 37.2 C), though.

There are common infections that can cause fevers and chills, as well as side effects from medications, reactions to exercise, hypothyroidism (underactive thryroid), hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), malnutrition (a lack of nutrients), or frisson (a brief thrill). Chills can last a few hours to a few days.

skynesher / Getty Images

When you get chills without a fever, such as from exposure to cold environments, your brain sends signals to your body to involuntarily move (shake, chatter, tremble) to produce more heat. These chills typically resolve when your body temperature returns to normal. 

You can prevent these chills by dressing for the weather, when possible, by:

• Wearing layers
• Choosing well-insulated but breathable fabrics
• Wearing warm and water-resistant footwear

If you’re experiencing chills at home on a cold day, you can always add layers (sweaters, thicker socks) and get under some blankets with a cup of tea to warm up.

You can break into a fever after experiencing chills or at the start of an infection. If the fever is mild, 102 F (38.8 C) or less, you can manage it at home by drinking fluids (hydrating and flushing infection) and resting.

When you have a fever, you don’t want to be under any blankets or using a fan or air conditioner because these actions could make your chills even worse. 

Common infections that can cause fever and chills include:

• Gastroenteritis (the stomach flu) : Digestive tract inflammation and infectious diarrhea commonly caused by viruses ( norovirus in adults and rotavirus in children)
• Influenza: Infections from viruses like influenza A and influenza B
• Sinusitis : A sinus infection , in which the sinuses fill with fluid caused by viruses (less often bacteria)
• Pneumonia : A lung infection caused by many different viruses and bacteria, especially Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), and fungi
• Strep throat : A throat infection caused by bacteria known as Group A Streptococcus
• Complicated urinary tract infection : For example, pyelonephritis, a relatively uncommon infection that causes inflammation in the urethra, kidneys, and bladder due to bacteria
• Malaria : A life-threatening infection with cold (chills, shivering) and hot stages (fever) caused by a parasite that is rarely seen in the United States

Some chills are the result of the body’s response to taking medications and adjusting or stopping medications:

• Diabetes medications: Insulin and drugs like sulfonylureas and meglitinides that increase insulin secretion by the pancreas can cause hypoglycemia-related chills. This happens if you have too much insulin and haven’t matched it with your food intake or physical activity level.
• General anesthesia for surgery : People can experience chills upon waking from anesthesia.
• Chemotherapy medications: Medications that you are taking to calm down your immune system (immunotherapy) and chemotherapy to fight cancer can have flu-like side effects, including fever and chills. Symptoms typically peak and resolve after treatment over a few days.

Make note of medication side effects to discuss with your healthcare provider. In severe cases, a healthcare provider may be able to prescribe other drugs to help you cope with your chills when they result as side effects to medications you are on.

There’s a reason it's called warming up and cooling down. When you exercise, your blood circulates to the muscles and skin, raising your temperature. If you stop the physical activity abruptly, your body can experience temperature shock.

Your internal temperature will drop without gradual adjustments, and you may experience chills as a way of warming up to your average temperature again.

Preventing this unpleasant transition means planning a short cool down period to help your body’s temperature adjust to different levels of physical activity.

Hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid, can result in a low body temperature as a result of insufficient levels of thyroid hormone. A lack of these hormones causes your metabolism to slow. Hypothyroidism causes intolerance to the cold , so you're more likely to experience chills if you have this condition.  

Hypothyroidism risk factors or causes include:

• Thyroiditis (thyroid inflammation)
• Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) treatment, such as radiation or surgical removal
• Iodine deficiency (the thyroid uses iodine to make hormones)
• A family history of thyroid problems
• Being female and over age 60 (or after menopause)
• Postpartum (after giving birth)

Women in their 40s and 50s in particular should have their thyroid checked before assuming that symptoms such as hot flashes and chills are due to menopause.

Hypothyroidism can be treated with thyroid hormone–stimulating medication. L-thyroxine (levothyroxine) is a commonly used medication.

Chills occur in the mild and moderate stages of hypoglycemia . Hypoglycemia is a condition in which your blood glucose (sugar) is lower than normal, usually under 70 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). It can occur in people with diabetes when they continue to take their usual doses of insulin, sulfonylureas, or meglitinides, and they are:

• Not eating enough carbohydrates
• Skipping meals or not eating frequently enough
• Increasing physical activity
• Consuming too much alcohol without eating enough
• Sick with the flu or other illnesses

Watch for signs of hypoglycemia in the night. Some symptoms of hypoglycemia during sleep are:

• Having nightmares 
• Sweating through your pajamas or bedding
• Being tired, irritable, or confused upon waking

Nondiabetic hypoglycemia is also possible, but it's much less common.

Treatment of quick-onset hypoglycemia includes raising your blood sugar by consuming glucose (carbohydrates). Frequent episodes should be discussed with a healthcare provider or diabetes specialist.

Feeling cold all the time or most of the time is a symptom of malnutrition. Malnutrition is when your body is starving for nutrients and cannot function properly. Research suggests that even the lack of one vitamin can lead to malnutrition.

Malnutrition has many causes, including:

• Not consuming enough nutrients
• Not consuming enough food
• Not absorbing the nutrients from food

Without the necessary nutrients it needs, your body cannot maintain a healthy and comfortable body temperature, so you'll experience chills.

If you or a loved one have chills from malnutrition, seek medical attention. Discussing your condition with your healthcare provider, crisis counselor, or a mental health professional may be necessary.

Frisson, also known as musical chills or aesthetic chills, is the sensation we tend to call shivering or having goosebumps when experiencing a thrill. Its reaction is similar to that of being cold but without having any exposure to a physical trigger.

Frisson is a short-term, common reaction, and there are many ways of describing the physical response, including:

• Shoulders shuddering or raising to your neck
• Tingly feeling down your shoulders and arms
• Little hairs standing on end
• Trickle down your spine

Research suggests we’re more susceptible to auditory frisson when it comes from a moving stimulus or trigger, including:

• Certain musical melodies, especially with sudden changes in volume or voice
• Certain buzzing of bugs, such as a mosquito, bee, or fly, especially buzzing near the ear or neck

Chills could be a result of something benign like experiencing the cold or after exercising, or it could be due to an underlying condition. If you have chills for no obvious reason, check with your healthcare provider to make sure your chills are not caused by an urgent medical issue.

A Word From Verywell

With so many reasons why you could be experiencing chills, it’s always good to make note of when you have them in case you need to discuss your condition with a medical professional. While the odd frisson here and there is nothing to think twice about, if you are experiencing chills for unknown reasons or after starting a new drug or taking an ongoing medication, talk to your healthcare provider. A practitioner can rule out or diagnose underlying thyroid problems, such as hypothyroidism, or blood sugar problems that can be managed. 

If you’re experiencing chills from a fever, try narrowing down the exact cause since different infections, ranging from those caused by viruses or bacteria or parasites, are treated with different medications. If your fever isn’t improving with medication, rest, and plenty of fluids or if you have a very high fever, call your healthcare provider.

Cleveland Clinic. Chills .

MedlinePlus. Chills .

Cleveland Clinic. Gastroenteritis .

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Sinus infection: sinusitis .

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Causes of pneumonia .

Cleveland Clinic. Urinary tract infections .

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Malaria .

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Low blood glucose (hypoglycemia) .

National Cancer Institute. Flu-like symptoms caused by cancer treatments .

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Physiologic responses and long-term adaptations to exercise . 

Cleveland Clinic. Hypothyroidism .

American Diabetes Association. Hypoglycemia . 

MedlinePlus. Malnutrition .

Honda S, Ishikawa Y, Konno R, Imai E, Nomiyama N, Sakurada K, Koumura T, Kondo HM, Furukawa S, Fujii S, Nakatani M. Proximal binaural sound can induce subjective frisson . Front Psychol . 2020 Mar 3;11:316. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00316

By Michelle Pugle Pulge is a freelance health writer focused on mental health content. She is certified in mental health first aid.

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What Causes Chills?

A bout of the chills is usually nothing major to worry about. Here's how to tell if something more serious might be going on

Usually, people get chills if they have a fever . Other times, you may just be cold. When your body temperature decreases, your muscles contract and relax to produce heat. As a result, you may have goosebumps and little tremors.

That same physiological reaction may indicate something else. For example, you may get chills if your blood sugar is too low or from intense exercise. Sometimes, certain health conditions and medications cause chills.

Read on to learn about some of the most common causes of chills and when to consult a healthcare provider.

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What Are Chills?

Your muscles create heat by quickly contracting and relaxing when your body is cold . As a result, you may experience chills.

Symptoms that may accompany chills include:

• Feeling cold

Goosebumps are when the hairs on your skin stick up, which protects your body from heat loss. Sometimes, goosebumps happen if you are cold or have intense emotions like fear . That's different from chills, though you might have goosebumps with chills.

Most commonly, people get chills if they have a fever caused by a bacterial or viral infection . You may get chills from intense exercise, low blood sugar, medications, and other illnesses like certain cancers, Lyme disease , and malaria.

Chills you can get from cancer feel different from those you might get from illnesses like a common cold.

"Typically, for an infection, you have one or two major chills, then a fever, and you feel really bad," Don Middleton, MD, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center St. Margaret Family Medicine Residency vice president, told  Health . "If you have cancer, you might get a chill every night. That really means you need to see a [healthcare provider]."

Of note: Hodgkin's disease and leukemia are the main types of cancer that may cause chills. Leukemia affects your blood cells. Hodgkin disease affects your lymph system, a part of your immune system.

Both cancers increase your white blood cell count. White blood cells are part of your immune system , which defends you from germs that make you sick. In addition to chills, high white blood cell counts may cause body aches, fever, and headache.

Certain Medications

Some people develop chills and flu-like symptoms after taking certain medications.

"Chills may be a sign of any serious allergy to drugs, regardless of drug class," said Dr. Middleton. " Antibiotics are frequently at fault. Maddeningly, they are given to individuals who have infections, so sometimes differentiating the chills due to infection from the chills due to a drug reaction is difficult."

Those side effects may occur with blood or blood-product transfusions, chemotherapy , and contrast agents used for imaging tests. You may develop chills after stopping medications, too.

"Chills may also accompany drug withdrawal, particularly from agents like narcotics or some antidepressants," added Dr. Middleton.

Conditions That Increase White Blood Cell Activity

White blood cells are part of your immune system and help fight disease and infections. Any illness that increases white blood cell activity may involve chills.

Health conditions that raise white blood cell activity include:

• Allergic reactions
• Autoimmune diseases (e.g., lupus and rheumatoid arthritis)
• Bacterial or viral infections
• Certain cancers (e.g., Hodgkin's disease and leukemia)

Raised white blood cell activity releases "chemicals that cause chills, probably through triggering the hypothalamus in the brain," explained Dr. Middleton. The hypothalamus in your brain secretes hormones that control your body temperature, heart rate, mood, and sleep.

Often, chills are an early sign of a viral or bacterial infection.

"Typically, it's muscle-shaking triggered by chemicals loosened either from organisms invading the body or from your own protective cells that fight off infection," said Dr. Middleton. For example, chills can be a symptom of COVID-19.

Chills come on at the start of an illness and can predict rising temperatures. Chills are a helpful way to detect a rising fever if you do not feel hot or feverish. In that case, other symptoms may include a flushed face and glassy eyes.

"When you get a virus, chills typically come at the beginning, and then you have the fever and generally feel achy ," added Dr. Middleton.

Chills can also appear later, mainly if there's a surge in your viral load, or the amount of virus in your blood. A study published in 2022 found that people with COVID-19 had increased symptoms, such as chills, when their viral loads were highest.

Consult a healthcare provider if you develop worsening chills after several days of feeling achy and having other cold symptoms.

Infectious Arthritis

Infectious arthritis, or septic arthritis, is a rare infection of your joints. Your joints are where your bones meet, like your elbows and knees. Staphylococcus aureus  (staph), a bacterium, commonly causes infectious arthritis.

Symptoms of infectious arthritis include:

• Chills 
• Inability to move the infected joint
• Redness and swelling near the affected joints

Intense Exercise

Physical activity can affect your body temperature and even cause a fever, resulting in chills. Vigorous exercise can raise your body temperature inside a hot gym or outside in warm weather. 

Your body attempts to cool itself down while exercising. Blood flows from your muscles to your skin, which increases your heart rate and causes sweating. 

Sweat does not whisk away from your skin if it's hot and humid while exercising. As a result, you may develop symptoms of heat-related illness , such as chills, clammy skin, nausea, and vomiting. 

Ensure you drink plenty of fluids during your workout to avoid heat-related illness. A low-calorie sports drink helps replace electrolytes and fluids you lose while exercising.  

Low Blood Sugar

Low blood glucose (sugar), or hypoglycemia, happens when your blood sugar drops below a healthy level. You may develop chills if you have mild-to-moderate low blood sugar.

Other symptoms of low blood sugar include:

• A fast or unsteady heartbeat
• Feeling dizzy

Low blood sugar is common among people with diabetes who take insulin. Taking too much insulin may cause low blood sugar. You may need to check your blood sugar often if you take insulin to treat diabetes. Keep high-protein snacks on you to prevent low blood sugar overnight and while exercising.

Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is a rare cause of chills, but it may happen. Infected blacklegged ticks transmit Lyme disease after attaching to the body for at least 36 hours. The classic early symptom of Lyme disease is a bulls-eye rash, often where the tick bit you.

Like chills, other Lyme disease symptoms can feel a lot like the flu and include:

• Muscle and joint pain
• Swollen lymph nodes

See a healthcare provider quickly if you notice those symptoms and the telltale rash. Removing any ticks as early as possible can help prevent Lyme disease.

Chills are a classic symptom of malaria, an illness that infected mosquito spread. Malaria is rare in the United States, with only about 2,000 cases yearly. Typically, people in the United States develop malaria after traveling somewhere where the illness regularly occurs, like sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Oceania.

People often recognize malaria quickly in tropical climates, where the illness is common. In the United States and other places where malaria is less common, people may mistake malaria for the flu.

In addition to chills, malaria symptoms may include:

• Feeling tired
• Muscle pain

Malaria symptoms flare at different times; some people can go weeks or months without a flare before suddenly having chills.

Treatments for Chills

Treatment depends on what causes your chills. Most commonly, fever due to bacterial or viral infections causes chills. You can treat a mild fever of less than 102 degrees at home.

Try some of the following to treat chills:

• Get plenty of rest.
• Sponge your skin with lukewarm water. Do not use cold water, which may raise your fever and worsen your chills.
• Stay hydrated by drinking fluids.
• Use fever reducers, such as Tylenol (acetaminophen). 

In contrast, avoid bundling up in blankets and using air conditioners if you have a fever. You may raise your fever and worsen your chills.

Chills in Children

Chills from fever are especially common in young children. Generally, children develop fevers more easily than adults, even with minor infections. In contrast, infants do not typically get chills. Consult a healthcare provider if an infant younger than 6 months develops a fever.

Non-aspirin fever reducers help treat chills and fever in young children. Check the instructions to ensure that you give your child the correct dose. 

Of note: Do not bathe young children in ice water or rubbing alcohol baths or bundle them in blankets if they have a fever. Instead, ensure that young children dress in light clothing and rest in a cool, comfortable room. Avoid waking a sleeping child.

Talk to a healthcare provider if a child between 3 months and 1 year has a fever that does not improve after 24 hours.

When To Reach Out to a Healthcare Provider

Talk to a healthcare provider if you have a fever higher than 103 degrees for longer than one to two hours with treatment.

You may want to consult a healthcare provider if the following symptoms accompany chills and fever:

• Burning sensation while urinating
• Feeling sluggish
• Frequent urination
• Irritability
• Stomach pain
• Trouble breathing
• Worsening cough

You can treat a fever of less than 102 degrees that does not cause other symptoms at home. However, consider consulting a healthcare provider if your fever does not improve after three days or lasts five days.

A Quick Review

Fever from a bacterial or viral infection is one of the most common causes of chills. You may be cold or have low blood sugar if you have chills but no fever. Other times, intense exercise, medications, and other illnesses like certain cancers, Lyme disease, and malaria cause chills.

Consult a healthcare provider if symptoms like confusion, frequent urination, stiff neck, or trouble breathing accompany your chills. Seek medical attention if an infant younger than 6 months develops chills or a child younger than 1 year has a fever that lasts more than 24 hours.

MedlinePlus. Chills

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Bhavnani D, James ER, Johnson KE, et al. SARS-CoV-2 viral load is associated with risk of transmission to household and community contacts .  BMC Infect Dis . 2022;22(1):672. doi:10.1186/s12879-022-07663-1

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5 Reasons Why You Might Have the Chills

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Are chills serious? Shivering and goose bumps can accompany a wide range of conditions, from a too-cold environment to cancer.

Maintaining our core temperature is one of the body’s most basic functions, and when that temperature is off — or when our body thinks it’s off — we get the chills .

“Chills occur when the muscles contract and relax in order to make heat,” says Rose Taroyan, MD , a family medicine physician at Keck Medicine of USC and clinical assistant professor of family medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. “This occurs when you are cold, but it can also be your body’s defense mechanism in fighting an infection.”

Everyone knows the sensation of getting the chills when your environment is too cold. That’s usually a signal to put on more layers or turn up the heat. But there are many underlying medical conditions that can cause them, too. Read on for some common — and not so common — causes of chills .

1. You have a viral or bacterial infection.

When chills are accompanied by other symptoms, such as fever, body aches or fatigue, they’re more likely associated with a systemic infection, such as flu or pneumonia .

“Chills boost your body’s core temperature when your immune system attempts to fight off infection,” Taroyan explains. “Your body temperature increases, even though you might feel cold. If you have a viral infection, you will usually notice other symptoms along with chills, such as sore throat, cough, headache, fatigue and muscle aches. Most of the time, it can be self-limiting and will resolve within 2 weeks. It’s important to get plenty of rest and increase your fluid intake.”

2. You have low blood sugar.

Although many people feel a bit shaky and irritable when they need to eat, true hypoglycemia , or low blood sugar, most often occurs in people who have diabetes .

“One of the symptoms of hypoglycemia is a feeling of shakiness, which may mimic chills,” Taroyan says. “Hypoglycemia requires immediate treatment to get blood sugar levels back to normal.”

Defined as blood glucose of less than 70 milligrams per deciliter, hypoglycemia can cause a variety of other symptoms , including sweating, confusion, a rapid heartbeat, blurry vision, lightheadedness and drowsiness.

If you have diabetes and you notice these symptoms, follow the “15-15” rule: Have 15 grams of simple carbs, such as a glucose tablet, juice, honey or hard candy, and check your blood glucose again in 15 minutes. Then eat a meal, but don’t overeat, or your blood sugar will spike.

3. You’re having a panic attack.

Chills can occur if you have a profound or intense emotional reaction to a situation, according to Taroyan. “Emotions that might cause chills include fear or anxiety,” she says.

According to the American Psychiatric Association, nearly 30% of all adults will experience an anxiety disorder during their lifetime. A panic attack can cause a combination of physical as well as psychological symptoms, including chills, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, sweating, dizziness and chest pain . Because of the severity of the symptoms, a panic attack sometimes causes people to think they’re having a heart attack .

If you’ve never had a panic attack before, seek medical attention. If you’ve been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, psychotherapy (“talk” therapy) and medication can help.

4. You have malaria.

Symptoms of malaria , a disease spread by infected mosquitos, can mimic those of a cold or flu. In addition to chills, they can include fever, sweats, head and body aches, nausea and fatigue. A simple blood test can identify the presence of the malaria parasite, but since malaria is relatively rare in the United States, your doctor might not immediately test for it. If you’ve traveled to regions where the disease is common, such as sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, parts of India and parts of Central and South America within the last 12 months, be sure to mention it when you’re being evaluated, even if you took antimalarial medications.

5. You have leukemia.

Chills can also be a sign of blood cancers, including leukemia. Symptoms of leukemia may include swelling of the lymph nodes, along with fever, chills, fatigue, loss of appetite, night sweats, abdominal pain and recurring infections. If you have a fever and chills that just won’t go away, see your doctor, in case it’s something more serious.

Having the chills may be nothing more than the body’s attempt to warm you up, but if they’re accompanied by other symptoms, that’s the time to seek medical attention. “Please schedule an appointment with your primary care physician for further evaluation,” Taroyan advises.

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The most common causes of chills — with or without fever — and how to get rid of them

• Body chills are commonly caused by cold external temperatures, or changing internal temperatures, such as when you have a fever. 
• When you have chills without a fever, causes may include low blood sugar, anxiety or fear, or intense physical exercise. 
• To get rid of chills, you'll need to treat the root cause, such as taking fever-reducing medications or boosting blood sugar levels. 
• This article  was medically reviewed  by  Jason R. McKnight , MD, MS, a family medicine physician and clinical assistant professor at  Texas A&M College of Medicine . 
• This story is part of Insider's guide to Fever . 

Chills can be caused by cold external temperatures, a fever or changing internal temperatures, and other medical conditions like hypoglycemia or anxiety. 

They are often accompanied by shivering or shaking, and raised bumps on your skin known as "goosebumps." Here's what you need to know about the most common causes of chills and how to relieve them. 

What causes chills? 

Chills are your body's attempt to regulate or raise your internal temperature. 

For example, when you're exposed to a cold environment, your internal body temperature decreases. As a result, your body shivers to generate heat, which can be experienced as chills. 

Chills also commonly occur with a fever, and in this case, your body shivers as a defense mechanism against harmful pathogens. 

Infectious bacteria and viruses thrive at normal body temperature , which is about 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. When you have an infection, your body responds with chills, which raises your internal temperature, and slows down the reproduction rate of the virus or bacteria. 

That's why chills are a common symptom of many viral and bacterial infections, such as: 

• Urinary tract infection (UTI)
• Strep throat
• Sinus infection

Chills without fever 

Cold temperatures or fevers aren't the only causes of chills. Other causes include:

• Low blood sugar levels or hypoglycemia . Low blood sugar levels trigger your body's stress response, which can result in chills or shaking . Other symptoms of hypoglycemia include confusion, sweating, fatigue, and an irregular or fast heartbeat. 
• An intense emotional reaction. Fear or anxiety can cause your body to sweat, which can then result in chills, since sweating lowers your internal temperature. Intense feelings of anxiety also cause your body to go into a "fight or flight" mode and release adrenaline . A surge in adrenaline can cause you to shiver or experience chills .
• Extreme physical exertion . As you exercise, your body temperature rises and your body produces sweat to prevent overheating. After a long run or another strenuous exercise, your core temperature drops. This drop, combined with a layer of sweat against the skin, can cause you to shiver as your body tries to return to a normal temperature. 

How to get rid of chills 

If you're experiencing chills due to a cold environment, then they should stop once you warm yourself up, says Nate Favini , MD, Medical Lead of Forward, a preventive primary care practice. 

But if your chills are associated with a bacterial or viral infection, treating your fever will likely  resolve your chills, says Leo Nissola , MD, an immunologist in California. 

To break a fever , you can take over-the-counter medication, like Tylenol or Ibuprofen, which are common fever reducers that decrease inflammation and may help mitigate chills. 

Chills themselves are not necessarily dangerous, though a high fever can be. You should seek medical care if your temperature reaches 103 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, or your fever doesn't respond to fever reducing medications, as this can be a sign of a serious illness that needs medical attention. 

If you're experiencing chills for other reasons, like low blood sugar, treating the underlying cause will often resolve the issue. For example, to immediately treat a hypoglycemic attack, Nissola recommends consuming sugar, like fruit juice. 

To stop a panic attack with chills, you can practice deep breathing or relaxation techniques. 

If you experience chills after vigorous exercise, you should change out of your sweaty clothes as soon as you can after your workout and put on warm, dry clothes to regulate your body temperature. 

Related articles from our Health Reference library:

• 4 common causes of night sweats and when to be concerned
• How to tell if you have a fever without a thermometer
• The common cold in babies: How to treat it and when to see a doctor
• Should my kid wear a face mask? Only if they're at least 2 years old
• Can you reuse a face mask? It won't be as effective if you do

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• Main content

Chills But No Fever? 10 Possible Reasons Why, According To Doctors

Medical experts share the potential causes.

“Chills are a serious symptom that can present as an early warning sign of underlying infection or illness ,” says Keri Peterson, MD, an internal medicine doctor and Women’s Health advisory board member based in New York City. In these cases, a fever builds to fight off whatever infection is impacting the body, and chills are a side effect.

However, chills don’t always mean that you have a fever , and often, there are other underlying health issues at play. “Chills without a fever are arguably more common and can be representative of many things,” notes Neha Vyas, MD, a family medicine physician at Cleveland Clinic. You'll want to pay attention to other symptoms you're having to get to the root cause (more on that soon).

If you have chills but no fever and can't figure out the cause, don't panic. Here are some of the potential reasons you might be feeling the shakes, according to medical experts.

Meet the experts: Keri Peterson, MD , is an internal medicine doctor in New York City and Women's Health advisory board member. Neha Vyas, MD , is a family medicine specialist at Cleveland Clinic.

What does it mean if you have chills but no fever?

First, let's define what chills are and why they happen. Chills reveal that the “body's core temperature is lower than its ideal range, triggering involuntary muscle spasms that aim to conduct heat,” explains Dr. Vyas. Essentially, the body is trying to make itself warm. Chills and shivering are some of the most common symptoms associated with fever, per the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care —but what happens when your temperature is stable?

Chills with no fever can reveal underlying conditions ranging from serious to very mundane. It can be as simple as being too cold (which a few warm layers can easily solve!) or the chills might be a symptom of a chronic condition like diabetes or thyroid disease.

10 Potential Reasons For Chills Without Fever

1. medication side effects.

“There are tons of medications that may cause side effects of chills, and there are several combinations of drugs that can cause this,” says Dr. Vyas. Some of the most common include insulin and other diabetic drugs, pain medications, and certain migraine meds.

Having high levels of serotonin can also play a role, Dr. Peterson adds. " Serotonin syndrome , a condition where serotonin levels become too high, can be a result of taking a combination of drugs that increase serotonin levels,” she explains. “An example of this would be a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and a triptan .”

If you're taking any of these and notice the chills more often, your meds could be the culprit.

2. Hypothyroidism (Underactive Thyroid)

The thyroid is an important organ of the endocrine system that is responsible for releasing hormones that regulate metabolism , development, and growth of the human body, per the NIH . An underactive thyroid “does not produce enough hormones to regulate metabolism [which] can cause sensitivity to cold and chills,” explains Dr. Peterson.

If you're concerned your chills may be a sign of thyroid disease , look out for other symptoms that accompany chills like weight gain , constipation, tiredness, dry skin, muscle weakness, and hair thinning —and always consult a doc to fully assess your symptoms.

3. Hypoglycemia (Low Blood Sugar)

“Patients with immunocompromised conditions such as diabetes may experience chills when their blood sugar is low,” Dr. Vyas explains. As a result of taking too much insulin, blood sugar dips and folks may experience body shakes and jitters as a symptom of hypoglycemia, she adds. Luckily, if caught during early stages, blood sugar can be raised quickly with a sugary drink, glucose tablet, or piece of candy.

Other early warning signs of hypoglycemia include fast heartbeat, shaking, nervousness or anxiety, dizziness, and hunger, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If you're dealing with any of these symptoms, it may be time to make an appointment with your doc.

4. Menopause

Sometimes, hormonal changes can cause chills. “In older women, chills can be a sign of hot flashes or night sweats and are a symptom of menopause ,” says Dr. Vyas.

According to the NIH , other symptoms of menopause include trouble sleeping, mood swings, change in period frequency, loss of bladder control, and pain during sex . If you're dealing with any of these along with the chills, speak with your doctor for personalized recommendations to manage your symptoms. They may suggest hormone replacement therapy (HRT) , a commonly prescribed treatment to help manage menopause symptoms, but know that there are many options available.

“Chills can be a sign of mental health conditions such as anxiety or panic attack disorders,” Dr. Peterson states. According to the American Psychological Association (APA) , anxiety is characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and other physical symptoms like sweating, dizziness, rapid heartbeat, and trembling. If this sounds familiar, talk to your doctor about your treatment options which may include talk therapy and/or medication for anxiety . And in the meantime, practices like breathwork , regular exercise, and cutting back on caffeine can help manage your anxiety symptoms.

While anxiety tends to linger almost all the time (even when there's no stressor), stress is typically more short-term. If you are feeling stressed to the point where you have chills, your body is having a serious reaction, says Dr. Peterson. To help, she recommends looking into relaxation techniques. “With severe stress there is stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system, which releases cortisol, and adrenaline surges into the bloodstream,” she explains. “Adrenaline can cause your body to shake or tremble.” As with anxiety, therapy may be helpful in addition to options such as meditation, breathing techniques , or yoga, Dr. Peterson says.

7. Hangover

Tremors, which can resemble chills, can also be the result of a long night of drinking, as the body is experiencing alcohol withdrawal, says Dr. Peterson. To avoid spending your Sunday in bed recovering from a hangover , try to limit how many drinks you consume, pace yourself, or avoid drinking altogether and invest in new hobbies with people who share a similar mindset, she adds.

8. Excessive Exercise

“Marathon runners or tri-athletes may experience chills after races because it's their body’s way of compensating for that excess energy expenditure,” says Dr. Vyas. After exercising over a long period of time, the body may be dehydrated, overheated, or have low blood sugar, adds Dr. Vyas, requiring you to listen to what your body needs, whether it's food, water, or rest.

9. Cold Temperatures

Sometimes, having chills simply means you're too cold. Perhaps it's chilly outside or the air conditioning in your house is blasting. In this case, get under the covers, pour yourself a cup of hot tea , throw on a few layers, and you should feel warmer soon.

That said, in extreme cases, your body can experience hypothermia, which requires immediate medical attention. Apart from shivering, warning signs of hypothermia include exhaustion, a weak pulse, fast heart rate, and confusion, per the Cleveland Clinic . If you've been in extreme conditions and are concerned about this, seek medical attention ASAP.

In the most severe cases, chills without fever can be a “systemic response to something going on in your body that's not quite right and could be a manifestation of some sort of internal cancer,” explains Dr. Vyas.

Other symptoms that may signal something serious is going on include sudden weight loss or weight gain, extreme fatigue, fever or night sweats, stomach or back pain, lumps or swelling in the body, or unusual bleeding or bruising, according to the American Cancer Society . Of course, if you have any concerns this could be the case, you should see your doctor ASAP.

Home Remedies For Chills

Until the underlying cause is determined, Dr. Vyas does not recommend any home remedies for chills without fever. If the culprit is as simple as being cold, remedies like heating pads , warm layers, or hot baths can be helpful. However, she notes, chills should be judged in light of other symptoms you may be having. “As a doctor who specializes in chronic diseases and lifetime care, I use the patient’s history to determine if chills reveal there is something very serious or innocuous going on," she says.

When To See A Doctor

If chills become frequent and you cannot find the underlying cause, then it is important to seek medical attention. When working with patients who are experiencing chills, Dr. Peterson explains that she typically conducts a "review of systems" from head to toe, asking about each system in the body to determine what is going on.

You should call a provider if you experience stiffness in the neck, confusion, irritability, sluggishness, or if your chills are accompanied by coughing, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, or frequent urination, according to Mount Sinai . Make note of when your chills began and how frequent they are, and know that your doc will likely check your temperature and potentially run some lab tests to rule out anything serious.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about chills without fever, and what experts want you to know.

Why do I have chills after exercising?

While exercising, the body’s temperature rises and produces sweat in order to reach its original temperature, explains Dr. Peterson. The skin may feel cold as a result of this process. Excessive exercise may lead to chills as a result of the body compensating for serious energy expenditure, she adds. These symptoms may be alleviated with food, water, and rest.

How do I treat chills with no fever?

“The chills can be a serious symptom that means something is not right in the body,” says Dr. Vyas. Pay attention to accompanying symptoms and treat them according to the underlying cause, she says. If there is no improvement and simple home remedies do not help, seek medical attention.

Lauren Dresner is a New York City-based writer with a psychology and premedical background. When she isn’t writing, reading, or listening to her favorite wellness/lifestyle podcasts, she’s tackling her fitness goals and experimenting with various cooking projects.

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New Research

What Happens in the Brain When Music Causes Chills?

The brains of people who get chills when the right song comes on are wired differently than others

Jason Daley

Correspondent

For some people it’s David Bowie. For others it’s Franz Liszt . But regardless of the genre, when the right chords combine, many people will get goose bumps or a chill up the spine.

Somewhere between a half to two-thirds of the population have this reaction, yet scientists have long debated why. Past research has shown that when experiencing "the chills," the neurotransmitter dopamine floods through the body . But a new study published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience  details what happens in the brain when the soprano hits the high note, reports  Ian Sample for  The Guardian .

These reactions are known as frissons —an aesthetic chill also sometimes called a “skin orgasm,”  Mitchell Colver, doctoral student at Utah State University,  writes for  The Conversation . Though they are usually associated with listening to music, some can even get the willies while looking at art or watching a movie.

To investigate what happens in the brain during the chills, a group of researchers from Harvard and Wesleyan University selected ten people who claimed that they regularly experience a frisson while listening to music. He also selected ten subjects who never experienced the phenomenon.

The researchers then looked at the brains of the test subjects while they listened to chill-inducing music using a method called diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), which shows how well regions of the brain are interconnected, reports Sample. The choices ranged from Coldplay and Wagner to marching band music from the Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps.

The researchers found that the brains of individuals who occasionally feel a chill while listening to music were wired differently than the control subjects. They had more nerve fibers connecting auditory cortex, the part of the brain that processes sound, to their anterior insular cortex, a region involved in processing feelings. The auditory cortex also had strong links to parts of the brain that may monitor emotions.

So why do so many get the chills when the music is just right? “The chills is a sensation we get when we’re cold. It doesn’t really make sense that your hair would stand on end, or that you’d get these goosebumps in response to music,” Matthew Sachs, an author of the paper, tells Sample. “We think that the connectivity between the auditory cortex and these other regions is allowing music to have that profound emotional response in these people. It’s very hard to know whether or not this is learned over time, or whether these people naturally had more fibers. All we can say is there are differences that might explain the behavior we see.”

Colver, who has also studied the phenomenon, says that previous research shows that the ability to experience a frisson is related to a personality trait called Openness to Experience . But his research suggests that those who experience the chills while listening to music weren’t always those having a deep emotional connection. Instead, his study showed that people engaged in the music more intellectually, like trying to predict the melody or putting mental imagery to the music, were more likely to get a shiver when the music deviated from their expectations in a positive way.

But not everyone is so enthusiastic about the idea of discerning beauty from brain scans. Philip Ball writes for  Nature News :  “Although it is worth knowing that musical ‘chills’ are neurologically akin to the responses invoked by sex or drugs, an approach that cannot distinguish Bach from barbiturates is surely limited.”

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Jason Daley is a Madison, Wisconsin-based writer specializing in natural history, science, travel, and the environment. His work has appeared in Discover , Popular Science , Outside , Men’s Journal , and other magazines.

Here's Why You Get Emotional Chills

There are certain pieces of art that are so beautiful to me that they give me the sensation of having chills run down my back. These include: the sweeping orchestral finale to Swan Lake , the perfect ending to Casablanca (and the La Marseillaise scene , of course), The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock , and the conclusion to City Lights (OK, clearly I have a soft spot for good endings). Sometimes, when you're lucky, this sensation is also replicated in everyday life — when you see the sky filled with stars, or hold your baby sibling for the first time, or have a first kiss.

Apparently emotional chills are an incredibly common (but special and treasured and meaningful!) feeling. For instance, research shows that 50 percent of us get these kinds of chills when listening to music . But why do we get those feelings? What possible evolutionary advantage do we get from feeling cold when we see something beautiful?

It turns out that there are a few theories, actually. For starters, when we interact with something pleasurable, we get a rush of dopamine in our brain. But if the pleasure of a dopamine rush is delayed — if a certain note in a song is withheld, or the scene ends on a bittersweet note — the dopamine continues to build up until the payoff comes through. That's why on Adele's "Someone Like You," the appoggiatura — that small vocal dip and adjustment when Adele sings "you" in the chorus — is what happens around the time you start to lose it.

According to Mental Floss:

You can feel chills from any genre, whether it’s Mozart, Madonna, tango, or techno. It’s the structure—not the style — that counts. Goosebumps most often occur when something unexpected happens: A new instrument enters, the form shifts, the volume suddenly dims. It’s all about the element of surprise.

But there are other, contributing factors as well. For instance, we get chills most often when confronted with art that's sad or bittersweet. According to research from neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp , this is because we feel a split-second of fear when we are confronted with sad art. We feel the loss that the song, poem, movie scene, or painting is describing — but then our brains tell us that there's no actual danger to us, that what we're experiencing is a work of fiction removed from ourselves. As Psychology Today writes, this is consistent with our idea of awe as a combination of fear and joy — a combination of sympathy and remove, of wonder and terror.

So there you have it: That's why you get a chill whenever you experience something beautiful. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some music to go listen to.

Images: Nickolai Kashirin /Flickr

• Cold, Flu, & Cough

Why Do I Have the Chills? Reasons Other Than Fever

Heavy Exercise

Physical activity that’s really intense or lasts for a long time can raise your body temperature. Heat exhaustion, or exertional heat illness, might give you chills. You may feel confused or your muscles may be hard to control. You might get diarrhea or vomit, or faint.

Underactive Thyroid

The thyroid is a small butterfly-shaped gland in your neck. It puts out hormones to help control how your body uses energy. You might have a condition called hypothyroidism if it's not working the right way. Symptoms include tiredness, constipation, and a low heart rate. You might also have trouble dealing with cold. You may get chills as a result.

Hypoglycemia

That’s when your blood sugar dips below healthy levels. Sweating, chills, and clamminess can all be signs. You may feel shaky, weak, irritable, hungry, and nauseous until you get your blood sugar back up.

This is an infection caused by a parasite. It happens when an infected mosquito bites you. Malaria does cause a fever, but chills often come first. Some people have several attacks. That’s when you get chills, a fever, start sweating, then return to normal. It happens over and over.

Kidney Stones

They’re minerals and salts that clump together in hard deposits inside your kidneys. Your body passes them through your ureters to get rid of them. Those are the tubes that connect your kidney and bladder. Sometimes the stones get stuck and cause infection. That may bring on chills, nausea, and fever.

Hypothermia

When you’re in very cold temperatures for a long time, your body loses heat faster than it can make it. This is what leads to hypothermia. Shivering chills is one of the symptoms. You might have memory loss and slurred speech. You may also be confused and feel sleepy.

Emotional Reactions

When you have intense feelings about something, you might feel “shivers down your spine” or goosebumps. This is called “frisson” or a “skin orgasm.” It involves a release of dopamine from your brain. You might have this type of chill when you’re scared or hear a song you really like.

Panic Attack

A panic attack doesn’t just affect your mind. You can have physical symptoms, too. They might include trouble breathing, sweating, and dizziness. You may also get chest pain and chills. Sometimes people think a panic attack is a heart attack because the symptoms can be the same.

Post-Surgery Side Effect

You might shiver when you wake up if you’ve been under anesthesia. That’s because your body temperature may have dropped during surgery. Once you’re awake, your body starts to heat back up. The chills should go away after 20-30 minutes.

Multiple Sclerosis

That’s a disease that attacks your central nervous system. Symptoms can include numbness and tingling. Or you may have a burning “pins and needles” feeling. You might also become much more sensitive to temperature and feel cold easily.

It happens when your body doesn’t have enough red blood cells, so it can’t carry the right amount of oxygen to your tissues. It’s common to feel tired, weak, and cold when you have anemia. These symptoms can get worse if your anemia does.

Malnutrition

Certain vitamins and minerals help keep your body at the right temperature. That’s called thermoregulation. Zinc, copper, and iron all play a part. If you’re running low, you may feel cold and easily catch a chill.

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Psychogenic shivers: why we get the chills when we aren’t cold

Courtesy Rex Features/Shutterstock/Paramount

by Félix Schoeller   + BIO

A few years ago, I proposed that the feeling of cold in one’s spine, while for example watching a film or listening to music, corresponds to an event when our vital need for cognition is satisfied. Similarly, I have shown that chills are not solely related to music or film but also to the practice of science (mainly physics and mathematics) and to the social logic of religious rituals. I believe that chills and aesthetic emotions in general can teach us something that we do not know yet. They can help us to understand what truly matters to the mind and to the society of minds.

When cold or sick, humans shiver. Shivering is a muscle tremor that produces heat which allows the body to maintain its core temperature in a changing world. Human core temperature can vary temporarily between about 28 to 42 degrees Celsius. Outside these thresholds, death occurs. Humans also shiver in the case of a fever, as heat slows down the rate of pathogen growth and improves the immune response of a living body. Goosebumps or piloerection (the bristling of hairs) can be side effects, as the muscle tremor causes hair to become erect which creates a thin layer of air, thus minimising heat loss. Strangely enough, humans also shiver independently of any such events. For instance, certain social situations seem to provoke the shivers.

Humans are particularly prone to shiver when a group does or thinks the same thing at the same time. When a crowd is sharing a common goal. When they listen to a national anthem or witness self-sacrifice. When they die for their ideas. When collective thought becomes more important than individual life. But humans also shiver from situations that are not social in nature. Some shiver when they manage to find a solution to certain mathematical problems for example, and so shivering cannot be reduced to a social mechanism.

W hy does a psychological event trigger a physiological response related to the regulation of temperature? At a fundamental level, cognition requires change. If you stabilise a retina using adequate instruments, the organ ceases to transmit signals to the primary visual cortex, and one gradually becomes blind. From the standpoint of the sense organ, the same object never appears similar to itself twice. Two chairs are never exactly the same. In other words, one is constantly discovering a visual field. Everything you feel, you feel for the first time. Perception is really exploration and, if we can perceive anything at all, it is because we are constantly matching incoming sensory signals to available mental models. You rarely fail to recognise objects in your surroundings. The world is always already meaningful, and it is sometimes beautiful.

The process by which a mind adapts to its world is so effective that people constantly mistake one for the other. When a large part of thought matches a large part of world, one might consciously feel what we call aesthetic emotions . Historically, aesthetics is the science of how perception meets cognition, the science of how you know what you see. The majority of aesthetic emotions are unconscious. They occur every time you see something. When you see something important enough, you might experience these emotions consciously. This happens through bodily changes such as tears, heartbeat increase, sweat – or shivers. The strange thing with shivering is that humans seem to shiver both when they are perfectly capable of predicting the behaviour of external objects in real time, when it all fits together so well, and, surprisingly, when nothing at all can be predicted, when the situation goes out of control.

I propose that psychogenic shivers correspond to an event where the measure of the total similarity between all sensory signals and available mental models reaches a local peak value. This can be expressed mathematically in terms of the rate of change of a function of conditional similarity. In this context, any change in learning corresponds to an aesthetic emotion. When the function reaches a local maximum, its derivative tends toward zero, and learning slows down. This corresponds to a ‘turning’ point in your total knowledge. Ten years ago, Perlovsky predicted that such an event should involve knowledge about other minds and about the meaning of life.

We know that psychogenic shivers can be inhibited by an excitant, the opioid-antagonist naloxone. Naloxone is what you would inject in a clinical setting to a patient who is victim of an overdose; it is the antagonist of morphine. It does not come as a surprise that most of my subjects state that they relax after they experience an aesthetic shiver. Besides a clear analogy with the sexual drive, what does this tell us about the exploratory drive?

I argue that stories that provoke the shivers might bring about this relief of tension by allowing humans to overcome conflicts among fundamental parts of the mind. Such stories might help us to deal with internal contradictions, where both elements are equally resistant to change. Leon Festinger, who in 1957 invented the theory of cognitive dissonance, named this a dissonance of maximum amplitude. The mind creates stories to overcome its own contradictions. Anthropologists call this a myth, and we know from a wealth of work in anthropology that rituals are likely to provoke shivers down the spine.

We give two examples for such fundamental conflicts; one is biological and the other cultural. The biological conflict derives from the fact that, while we survive as a species by sharing goals, we might never access the goal of other minds directly. We thus shiver in cases of seemingly total communication – theoretical synchrony. Another example derives from the fundamental discordance between the altruistic nature of the human animal on the one hand, and the logic of the currently dominant social system on the other. These hypotheses would explain why you might shiver in the course of a film when empathy becomes a necessary condition to reduce narrative tension to its minimum. When the bad guy ends up saving the good guy.

T here are three plausible explanations for the fundamental relation between cognition and temperature. One is physiological, the other is physical, and the third is biological. The physiological explanation simply consists of describing psychogenic shivers as a case of fever. The relation between emotion and temperature is in fact very ancient, and even reptiles display evidence of stress-induced hyperthermia.

The physical explanation relates the dissipation of heat at the shiver to the processing of information in the brain. In 1961 the physicist Rolf Landauer at IBM proposed the principle that any erasure of information should be accompanied by the dissipation of heat. This was verified experimentally a few years ago in Lyon. If this hypothesis is not entirely false, then we should eventually be able to predict the amount of heat produced, given accurate knowledge of the information process. Until then, I do not see any good reason to quantify the shiver.

Finally, the biological explanation relates the origins of human thought to the tremendous changes in temperature at its birth . It might be that we can observe this relation between the mechanisms that regulate cognition and the mechanisms that regulate temperature because of the particular context in which thought saw the light of day. In other words, a shiver might have very well accompanied the first human idea. Since then, every time we grasp something important, perhaps we repeat the gesture.

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Gentle medicine could radically transform medical practice

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Childhood and adolescence

For a child, being carefree is intrinsic to a well-lived life

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Meaning and the good life

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Warren Ward

Philosophy of mind

Think of mental disorders as the mind’s ‘sticky tendencies’

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Philosophy cannot resolve the question ‘How should we live?’

David Ellis

Entertainment

‘rema gave me advice my parents didn’t give’ – odumodublvck.

Nigerian rapper, Odumodublvck, has expressed his admiration for singer Rema.

Portraying the youngster as a sage, Odumodublvck revealed that he gave him advice not even his parents could have given him.

He stated that despite being six years older than Rema, he always listens attentively whenever the singer speaks.

The rapper said Rema proved to him that attaining legendary status isn’t by age.

On his X handle, Odumodublvck wrote: “I senior Rema with six years but when him dey talk I dey pay full attention. E get many thing wey him tell me wey I never hear anybody tell me. Not even my father and mother.

“And trust me, I don hear many advice. I repeat OG no be by age.”

DAILY POST reports that Odumodublvck along with Shallipopi were the only artistes featured in Rema’s sophomore ‘He Is’ which arrived Thursday.

Odumodublvck was featured on a track titled ‘War Machine.’

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Free Slurpee Day: On Thursday, 7/11, you can get a free frozen drink at 7-Eleven. Here's how.

Want a free slurpee stop in a participating 7-eleven, speedway or stripes store on thursday, july 11, to get a free small slurpee (while supplies last) on the convenience store chain's 97th birthday..

Here's one way to cool down : Head over to 7-Eleven for a free Slurpee on Thursday.

July 11 marks the convenience store chain's 97th birthday and what's become known as National Slurpee Day , when 7-Eleven gives away free Slurpees to celebrate. To get your freebie, just visit a participating 7-Eleven , Speedway or Stripes store to get a free small Slurpee.

You can get more than than just that one free Slurpee, too. Scan your 7Rewards and Speedy Rewards membership information and you will get a coupon for another free small Slurpee between July 12-31.

You can also get a chance to win free Slurpees for an entire year – or free snacks for a year – by using your 7Rewards or Speedy Rewards apps, or by purchasing certain products such as Doritos, Coca-Cola and Celsius energy drinks. For rules on various ways to enter the 7-Eleven Snacks or Sips for a Year contest, click here .

When is free Slurpee Day at 7-Eleven?

Slurpee Day is Thursday, July 11, which is also the 97th anniversary of the founding of 7-Eleven. Its first convenience store opened in Dallas, Texas.

There's no purchase necessary for your free small Slurpee. Just go into a participating 7-Eleven, Speedway or Stripes store to get your free drink (offer only good on July 11, while supplies last).

National French Fry Day 2024: Get free fries and deals at McDonald's, Wendy's, more

Free Slurpee cups support good cause

This year, the free small Slurpees come in special edition cup designed with the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. Customers can also support the charity by making a donation when they come into stores.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Children's Miracle Network Hospitals (@cmnhospitals)

More Slurpee-related treats at 7-Eleven

Can't get enough Slurpee goodness? When you visit 7-Eleven look for limited-edition Hostess Twinkies with Cherry Slurpee-flavored cream filling. The treat is expected to be available in stores through mid-August.

And if you are lucky, you might still find the Drumstick Slurpee Blue Raspberry Vanilla Cone, a Drumstick ice cream cone with a blue raspberry Slurpee layer. The limited edition treat, made with "delicious blue razz sauce ripples and candy bits," debuted in June and was expected to be available at least through the July Fourth holiday.

Want to wear your 7-Eleven crush on your sleeve? Head to the chain's online merchandise shop, where you will find new 7Collection hats, shirts and other items .

Inspired to throw a 7-Eleven birthday party? There's also $35 party kit including 7-Eleven candles, napkins, plastic utensils, paper plates, a table cloth and balloons.

Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads:  @mikesnider  & mikegsnider .

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What time is President Joe Biden's press conference today? How to watch live

President Joe Biden is set to appear in a press conference Thursday evening, marking the end of the 2024 NATO summit in Washington, D.C.

Biden announced he would appear in a solo press conference during the NATO summit shortly after his performance in the June 27th Presidential Debate sparked party-wide concern about his ability to beat Donald Trump in November or to serve in executive office for another four-year term.

The solo conference is one in a handful of press appearances the President has made in response to calls to step down from those within his party .

Here’s where, when, and why Texans should tune into the appearance:

When is President Joe Biden's press conference?

President Joe Biden is holding a live press conference Thursday, July 11, 2024.

Where is President Joe Biden's press conference today?

Biden will be appearing from the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington D.C.

How to watch President Joe Biden's press conference: Time, TV channel, live stream

The conference is scheduled for 5:30 PM CT and will be streaming across major news sites and cable channels. The white house will also be live streaming the press conference on YouTube .

What to expect from President Biden's press conference Thursday

While the conference is scheduled after NATO, and reporters will likely ask the president to discuss the summit, the President may also be asked to address concerns about his fitness for office and about the November election.

The president’s last solo news conference was eight months ago, following a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in California. The conference lasted about 20 minutes, and Biden answered around a dozen questions.

Biden’s performance in select press appearances over the past two weeks has done little to assuage concerns about his ability to win in the Fall.

After Democratic U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett became the first Democrat in Congress to publicly call for Biden to step down as the Democratic nominee on July 2, the president sat down for a solo interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos. In the July 5th interview filmed in Wisconsin, Biden doubled down on his commitment to remaining the nominee. The president also declined to sit for an independent mental acuity test, saying that his performance on the job was proof of his ability.

While reactions to the Stephanopoulos interview were more positive than public opinion after the presidential debate, democratic representatives and long-time supporters alike have continued to voice desires for a new nominee. On July 9 th , Stephanopoulos was caught on video saying that he did not believe the president could serve for four more years.

More: When Lloyd Doggett called on Biden to stand down, it was one old pro talking to another

Doggett has since doubled down on the need for a new nominee during a meeting of House Democrats, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that the president should continue to weigh his options before deciding to stay in the race.

In a precipitating moment yesterday, long-term Democratic supporter George Clooney published a New York Times op-ed saying that Biden appeared incapable of winning in November during a fundraiser hosted three weeks ago.

“This isn’t only my opinion; this is the opinion of every senator and Congress member and governor who I’ve spoken with in private,” Clooney wrote in the essay. “Every single one, irrespective of what he or she is saying publicly.”

More: George Clooney argues in new op-ed that Democratic Party needs a new nominee

Biden, Harris visits to Texas to appeal to voters

In attempting to assure voters of his continued ability to serve, President Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris have both devoted attention to their constituents in Texas.

Harris appeared in Dallas yesterday to deliver a keynote speech at a meeting of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, the first intercollegiate historically African American sorority of which Harris was a member.

Biden is set to visit Austin on Monday for an official White House trip to the LBJ Presidential Library and Museum , where he will give a speech commemorating Lyndon B. Johnson's signing the Civil Rights Act 60 years ago. Though the event is closed to the public, the speech will be livestreamed on YouTube starting at 12:30 p.m.

Later that evening, the President is scheduled to sit down with NBC News host Lester Holt for an interview .

Biden, who is 81, has given historically few media appearances for a sitting president. The interview will be one of about 160 during his term, compared to Trump 468 from 2016-2020.

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You Won't Believe 14-Year-Old Reid Wilson's Soulful Voice Belting "You Don't Own Me"

 A nervous 14-year-old boy from Alabama won the Judges over with a cover of a classic anthem for women's rights.

A 14-year-old boy from Alabama had America’s Got Talent Judges “bowled over” when he took the mic and delivered a timeless 1960’s classic tune.

How to Watch

Watch America’s Got Talent Tuesdays at 8/7c on NBC and next day on Peacock . 

Reid Wilson came with his sweet southern manners when first meeting AGT Host Terry Crews backstage. The unassuming teen, sporting a turtleneck sweater and braces, explained that while he had only sung for small family gatherings, he had yet to bring his musical abilities to the big stage.

“When I was little, I would just run around the house screaming at the top of my lungs,” he told producers. “I was not good at all. I just kind of started teaching myself from there.”

RELATED:  Comedian Erica Rhodes Had Sofia Vergara Cracking Up in Her AGT Audition

As he later told Judge Simon Cowell , Wilson had only grown serious about singing in the past year. He said it was “definitely” his dream to become AGT ’s “next superstar” while hopefully freeing himself of the stigmas of being a middle child at home, which made him feel a little “forgotten.”

“I’m definitely nervous,” said Wilson backstage, “but I’m going to put my all into those two minutes to sing my heart out and just try not to miss a note.”

Wilson was true to his word, and because of it, he left with Judge Howie Mandel ’s Golden Buzzer .

What song did Reid Wilson sing?

Wilson had Judges eating out of the palm of his hand when belting out the 1963 Lesley Gore classic, “You Don’t Own Me.”  With lyrics such as " You don’t own me, I’m not just one of your many toys. You don’t own me, don’t say I can’t go with other boys,"  the chart-topping tune became an anthem in women’s rights and feminism by challenging contemporaneous beliefs that men could have possession over their female partners.

Gore, already famous for her hit song “It’s My Party,” recorded “You Don’t Own Me” when she was only 17 years old before it was released as a single and featured on Lesley Gore Sings of Mixed-Up Hearts .

Gore later referred to it as her "signature song,” according to BBC .

“After some 40 years, I still close my show with that song because I can’t find anything stronger, to be honest with you,” said Gore. “It’s a song that kind of grows every time you do it.”

The hit was certified gold, platinum, and multi-platinum across the globe. It has since been covered by many musical greats, including Kristen Chenoweth, Christina Aguilera, Joan Jett, and Dusty Springfield. For the 1996 film The First Wives Club , Bette Midler, Diane Keaton, and Goldie Hawn also famously covered the song.

In 2014, Gore helped a handful of celebs, such as Lena Dunham and Natasha Lyonne, lip-sync “You Don’t Own Me” for a P.S.A. encouraging women to vote in the midterm elections to protect women’s rights over their bodies, as reported by Entertainment Weekly .

Gore died of lung cancer the following year.

Reid's brother, Ryley Wilson, competed on The Voice

Reid isn't the only singer in his family who has graced the stage of an NBC competition show. His brother, Ryley got four chair turns on Season 23 of The Voice when he was just 15. In the video above, you can see Reid right there on the sidelines enthusiastically cheering his big brother on. Ryley ended up on Coach Niall Horan's team and ended up touring with him after the show. 

Ultimately he made it into the top eight but didn't secure enough votes to make it to the finals.

Why did Howie Mandel give his Golden Buzzer?

Mandel said he was “bowled over” because he was so “surprised” by Wilson’s rendition, one filled with impressive vibrato and a mix of husky low notes and hair-raising high notes.

Cowell also said he “wasn’t expecting that” from a 14-year-old boy from Alabama.

During the performance, Cowell said he closed his eyes and opened them, only to be met by a “sweet little kid” who admitted he was inspired by the Queen of Soul herself, Aretha Franklin.  

“That was a surprise, and you know what? That stage is where dreams come true,” Mandel told Wilson. “Do you believe in dreams?”

Blink and You'll Miss This Quick Change Magician's Incredible AGT Act

Wilson said he had, to which Mandel rose from his chair and walked toward the Golden Buzzer.

“Well, one is about to come to you,” Mandel proudly proclaimed.

Wilson stood stunned when showered in gold confetti and began crying as his mother, Crews, and Mandel met him onstage. Wilson said he was a bit “starstruck” by the company, but he thanked the Judges, “especially Howie,” for helping make his dreams come true.

"Why did I do it? I did it because everything, the sound and who you are, is nothing close to anything I was expecting," Mandel told the teen. "You're a big talent. Aretha was in the room."

Watch all-new episodes of America’s Got Talent , airing Tuesdays at 8/7c on NBC and Peacock .

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Pregnant gypsy rose blanchard says she plans to give baby ‘all the things she wanted in a mother’: ‘second chance at life’.

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Breaking the cycle.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard — who announced that she was pregnant and expecting her first baby with boyfriend Ken Urker on Tuesday — got candid about wanting to be a better mom than the one she had.

“I want to be kind, that my kids come to me for any kind of advice, just like my stepmother,” she told People in an interview published Wednesday, referring to her dad Rod Blanchard’s wife, Kristy Blanchard.

“I have seen how she has parented her children — and I think she’s a kick-ass mom. She’s supportive and not overbearing,” she added. Rod and Kristy share two kids: Mia and Dylan.

“She lets her kids find their dreams while also being able to pick up the pieces when those dreams fall apart sometimes — so that’s kind of the mantra I want to live by.”

Gypsy was convicted of second-degree murder for planning the 2015 death of her mom , Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard, who suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy (now known as factitious disorder imposed on another). Considered to be a mental illness and a form of  child abuse , FDIA happens when the caretaker of a child either makes up fake symptoms or causes real symptoms to make it look like the child is sick, per the Cleveland Clinic .

In December 2023, Gypsy was released on parole after serving more than eight years behind bars.

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Though the “Released: Conversations on the Eve of Freedom” author didn’t have a great relationship with her mom, she said she wants to parent her baby differently.

“All the things that I wanted in a mother, I want to give to this baby. My mother told me I was never going to get married, raise a family, have kids or do any of that,” she told the outlet.

“So, to be here, standing on my own two feet and expecting my first baby, that’s something I’ve reached as an achievement and a personal goal. I thank God every day that I am now having this second chance at life with a kid of my own.”

Gypsy added, “The way my mother parented me is definitely not the way I’m going to be. We always say for the next generation, we want to be better than we were raised. And so, for me, I think that couldn’t be any more truthful.

“I have learned from the experience of the trauma of everything not to do.”

The “Life After Lock Up” star and Urker, who were previously engaged from 2018 to 2019 while she was behind bars, made headlines when they reignited their romance just days after she announced her separation from husband Ryan Scott Anderson.

Gypsy is due in January 2025.

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Bayern Munich complete Joao Palhinha signing from Fulham

Bayern Munich have completed the signing of midfielder Joao Palhinha from Fulham .

He has joined the German club on a four-year contract that will run until 2028.

“This is one of the happiest days of my life. I’m now playing for one of the top clubs in Europe,” Palhinha said.

“It’s a dream come true for me, and I’m very proud of that. I’m looking forward to the atmosphere and the fans at the Allianz Arena. I want to enjoy success with FC Bayern and win titles — I’ll give it my all.”

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The Athletic  previously reported   Bayern had reached an agreement worth €51million (£43.1m, $54.9m) plus €5m to sign Palhinha , equalling a club record sale for Fulham.

Palhinha nearly joined Bayern last summer after agreeing terms, but the move collapsed due to Fulham being unable to find a replacement. The 29-year-old was so close to the move, that he had completed his medical and posed with his new shirt.

The Portugal international was also the subject of a £45m ($58.8m) bid from West Ham United last summer, which Fulham rejected.

Palhinha has starred for Marco Silva’s side since joining from Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon in the summer of 2022, helping Fulham to secure successive mid-table positions in the Premier League .

He made 79 appearances in all competitions across two seasons with Fulham, scoring eight goals.

Bayern finished third in the Bundesliga last season as their run of 11 successive league titles was ended by Bayer Leverkusen . They also reached the Champions League semi-finals.

Vincent Kompany was appointed the club’s new head coach in May following the departure of Thomas Tuchel.

Palhinha’s arrival long overdue at Bayern

Analysis from The Athletic’s Seb Stafford-Bloor

Bayern have been chasing Palhinha for over a year for good reason. While their midfield is generally well-stocked, the club have never really replaced Javi Martinez , who left Germany in 2021. Konrad Laimer was signed on a free transfer last summer, but Bayern remain short of defensive rigidity in that part of the pitch and have struggled to find a balanced combination.

Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka both have uncertain futures. Aleksandar Pavlovic is one of the brightest talents in the Bundesliga but is a much more artisanal midfielder, whose strengths are all with possession.

Conversely, Palhinha is one of the most combative one-on-one tacklers in the Premier League. While also technically accomplished and a finer passer, the Portuguese will provide a layer of protection ahead of a defence which has struggled over recent seasons and within which several players — including Dayot Upamecano , Matthijs de Ligt , Kim Min-jae and Eric Dier — have individually struggled.

There is no question that Palhinha is someone Bayern needed and few fans will quibble with the club having made him the fourth-highest transfer in the club’s history.

Fulham face big challenge to replace Palhinha

Analysis from The Athletic’s Peter Rutzler

Signed for a fee in the region of €20m (£17.2m) in 2022, Palhinha has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water. His style of play, characterised by a ferocious appetite for a slide tackle, has not only made him a clear fan favourite, but also one of the Premier League’s most eye-catching defensive midfielders.

For two seasons in a row, Palhinha has won more tackles than any other player, by a sizeable margin (152 in 2023-24, up from 148 in 2022-23).

Fulham's player of the season: Joao Palhinha, the master destroyer

For Marco Silva, who was instrumental in his recruitment, Palhinha has been a key cog in his midfield. After winning promotion from the Championship, he wanted a more combative holding player after allowing Jean-Michaell Seri, a playmaker, to depart. Since signing, Palhinha has been the heartbeat of the team and the fear has been that Fulham would struggle without him.

Fulham could not find a replacement at short notice last summer and Palhinha signed a new deal not long afterwards. Palhinha’s desire to join Bayern was clear, but his professionalism since his painful near miss last year has been exemplary. The fee received will surpass that received for Mitrovic last summer from Al Hilal (€52.6m, £46m).

The challenge for Fulham now is to find a replacement. They have coped much better when Palhinha has been absent this past season, but a No. 6 now will be under consideration. Fluminense’s Andre is one name the club have targeted. Unlike last summer, they have more time now to adapt to life without Palhinha.

(Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

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Omar Garrick is a Junior Editor for The Athletic UK, based in London. He previously worked at BBC Sport and The Manchester Evening News. Omar is a journalism graduate from Cardiff University and the University of Sheffield. Follow Omar on Twitter @ GarrickOmar