How to Quickly Lower a Fever

It is essential to monitor body temperature to keep track of it and go to the doctor immediately when it is greater than 40 degrees. With babies and children it is important to consult your paediatrician if it exceeds 38 degrees. Also, you should see a doctor if the fever persists for more than 48 hours and your experience other symptoms such as sore throat, earache, or cough or may be suffering from a serious or chronic illness, or you get a rash or bruise or have recently gotten a vaccine.

In cases where the fever is mild and is not very high and a danger to the patient's health, you can take some steps at home to try to reduce it more quickly and improve the welfare of the affected person. One of the main recommendations is to wear light clothing and not bundle up too much, even if you get chills. It is important that the sweat glands expel body heat, so it is best to wear lightweight fabrics and avoid covering yourself with thick blankets or quilts. Also, it is best to stay somewhere with a temperature of between 21 and 22 degrees.

Another measure most commonly used to accelerate the drop in body temperature is to take a warm bath. Stay in the bath or shower for a few minutes to cool down and the fever will begin to fall. This measure is very effective especially after making an antipyretic medication because otherwise it could cause an immediate rise of the fever.

By contrast, cold baths or showers are not advised, since they cause vasoconstriction, preventing the loss of heat required to bring the fever down.

Just as with warm baths, similar but more localised methods may be effective. One of them is to wet a towel or cloth in warm or cold water and place it on areas such as the forehead, neck, ankles or wrists. There should be no more than two towels on the body, or else the body temperature may get too low. Remove the towels when they have dried and repeat this process as many times as necessary.

Furthermore, especially in the case of children, wetting socks and completely covering the ankles may work well.

To avoid dehydration which can cause a fever, it is essential to increase fluid intake, especially water intake. This allows the body to recover all the liquids lost through sweating and lowers the body temperature. Fruit juices and vegetable or chicken broth can also be good choices.

On the contrary, one should not overeat or be forced to finish the whole plate, eating a soft diet with light, soft and above all lots of liquid food, is much better for the recovery of the patient.

In terms of the most effective drugs to reduce fevers quickly, analgesics and antipyretics such as aspirin or paracetamol are best. These can be purchased in pharmacies without prescriptions and should be taken carefully according to the instructions on the leaflet. In any case, do not replace or complement these with other doctor-prescribed treatments without consultation.

In addition to these recommendations, there are some natural treatments that can be implemented to reduce fevers without using medication. Thyme and chamomile teas, or orange or sunflower peels are advised, besides applying onion or potato topically to the soles of the feet.

This article is merely informative, oneHOWTO does not have the authority to prescribe any medical treatments or create a diagnosis. We invite you to visit your doctor if you have any type of condition or pain.

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