Is it helpful to drink a lot of water when you have a fever?

We have now entered the dog days of summer, which means the hottest forty days have arrived. In this kind of weather, people with poor resistance will easily catch a cold, because they often stay in the air-conditioned room, and the temperature will suddenly rise when they go out. The change from cold to hot is too fast, and people with poor physical fitness will catch a cold. It is said that you should drink more boiled water when you have a cold, but is it really useful to drink a lot of water when you have a fever?

Fever, medically known as "pyrexia", is a regulated increase in body temperature (more than 0.5°C) caused by the action of pyrogens, which shifts the body temperature set point upward. Drinking more water when you have a fever can help reduce the temperature, but improper drinking of water can also cause health problems. What is the correct way to drink water?

Why do you need to drink more water when you have a fever?

When you have a fever, your body sweats to dissipate the heat. When you have a high fever, your body will close its sweat glands because it has lost too much water to prevent further water loss, which will make your body unable to dissipate heat. The solution is to replenish fluids and drink plenty of boiled water or fruit and vegetable juice.

What water should I drink when I have a fever?

The dehydration caused by fever is hypertonic dehydration. Fluid replacement should be in the form of boiled water, fruit and vegetable juice, or sports drinks. Drinks high in sodium should be avoided. Some articles on the Internet recommend homemade rehydration water (actually based on the formula of oral rehydration salts) or directly using oral rehydration salts to replenish fluids for patients with fever. These are unscientific because oral rehydration salts are formulated for patients with acute diarrhea and improper use can cause hypernatremia.

How much water should you drink when you have a fever?

1. When the body temperature is lower than 38℃, it is recommended to drink more boiled water, about 2000ml in total.

2. Although fever causes hypertonic dehydration, high temperature or prolonged fever will cause excessive sweating, and the total body sodium will still be lost. Therefore, when the body temperature is higher than 38°C, it is recommended to drink fruit and vegetable juice, sports drinks and other low-sodium, vitamin-rich beverages. If the temperature is below 39℃, the recommended total volume is 2000-2500ml; if the temperature is above 39℃, the recommended total volume is more than 2500ml.

3. Alternatively, use the drinking time function, input your axillary temperature, age and weight to get recommendations on how much water to drink.

How to drink water when you have a fever?

Drink small amounts multiple times, no more than 300ml at a time; when you have a cold caused by wind and cold, do not drink cold or ice water to avoid aggravating the cold; when you have a cold caused by wind and heat, you can drink cold water, but not ice water.

Wrong way to drink water when you have a fever:

1. Drink too much water. Drinking more water when you have a cold can promote recovery and relieve discomfort, but drinking too much water (it was rumored online that someone drank 4-5L of water when he had a cold and fever) can cause physical discomfort, especially if you drink too much boiled water after sweating profusely, which can easily cause hyponatremia and lead to symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and dizziness.

2. High-sodium beverages. Since fever and dehydration cause the loss of a large amount of water and a small amount of sodium, oral rehydration salts or homemade sugar and salt water cannot be used to replenish water.

Other notes:

1. If you have a cold or fever, don't rush to take antipyretics. Fever is one of the body's mechanisms to resist infection. Our body mobilizes its own defense system to kill foreign pathogens by raising body temperature.

2. Do not use antibiotics at will if you have a cold or fever. Colds and fevers are caused by viruses, and antibiotics have no effect on viruses. Unless a bacterial infection has occurred, do not use antibiotics at will.

3. If the fever is not caused by a cold, the cause should be identified and treated as soon as possible.