A slight rise in body temperature during illness often feels worse than a fever because it forces people to push through activities at the same pace, which can amplify symptoms. Daria Zhukova, a candidate of medical sciences and an allergy-immunologist at the Hadassah clinic network in Skolkovo, spoke about this to socialbites.ca.
She explains that when the body temperature rises, the immune system activates more aggressively to fight the infection. In response, pathogens weaken and die as part of the body’s defensive battle. Common signs of an infectious process include chills, sweating, muscle and joint pain, general weakness, fatigue, and headaches. These symptoms stem from the toxins released by bacteria and viruses and do not depend solely on the exact temperature. In fact, the level of fever often reflects how the body reacts to the infection rather than how severe the fever itself is.
According to Zhukova, the visible signs and complaints that accompany a high temperature usually relate to the disease’s progression and the body’s protective response, not the fever alone. This distinction helps explain why some people feel worse with a lower fever, while others tolerate higher temperatures more easily.
She notes that the belief that temperatures around 37 to 37.5°C are more debilitating than higher fevers is largely psychological. The sensation of being unwell can be intensified by the desire to keep working, studying, or staying active, even when the body is signaling a need to slow down.
When people try to maintain their usual pace during a fever, the perceived decline in well-being often increases. In other words, patients may feel the disease is harder to bear at home with a modest fever because the body’s symptoms become more noticeable and disruptive to daily tasks. By contrast, resting in bed during a higher fever can sometimes reduce the overall burden on the person, because rest allows the immune system to mobilize more effectively. This dynamic helps explain why higher temperatures do not always translate to a worse experience for everyone.
Additional context comes from clinical observations that hoarseness and related symptoms can arise from non-obvious causes such as infections, allergies, or other health conditions. While temperature is a useful signal, it represents only part of the overall clinical picture and should be interpreted in conjunction with other symptoms and a person’s medical history.
In summary, a slight increase in body temperature can intensify how a person feels because it alters behavior and activity levels, rather than necessarily indicating a more dangerous illness. Understanding the relationship between fever, immune response, and symptom severity can help individuals decide when to seek care and how to manage daily activities during an illness.