Why does your body temperature rise when you are sick?
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Your body temperature rises when you are sick because your immune system intentionally triggers a fever as a defense mechanism:
Pyrogen Release: When immune cells detect pathogens (like bacteria or viruses), they release signaling chemicals called pyrogens.
Thermostat Reset: Pyrogens travel through the bloodstream to the hypothalamus—the brain’s internal thermostat—and signal it to set your target body temperature higher.
Inhibiting Pathogens: Higher temperatures slow down the replication rate of many viruses and bacteria, making them harder to spread.
Boosting Immunity: A elevated core temperature accelerates chemical reactions, increasing white blood cell production and speeding up immune cell activity to fight off the infection faster.