Psychogenic Shivers: Why We Get the Chills When We Aren’t Cold

Do you feel cold when it’s hot outside? Does your body have a tendency of shaking all of a sudden? Are you unable to find the reason behind this? Then, let’s answer your questions. Here’s an insight on psychogenic shivers. 

When we get chills it is natural to assume that we might have a fever and there is a fluctuation in temperature which leads to body shivering but when we talk about psychogenic shivers then it is completely different and it is psychological.

These types of psychogenic shivers are basically caused by the involuntary movement by the individual. It happens without the conscious will of the individual. It is an unwanted muscle movement. The main cause of this is mental illness or mental health issues. 

When a person is going through severe depression or having memories of traumatising experiences coming back to their minds then it can lead to these shivers or body tremors.

 Post traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is one of the examples which causes these psychogenic shivering. A very traumatising event can make one emotionally weak which results in such activities of the body.

Another example of psychogenic movement disorder could be that when a person thinks that they are ill but they are actually not. Through these sudden shaking or shivering one can gain sympathy from others. 

There’s a possibility that if one person fakes their illness then it can provide them with a work day off or some sort of personal benefit. Thus, we can say it is to an extent psychological behaviour of a person which is caused by their mental health as these actions of them are not deliberately initiated. 

Anxiety is another reason for getting chills in your body. When a person is very much anxious, tensed, stressed then that’s how the body responds to them by causing shivering, physical imbalance etc.

However, psychogenic shivers cause a lot of pain and discomfort to the body and mind. These movements are not initiated by people. 

This condition can come and go. They can also stay for a long period of time if it’s part of another mental illness. These things cannot be easily explained as it is not primarily a medical nor a neurological issue. Thus, we can try to take some precautionary steps to reduce the effects of this condition:-

• Going to the doctor. Seeking help from a doctor can benefit us truly as they work with cases like these. And they will let us know what the right thing to do.
• Trying relaxation exercises. It will help our body and brain to focus.
• Meditation. Meditating will relax our soul and make us calm and cool.
• Positivity. Thinking positively can change our life for the better. Being positive about things in our life will improve our mental well being. 
• Overcoming our fears. We must try to overcome our fears and get rid of the things we are scared of. Only then we can find true peace. 
• Looking forward to it. There will be lots of bad memories which can cause a lot of pain but we must let go of those memories.  We should focus on the future and should believe that our future will bring lots of happiness to us. 

Written By- Rumela Gupta