If you are experiencing body aches, fatigue, and feeling cold, there are a few potential causes to consider:
You may have a virus like the flu or common cold
Viral infections like influenza (the flu) or the common cold are common culprits for these kinds of symptoms. When you get infected with a virus, your immune system revs up to fight it off. This ramped up immune response is what causes the achiness, fatigue, and chills you feel when you’re sick.
With the flu, body aches and fatigue often come on suddenly, within the first 24-48 hours of infection. Chills and sweats are also common. The flu causes muscle and joint pain because cytokines, chemicals your body releases to fight the virus, can irritate nerves and make your whole body feel achy. The fatigue happens because your body is using extra energy to mount an immune response.
Colds typically cause more mild body aches and fatigue. The achiness happens for the same reason as the flu – your immune system is churning out cytokines. The fatigue occurs because your body is putting energy towards fighting off the virus.
You may have COVID-19
COVID-19, the illness caused by coronavirus infection, can also cause body aches, fatigue, and chills. Like other viral illnesses, COVID-19 triggers an inflammatory response from your immune system. This causes muscle, joint, and body pain along with fatigue.
One of the hallmark symptoms of COVID-19 is fever. However, some people with COVID-19 experience chills and shivering even without a fever. This is thought to be from the inflammation caused by the virus. Chills can make you feel extra cold.
You may have fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a condition characterized by chronic widespread muscle pain and fatigue. The pain typically affects both sides of your body as well as your limbs. Fibromyalgia pain often feels like a deep ache affecting your bones and muscles.
Along with muscle pain, people with fibromyalgia often feel profound fatigue and sleep problems. Other common symptoms include memory issues, mood changes, and morning stiffness.
Researchers don’t know exactly what causes fibromyalgia, but it may be related to how the brain processes pain signals. In people with fibromyalgia, the brain seems to amplify painful sensations. Trauma, infections, and stressful events may trigger the development of fibromyalgia in some people.
You may have chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)
Chronic fatigue syndrome, or myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS), is a disorder characterized by incapacitating fatigue, along with pain and problems sleeping. The fatigue worsens with physical or mental exertion but doesn’t improve with rest.
Body pain is also common in chronic fatigue syndrome. The pain often takes the form of muscle aches, joint pain, headaches, and sore throat. Some people with CFS also report “brain fog” or difficulty concentrating and remembering things.
Doctors aren’t sure what causes chronic fatigue syndrome. Certain infections, immune system issues, stress, and changes in gut bacteria may play a role. The fatigue may be related to differences in the way cells use and store energy.
You may have hypothyroidism
An underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism) is another possible cause of body aches, fatigue, and feeling cold. Your thyroid is the gland that makes thyroid hormones, which control your metabolism.
When your thyroid makes too few hormones, your metabolism slows down. This can cause symptoms like fatigue, muscle weakness, joint pain, and feeling cold all the time. Some people also develop achy swelling in their joints or nerve pain.
Autoimmune diseases are the most common cause of hypothyroidism in the United States. This happens when your immune system mistakenly attacks your thyroid. Other causes can include thyroid surgery, radiation treatment, and certain medications.
You may have anemia
Anemia happens when you lack enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen to your tissues. The most common cause of anemia is low iron levels. Without enough iron, your body can’t produce a normal amount of hemoglobin, a substance in red blood cells that enables them to carry oxygen.
Some symptoms of anemia include fatigue, muscle weakness, lightheadedness, headache, irritability, and feeling cold. Muscle cramps and aches are also common. The body aches associated with anemia are sometimes described as “growing pains” since they often occur in the legs.
Women who lose a lot of blood during their periods are at risk for iron-deficiency anemia. Anemia can also happen if you have an iron-poor diet or have trouble absorbing iron.
You may have leukemia or lymphoma
Leukemia and lymphoma, two types of blood cancer, can both cause symptoms like body aches, fatigue, and chills. Leukemia is cancer of the blood-forming cells in your bone marrow. Lymphoma affects your lymphatic system, which helps fight infection.
In the early stages, both leukemia and lymphoma cause fatigue and weakness because the cancers crowd out healthy blood cells. This leads to anemia and can make you feel profoundly tired.
The cancers may also cause inflammation, which produces achy joints and muscles. Fevers, chills, and excessive sweating are other common symptoms. Swollen lymph nodes, bruising easily, and night sweats are additional signs that could point to a blood cancer.
You may have rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) causes joint pain, stiffness, and swelling that can make you feel achy all over. The pain and stiffness are often worst first thing in the morning or after long periods of inactivity. RA also causes systemic symptoms like fatigue and fever.
With RA, your immune system attacks the lining of your joints, causing inflammation. This inflammation thickens the joint lining and erodes the bones. The damaged joints can ache deeply.
RA usually affects the same joints on both sides of your body – like both hands, both knees, or both shoulders. The wrists, fingers, feet, and ankles are also common sites of pain.
You may have osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis (OA) results from wear and tear on your joints over time. It causes pain, stiffness, swelling, and decreased range of motion in the affected joints. Any joint can be affected, but OA commonly affects the hands, knees, hips, and spine.
The ache of osteoarthritis often worsens with use of the affected joint but improves with rest. Bony knobs can form on the fingers. Loss of cartilage leads to pain that can feel like an ache deep inside the joint. Morning stiffness lasting less than 30 minutes is common.
You may have polymyalgia rheumatica
Polymyalgia rheumatica causes muscle pain and stiffness, especially in the shoulders and hips. This inflammatory disorder mainly affects adults over 50. Along with muscle aches, polymyalgia rheumatica causes fatigue, fever, and weight loss.
Researchers believe polymyalgia rheumatica is caused by inflammation in the blood vessels, but the exact cause is unknown. Some experts think it may be related to giant cell arteritis, another inflammatory disorder.
The first signs of polymyalgia rheumatica are often pain and stiffness in the shoulders, hips, and neck that cause difficulty moving. The morning stiffness lasts for more than an hour.
You may have myositis
The myositis disorders cause muscle weakness and inflammation. Polymyositis causes muscle weakness that starts closest to the body’s midline and spreads outward. Dermatomyositis also involves a rash.
With inclusion body myositis, weakness occurs in the muscles closest to the wrists and fingers and can spread to the arms and legs. Muscle wasting eventually occurs.
Myositis can cause mild or severe muscle aches and tenderness. The weakness gets worse with movement and improves with rest. Other symptoms include fatigue, fever, arthritis, difficulty swallowing, and lung disease.
You may have Sjögren’s syndrome
Sjögren’s syndrome is an autoimmune disorder affecting the glands that produce tears and saliva. The hallmark symptoms are dry eyes and dry mouth. Sjögren’s can also affect other parts of the body.
Up to 70 percent of people with Sjögren’s have chronic joint and muscle pain. The pain is often described as a dull ache affecting the arms, legs, hands, and feet. Severe fatigue also frequently occurs.
Sjögren’s syndrome slows tear and saliva production by damaging the glands that produce these fluids. This leads to symptoms of dryness. The cause of the joint pain is unknown but may be related to inflammation.
You may have lupus
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), also called lupus, is an autoimmune disorder that can cause fatigue, joint pain, and muscle aches. Joint swelling and stiffness are common. The pain and swelling may shift from one joint to another.
People with lupus often feel tired because of anemia, pain, and sleep disturbances. Up to 90 percent of people with lupus experience fatigue. About 40 percent have muscle pain, unrelated to joint problems.
With lupus, your immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue throughout the body. This can damage joints, muscles, and organs like the heart, kidneys, and brain.
Less common causes
Less common possible causes of body aches, chills, and fatigue include:
- Vitamin D deficiency
- Vitamin B12 deficiency
- Dehydration
- Mononucleosis (mono)
- Strep throat
- Meningitis
- Endocarditis
- Malaria
- Tuberculosis
When to see a doctor
Make an appointment with your doctor if you experience:
- Severe or persistent muscle aches
- Debilitating fatigue
- Fever higher than 101°F (38.3°C)
- Drenching night sweats
- Unexplained weight loss
- Pain or swelling that persists for more than 1 week
- Chest pain
- Difficulty breathing
- Anemia symptoms like dizziness, headache, or pale skin
See a doctor right away if you have:
- Difficulty moving an arm or leg
- Vision changes
- Weakness in the arms or legs
- Numbness or tingling
- Vomiting
- Confusion
- Flu symptoms that improve but then return with fever and worse cough
What to expect at your appointment
The doctor will ask about your medical history and symptoms. Be prepared to describe your muscle and joint pain, fatigue, fever, and any other symptoms you have.
Your doctor will likely perform a physical exam to check for signs of illness like fever, swollen lymph nodes, or rashes. They may also examine tender joints, muscles, and bones.
You may need blood tests to help diagnose the cause of your symptoms. Common tests check for:
- Complete blood count to check for anemia
- Electrolyte levels
- Inflammation markers like sedimentation rate or C-reactive protein
- Kidney and liver function
- Thyroid function
- Iron level
- Vitamin D level
- Vitamin B12 level
If the cause isn’t obvious after the exam and initial testing, you may need imaging like:
- X-rays of painful joints
- MRI scans to look for joint damage or muscle inflammation
- CT scan of the chest if lung issues are suspected
In some cases, doctors may remove a small sample of tissue or fluid to test for cancer or infection. This is called a biopsy.
Home remedies for body aches
Home remedies that may help with body aches include:
- Heat, like hot baths or a heating pad, to ease muscle tension
- Cold packs to reduce inflammation
- Epsom salt baths to soothe sore muscles
- Massage to release muscle tightness
- Stretching and foam rolling to improve flexibility
- Over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen (Tylenol) or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
Home remedies for fatigue
Home remedies that may help ease fatigue include:
- Staying hydrated
- Eating a balanced diet with fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean protein
- Exercising regularly as you are able
- Getting enough sleep
- Reducing stress through yoga, meditation, journaling, or other relaxing activities
- Getting some sunshine and fresh air
Home remedies for feeling cold
Home remedies to warm up when you feel chilly include:
- Bundling up in warm layers and wool socks
- Sipping hot tea, broth, or apple cider
- Taking a warm bath
- Using an extra blanket when you sleep
- Warming up with a hot water bottle or heating pad
- Turning up the thermostat
- Cuddling under a blanket with your significant other, child, or pet
Conclusion
Body aches, fatigue, and feeling cold are frustrating symptoms with many possible causes. While home remedies can provide relief, it’s important to see your doctor if your symptoms persist or get worse.
Getting an accurate diagnosis allows your doctor to provide treatments focused on the cause of your achiness, tiredness, and chills. This gives you the best chance of feeling like yourself again.