Health

Detecting Fever At Home: Most Common Methods Used

Detecting Fever At Home: Most Common Methods Used

Identifying when a person has a fever is pretty simple if they have thermometers. Even without one, there are ways how to tell whether an individual has an illness or not. It is imperative to monitor body temperatureerature when children or babies have a fever. 

Fevers in humans occur when the body temperatureerature rises 38 degrees Celsius or 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit for a sustained period. Most fever strains require no treatment, although some home remedies can help ease symptoms. Individuals with a very high fever need to see a physician for a more thorough diagnosis. 

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Checking people for fevers without using a thermometer

A lot of individuals can tell if they are experiencing a slight fever or not, and some describe it as if the heat is trying to get out of their bodies. There is no accurate way to know if you are feverish or not, without using a thermometer. But specific methods can provide people a good idea of whether they are febrile or not. These techniques include:

Forehead touching

Hand pinching

Looking for flushes in the cheeks

Checking the color of the urine

Forehead touching

Touching someone’s forehead using the back of your hand is one of the most common methods of telling if that person has a fever or not. If that individual is feverish, their forehead might feel a little hot. It can be pretty accurate, but it can also provide some vital information. 

Put a person with pyrexia who touches their forehead may not feel anything out of the ordinary; that is why it is very important to ask other people for help. An individual can also check for fevers by resting their cheeks against other people’s foreheads.

Hand pinching

Dehydration is also a sign of pyrexia. To check whether you are dehydrated or not, you can pinch the skin on the back of your hand, then let it go and watch as it goes back to normal. If the skin is adequately hydrated, it will fall back into place immediately. If the skin comes back slowly, there is a big chance that the individual is dehydrated. But this technique is not that accurate since if you are dehydrated, it does not always translate that you have a fever.

Looking for flushes in the cheeks

Check the mirror and look for any signs of cheek flushing. It can help an individual tell whether they have pyrexia or not. Their cheeks might be a little reddish or purple, or they might simply have more color compared to their normal color if they are feverish. 

Checking the color of the urine

The color of urine can also help identify whether an individual has pyrexia or not. Fevers will dehydrate our bodies. It prevents it from making the usual amount of urine. It can lead to more concentrated urine, which may be orange or dark yellow.

Looking for other signs and symptoms

Other common signs and symptoms of pyrexia include:

Chills

Sweating

Shivering

Headaches

Sore eyes

Weak muscles

General fatigue

Loss of appetite

Aching and soreness

Swollen lymph nodes

Loss of focus or difficulty concentrating

Other systems can catch fevers that we can discuss on this page, but that is for another time. We will take a closer look at the most common methods to identify fever.

Checking for fevers using thermometers

Checking for body heat is a pretty simple method when an individual has thermometers. There are different types of thermometers.

Oral Thermal Device

Oral thermometers take body temperature through the mouth. Most people use digital oral thermometers, and they usually beep when it gets the reading – which makes it very easy to use. These devices are more comfortable to use for adults, as they require the individual to close their mouth and keep the device in place for at least 20 seconds to get the right reading. It should rest as below the tongue and as close to the cheek as possible. Once the reading is taken, it will display the individual’s body temperature. 

Tympanic Thermal Device

Tympanic thermometer measures body heat through the eardrum. This method is usually used in health care facilities or physician’s offices, but you can also purchase at home-version of the device in most drug stores or supermarkets. A tympanic thermometer can give accurate results in a few seconds. 

It makes them an excellent option when dealing with babies or small children who have a hard time closing their mouths or sitting still. But these devices can give a less accurate reading compared to other temperatureerature-reading devices. To use it, hold the device to the ear, with its sensor pointing inwards, towards the eardrum. Turn on the device, and wait for the beeping sound to know the reading is finished. 

Rectal Thermal Device

This device takes body temperature through the rectum. While it might sound uncomfortable and not an easy option, it does provide a very accurate temperature reading. According to research, a rectal thermometer can give a more precise reading compared to tympanic and oral thermal devices. To use it, apply an ample amount of lubricant to its tip and gently insert the device to the rectum. 

An individual can do this using an oral thermometer or buy one that is designed only for rectal use. These devices are considered as the best option for small kids or infants. An accurate reading is very important when an infant may have pyrexia or other diseases and illnesses that need immediate medical attention.