Fever And Drowsiness In Children: What To Do? – Being Parents

Fever and drowsiness in children are some of the symptoms that develop in the body of the little one when he tries to fight off infectious agents. Very often, fever is the result of so-called aseptic causes. Either way, this is a symptom that should be tackled immediately.

It is obvious to all parents that a fever indicates that something is wrong with the baby’s body. However, parents’ general doubt is when she can be treated at home and when to go to the emergency room.

In the case of drowsiness of children, alone or added to fever,  pediatricians generally advise to go to the emergency room for more exhaustive examinations.  Indeed, these two simultaneous symptoms can hide a more important disorder in the child.

To try to clear up any doubts related to fever and drowsiness,  we are going to help you identify the severity of the symptoms. This will let you know what to do in this situation.

Fever in children

Fever in humans is a symptom that is used to prevent something from going wrong in the body. Febrile states can be associated with several viral or bacterial factors. In the majority of cases, the fever can even go away on its own if the child is in good health and if the increase in temperature is not linked to a greater pathology.

Even though it is stigmatized, in fact, fever helps boost a child’s immunity. We will not be able to get rid of it because  it will often be present during the first three years of a child’s life.  It is often accompanied by other symptoms and levels like the ones we will list here:

Fever levels

In order for parents to be able to identify their child’s state of health, it is important that they know the intensity of the febrile state.

• Fever:  at this level, the body temperature ranges from 37 to 37.5 ° if it is taken in the armpit; or from 38 to 38.5 ° if taken rectally.
• Fever:  this second degree is the one that identifies the most common febrile condition. The temperature will be between 37.5 and 41 ° axillary, and between 38.5 and 42 ° rectally.
• Hyperpyrexia: Hyperpyrexia  is a fairly serious condition. In this case, the temperature exceeds 42 ° by axillary or rectal route; if a child or adult has this temperature level, it can be a fatal complication.

When both fever and drowsiness are present in children

We have just seen the causes of febrile levels as a function of degrees centigrade. But what happens when the fever is accompanied by drowsiness?

Usually children with a fever have additional symptoms. For example, they may breathe fast, cry constantly, lose their appetite or have chills.

In the case of drowsiness,  it usually occurs when the baby’s temperature starts to rise too much. You may also experience hallucinations, delusions or an inability to rest. Seizures are even possible due to irritation of the nerve cells.

This is not usual, but in very special cases children who experience drowsiness and fever have had head injuries or bruises. This led to them developing both of these symptoms.

However, as we mentioned earlier,  the most common is that drowsiness arises due to a temperature level close to 40 °.  Of course, this is a signal to which parents must be very attentive.

Measures to lower fever

Of course,  to avoid these extreme symptoms, it is better to take some precautions. The first thing to do is to have a thermometer and check the child’s temperature.

If the child remains low on fever, they can be given home remedies  such as removing clothes, applying cold water compresses, lowering the temperature in their room, taking lukewarm water baths for a while. 20 minutes. An essential care is to make the child drink enough fluids to be well hydrated.

As a final recommendation, you should know that  if the child has a temperature close to 39 ° and also displays drowsiness or other symptoms considered abnormal, you should immediately go to the emergency room.