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Why your body aches when it is sick
One of the main reasons that your body aches when you are sick, like with a cold is that your body's immmune system is producing plenty of anti-bodies.
These anti bodies also produce histamines.( which dilates(widens) blood vessels). These chemicals ae released into your blood stream and end up in your muscles.
One reason you ache is that these chemicals are sometimes triggering nerves in your body, your muscles and cause them contract a little more than usual. This constant contraction can sometimes cause that feeling of an ache.
If your muscles are contracting alot they can produce lactic acid, this lactic acid can produce an aching effect by trigger pain receptors. This is similar to what you feel in your legs after you have run a sprint.
References sources:
- Types of pain receptors (Cornell Univeristy)
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pain
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Another reason is that these anti-bodies and histimines can trigger pain receptors in your nerves. These are nerves that have open ends that can receive different types of chemical signals.