Has waking up drenched in sweat become a nightly ritual? Consider this your cue to find a solution. Because night sweats are beyond annoying (and weigh on your basket); experienced often enough, they can affect your overall health.
“They can spoil your mood by disturbing your sleep. Can lead to gaining weight because, when you don’t sleep, you eat more and your metabolism changes. All of these things can be a cascading effect of night sweats,” he says Nanette Santoro, Ph.D. honeya professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine who researches menopause-related treatments.
If you’re already struggling with the side effects of night sweats, rest assured that it’s never too late to change things. Read on to learn why night sweats occur and the steps you can take to reduce night sweats naturally.
What causes night sweats?
There are several possible reasons why you might wake up covered in sweat, many of which have to do with your hormones. These are the most common causes of night sweats.
1. Hormonal imbalance
One of the factors that contribute to night sweats is hormonal imbalanceespecially during menopause and perimenopause. “Night sweats are one of the most common symptoms of menopause that they experience up to 80 percent of women at some point in their transition,” says dr. Santoro. However, night sweats can occur during any stage of a woman’s reproductive life from puberty to postmenopause.
The cause of chaos here is estrogen which, in addition to helping regulate your menstrual cycle, helps moderate your body’s internal temperature. Research shows that fluctuations in estrogen levels associated with menopause can effectively confuse your body’s internal thermostat, located in the hypothalamus.
As a result, your brain can perceive temperature changes where there are none. So when estrogen levels, which promotes cooler body temperaturesfall on its own, your brain may misinterpret this as an increase in internal temperature and activate the sweating response to cool the body when it is not actually needed.
2. Medications to stabilize mood
Mood stabilizers sometimes are prescribed for the treatment of night sweats. “But the same ones we use to treat night sweats can sometimes cause them,” notes Dr. Santoro.
It is unclear why, but dr. Santoro says that certain antidepressants affect the same area of the brain that causes night sweats, so they can affect the brain’s chemistry in a way that boosts it rather than suppresses it.
3. Thyroid activity
In some people, the butterfly-shaped thyroid gland at the front of the neck secretes more hormones than necessary. Hormones produced by the thyroid gland help manage metabolism, which is how your body converts food into energy. But when your system has an excess of these hormones, many processes can speed up, causing a racing heart, unexplained weight loss, nervousness, and… excessive sweating.
4. Fever
Fever that you can get from various infections — colds, flu, chicken pox, etc. — can cause your body temperature to spike at night, resulting in excessive sweating. These nighttime heats are part of yours efforts of the immune system fight infection.
5. Low blood sugar
Do you ever wake up hungry and sweaty? You may have experienced a low blood sugar attack. Then the level of glucose (sugar in the blood) in the serum falls below normal and can strike if you skip dinner, exercise late in the day, or drink alcohol before bed.
If blood sugar drops too low, the body mobilizes adrenaline and cortisol that help restore it. These are same hormones which trigger the “fight or flight” response in times of stress by increasing the heart rate and releasing glucose into the blood to supply energy in response to a perceived threat.
In parallel with this reaction, sweating occurs, which is initiated in order to regulate the body temperature. So, although rare, your body may perceive malnutrition as a stressor and may respond accordingly.
6. Alcohol consumption
Relaxing with a glass of wine before bed can set you up for a sweaty vacation. Alcohol it can cause your blood vessels to relax and widen (known as vasodilation) and your heart rate to increase as your heart pumps harder to keep blood flowing.
This can cause your skin to feel warm and flushed as more blood flows to the surface, triggering the sweat glands to dissipate that heat. And the more you drink, the deeper this effect can be.
The havoc wreaked on your body’s internal air conditioning can also be compounded by the cost of all that vasodilation: drop in core temperature as all that warm blood is diverted to the surface.
So not only does your skin get hotter and sweatier, your core temperature actually drops, an effect that can be further exacerbated as the body tries to rebalance between core and peripheral temperatures.
7. Withdrawal of substance
Alcohol and drugs can not only increase the heart rate during use – these substances can have same effect while trying to stop them, resulting in night sweats, says Dr. Santoro.
This happens because your nervous system has become accustomed to functioning while you were on the substance and now has to adjust to the new status quo. Heart rate, blood pressure and temperature may increase, stimulating the sweating response to cool the body.
8. Chronic sweating
Some people just sweat more. Chronic sweating tends to run in families and results when the nerve that controls sweating is oversensitive, prompting the glands to produce more sweat than normal.
If you have chronic sweating, you may sweat profusely during the day and at night. However, dr. Santoro notes that fewer distractions at night often make sweating more noticeable when you’re trying to sleep.
9. Lack of vitamin B12
Up to 15 percent of us get too little vitamin B12which is crucial for red blood cell production and neurological function. In extreme cases, a deficiency can contribute to increased activity sympathetic nervous system, which can lead to excessive sweating.
If you think you may be having adverse effects from any medication, substance problem, or physiological function, you should consult a healthcare professional.
How to know if you sweat abnormally
There are some differences between night sweats and regular sweats.
Duration
Normal sweating tends to be continuous. “If you sweat, you usually keep sweating because [the environment is] hot,” says dr. Santoro. So if you’re sweating because your bedroom is a blast furnace, the sweat will pour pretty much continuously until you get your leg out from under the covers or open a window to cool off.
Night sweats, on the other hand, are usually spasmodic. “Like hot flashes, night sweats come on quite suddenly and then go away,” says Dr. Santoro. In fact, the two can often keep track of each other, and this beat can occasionally repeat itself over the course of a night or more of sleep.
Intensity
If you are awake during night sweats, you may feel a strong heat that starts in your head and moves down your body. (And if you’re not awake during night sweats, you probably will be, which is another difference from normal sweating.) Regardless, once it subsides, that feeling can be followed by a chill as your body temperature normalizes, Dr. Santoro says.
Additionally, unlike normal sweating, you may find that you sweat so much that you become wet and need to change clothes. You may also notice that your heart is racing and your skin is flushed.
5 natural remedies for night sweats
There are a number of lifestyle strategies you can implement to reduce night sweats – of course, it’s also a good idea to see your doctor to find out what’s causing them. While natural remedies can help in many cases, some people may need more specialized care to treat a medical condition.
With that in mind, here are some behavioral changes that can help you sleep drier at night.
1. Avoid dietary triggers
Some foods can cause night sweats, including:
- Spicy food like peppers contain natural compounds like capsaicin that trick your body into thinking you’re overheating. This triggers a cooling reaction that increases sweat production.
- Caffeine it stimulates your nervous system, which can cause your body temperature to rise. Also sensitizes the nerves which control your sweat glands, so you can sweat more easily.
- Alcoholas discussed earlier, it can cause vasodilation of blood vessels, bringing more blood to the surface of the skin and making you feel warm and flushed. On the other hand, your body can sweat to cool you down.
- Hot drinks like cocoa, tea and coffee can raise your internal temperature; your body can fight back by activating the sweating response.
To reduce your chances of night sweats, avoid these food triggers before bed.
2. Reduce stress
Effective stress management can help moderate body temperature, which was found increase in response to stress, especially on the skin. Pausing for breathing exercises during the day is a simple step you can take reduce stress.
When you are stressed, your heart and breathing speed up. By deliberately slowing down your breathing, you are telling your body’s stress response to calm down. Try spending a few minutes taking slow, deep breaths in and out in the morning, mid-day and before bed.
3. Try selected supplements*
Some natural ingredients can help fight stress and anxiety.
However, some supplements may interfere with medications or medical conditions, so check with your doctor before trying them.
4. Shower with cold or lukewarm water
Exposing the body to high heat (such as during a hot shower) can increase the likelihood of night sweats, says Dr. Santoro. If you shower before bed, keep the water lukewarm or even cold to prevent a sudden rise in body temperature. If that’s not part of your regimen, try cooling off with a cold shower before bed.
5. Cool your surroundings
To prevent night sweats, cool the bedroom.
- Use a fan, open the windows or turn on the air conditioner.
- Bedroom cooling accessories can also help. “Some of my patients swear by their cooling mattress,” says Dr. Santoro. If a new mattress is too much of an investment, try pillows and mattress covers that contain cooling gels.
- Opt for light bedding and layer it so you can remove it as needed during the night. Loose, lightweight pajamas are also a good idea.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat or prevent any disease.
