Originally posted: https://wellawaresystems.com/how-to-stop-night-sweats/

What Are Night Sweats?

 

If you’re one of the many people who suffers from night sweats (excessive sweating at night), you might be wondering what the causes are and whether you should be concerned.

“True night sweats are described as extreme hot flashes that occur at night and can saturate sleepwear and sheets,” says Laura M. Rosch, DO, a Wheaton, Illinois-based osteopathic internal medicine specialist.

If you get night sweats on a regular basis, they are interrupting your sleep, or they are accompanied by a fever or other symptoms, such as unexplained weight loss, you should see your doctor.

 

Rather than treating symptoms, doctors of osteopathic medicine, or DOs, focus on prevention by looking at how your lifestyle and surroundings affect your health.

 

Night sweats are caused by a variety of factors.

 

Your level of anxiety

If you’re anxious or agitated, you’ve definitely experienced the terror of attempting to fall asleep (or back to sleep after waking up).

 Dr. Ram’s stress-reduction recommendations before bedtime:

•  Schedule time to unwind. Take a warm shower before night, avoid screen time and devices, or read a book.
•  Create a soothing environment. Make sure the lights are dimmed, the music is muted or muffled, and the environment is cool.
•  Consult your physician. Recurrent or long-term anxiety and tension could indicate a more serious mental health problem, such as anxiety disorder or depression.

You’re in the throes of menopause

Unlike hot flashes, which occur during the day, night sweats are a typical nighttime symptom in women going through menopause. In most cases, the symptoms of night sweats will wake you up after they have already occurred.

Many women, on the other hand, discover that by making simple lifestyle modifications like: • Eating well, they may reduce night sweats and other symptoms of menopause with reasonable ease.

• Exercising on a regular basis.
• Defending the skin from the sun’s rays.
• Making sure you’re getting the correct vitamins and supplements (particularly vitamin D3 if you live in a northern climate).
• Maintaining a high level of involvement in life.

According to Dr. Ford, if you’re going through menopause, eliminating triggers like caffeine, alcohol, spicy foods, and cigarettes may help you feel better.

Types of Medication

Night sweats have been linked to a number of medications8. These include antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), steroids, and fever-relieving medications like aspirin or acetaminophen, which might increase sweating in some people.

Caffeine

Caffeine use might lead to excessive perspiration. Night sweats might be exacerbated by alcohol and drug use9.

Chronic sweating

Idiopathic hyperhidrosis is a medical disease in which the body produces excessive perspiration on a regular basis for no apparent reason.

Tumors

Night sweats can be a warning sign of certain cancers. Undiagnosed cancer, on the other hand, is characterised by extra symptoms such as unexplained weight loss and fever.

Hypoglycemia

Because hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, can cause sweating, patients who take blood sugar-lowering drugs, such as insulin and oral anti-diabetics, may sweat at night.

Anxiety

Stress and emotional issues that cause you to sweat during the day can often lead you to sweat at night.

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