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What Causes Night Sweats?
Sweating while sleeping is actually a common problem affecting millions of people world-wide.
The severity of the sweats can be extreme, causing drenched bedclothes and sheets. It can cause untold mental anguish, insomnia and stress, as well as the unpleasant physical aspects.
This is a condition that can be triggered by many factors, affecting anyone at any age.
It should not be confused with the occasional times when someone has a bad nights sleep and wakes up hot and sweaty. This scenario usually occurs due to the room temperature being too hot or perhaps sleeping under too many bed clothes.
It is also important to realize that nearly everyone sweats a little during sleep. This is a natural part of our bodily functions to help regulate a healthy core temperature.
Excessive sweating during sleep needs to be identified so that the underlying cause can be treated as soon as possible.
There are a number of different factors that can cause someone to excessively sweat in their sleep. It may be necessary for a doctor to obtain a patient’s medical history and to undergo tests to identify any previous conditions that could be responsible for the night sweats.
However, there are some known indicators/conditions that can cause sweating while sleeping:
Menopause
Menopause usually affects women over the age of 40 and a classic sign of this, is night sweats. A woman’s body goes through a hormone imbalance around this time and hot flashes often occur at night leading to excess sweating.
Although it is frustrating and very unpleasant, it usually means there isn’t any other medical reason or disease that is causing the sweating. In time the sweating will stop naturally.
Hormonal Disorders
Sweating and flushing of the skin can also be associated with other hormonal disorders and especially during pregnancy. Other types include: hyperthyroidism, pheochromocytoma and carcinoid syndrome.
Medication
If you are on any sort of medication, it is worth checking with your doctor or with the information leaflet supplied to see what possible side effects there could be whilst taking it. A lot of prescribed and over the counter drugs cause side effects which may include night sweats.
Medication is the most common cause of night time sweating. Anti-depressants in particular are widely prescribed and can lead to night sweats in up to a quarter of the patients taking them. This includes all types of antidepressants.
Medicine taken to help lower high temperatures, including fever such as aspirin and acetaminophen (paracetamol) can sometimes lead to sweating.
Other medications can result in flushing and reddening of the skin around the cheeks and neck. These particular symptoms should not be confused with night sweats. Such drugs include: niacin [(Niacor, Niaspan, Slo-Niacin) (taken in the higher doses used for lipid disorders)], tamoxifen (Nolvadex), hydralazine, nitroglycerine, and sildenafil (Viagra).
Always seek to confirm or eliminate any type of medication you may be on as the cause of sweating while sleeping. If they are the cause then you’ll know that it isn’t some other medical problem you have.
Infections and Illness
When your body is infected with an illness, it often responds by trying to rid the infection through sweating. Tuberculosis often results in sweating but equally, so can a heavy cold or the flu. Sweating at night is usually a short-term process and any prolonged sweating after the infection has been treated should be referred to a doctor.
Immunity – AIDS (HRV Virus)
The most common clinical presentations in the high-risk groups or ARC patients includes night sweats. If HIV has progressed to an advanced stage, night sweating become a severe problem.
Cancer
Night time sweating may be an early indicator of some cancers. Lymphoma is the most common type of cancer associated with sweating at night. A person with undiagnosed cancer is likely to experience other symptoms as well as sweating, such as weight loss and fever.
Hypoglycemia
Diabetics can suffer with hypoglycaemia or low blood glucose. This can result after taking insulin or other anti-diabetic medication and can cause sweating at night. Hypoglycemia can also occur due to severe physical exhaustion, and some illnesses.
Idiopathic Hyperhidrosis
Idiopathic hyperhidrosis is a frustrating condition where the body produces excessive amounts of sweat without any identifiable medical cause. It effects around 1% of Americans and occurs in otherwise healthy individuals.
Here’s a video explaining what hyperhidrosis is, what treatments there are available and their possible side effects:
Other Possible Causes:
• Alcohol
• Caffeine
• Emotional or stressful situations (anxiety)
• Overactive thyroid gland
• Spicy foods (known as “gustatory sweating”)
• Withdrawal from alcohol or narcotic pain killers
Conclusion
Overall, night sweats are not life threatening in themselves, but are sometimes a sign of an underlying medical condition. Persons with unexplained night sweats that are persistent and cannot be resolved should seek professional medical advice.
Recommended Reading
I highly recommend you check out the report, Stop sweating and Start living that shows you how to eliminate sweating while sleeping in less than 2 weeks.