Excessive sweating at night is a common problem that affects both adults (men and women) and children (babies and toddlers). It tends to be triggered by an anxiety and fever, although it can occur when there is no cold. In women, it may occur before or during periods, during pregnancy or after giving birth. Explore facts, causes, signs, and symptoms of night sweats. Also, learn how to stop and prevent it with medical treatments and home remedies.
Sign and symptoms
It is normal for you to sweat at night if your bedroom is hot enough to stimulate your body to produce sweats. You can also experience normal night sweats due to warm heavy bedding and nightclothes that can overheat the body. This triggers the skin to produce sweats that may help to cool the body.
If your body produces excess sweats during the night under normal environmental temperature, this is an indication of a health problem. You should not ignore heavy night sweats. But instead, you should find out what could be the reason behind the abnormal night sweats.
The symptoms of excessive sweating at night often affect people who are at perimenopause and menopause. Women who have attained the age of 45 and above usually experience the problem of night sweats frequently.
However, men, young adults, teens, babies, and toddler can also show up symptoms of excessive sweating during the night. The abnormal night sweats in both adult and children are usually characterized by various signs and symptoms.
The signs and symptoms of excess night sweats include:
- Hot flashes during the night that are not related to hot environmental condition
- Sweats that drench or wets your beddings and nightclothes
- Red and flushed face while in bed at night
- Blood vessel on skin surface dilate
- Restlessness and hard to sleep comfortably
Causes Sweating at Night
You can develop a condition of night sweating due various factors or causes. It is important for you to know the common causes of abnormal sweating. This can help you in making the decision whether to go medical treatment or not.
The common conditions that can lead to abnormal night sweats include the following:
1. Idiopathic Hyperhidrosis
Excess production of sweats during the night can occur to you as consequence of Idiopathic hyperhidrosis. Usually, this condition can make your body to sweat excessively with no any recognizable underlying medical condition.
2. Menopause
Menopause is risk factors that can encourage your body to experience hot flashes at night that lead to excessive sweating. This is the common causes that often lead to sweating at night in women who have an age of 45 years and above.
3. Infections
Night sweating can occur as a symptom of an infection in your body. Tuberculosis is an example of an infection that can make your body to sweat excessively at night. Most bacterial infections can lead to circulatory problems by making the valves in blood vessels and heart to inflame hence stimulate night sweats with a high fever. Other infections that can lead to night sweats include malaria, night flu, HIV, STDs, and others.
4. Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia is a condition that is characterized by low level of blood glucose. This condition can make your body to sweat excessively during the night. Also, if you are taking diabetes medication such as insulin, you might develop sweating disorders at night.
5. Cancer
Sweating at night might be an earlier symptom of cancer. Most types of cancerous conditions such as lymphoma are usually associated with heavy night sweats. If you experience night sweats that are accompanied by other strange symptoms such as sudden weight loss and fever, it is advisable to seek the help of your doctor for diagnosis and treatment.
6. Medication
The use of certain medication to treat some underlying condition in your body might have a side effect of night sweats. For instance, the use of antidepressant medication and other psychiatric drugs can lead to the problem of flushing or sweating during the night.
7. Hormone Disorder
You can develop a problem of sweating in bed due to disorders related to body hormones. The production of too little or excess amount of body hormones by the endocrine system can lead to flushing and night sweats.
Some of the hormone disorders that can lead to night sweating include hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, carcinoid syndrome, and pheochromocytoma. Also, hormonal drugs such contraceptive pills can lead to sweating disorders at night.
8. Anxiety
You can develop a problem of night sweats due to emotions, stress, and anxiety. During the time of stress and anxiety, your body can be stimulated to produce hormones that can lead to night sweating with no fever symptoms.
Sweating at Night Men
Night sweating is a condition that often affects women at menopause stage. However, men can also sweat excessively at night. Other than hot environmental condition, men can sweat at night to various factors that range from harmless to more serious health problem.
As a man, you can develop abnormal night sweating due to the causes that are already been discussed in the relevant section of this post. For more emphasis, the common factors that can make your body to sweat at night include the following:
- Infections such as tuberculosis
- Hyperhidrosis
- Cancer
- Hypoglycemia
- Low testosterone
- Anxiety and stress
- Certain medication
Most of the conditions that cause night sweats in men are usually more serious health problems. if you notice symptoms of flushing or night sweating, it is advisable to seek the help of your doctor for diagnosis and treatment.
Sweating at Night Women
Women are more susceptible to night sweats during menopause. Also, night sweating is common for women during pregnancy and periods. This is due to change in body hormones. Occasionally, women might also sweat excessively at night time before pregnancy and even after giving birth.
Other than the change of hormone during periods, pregnancy and menopause, women can also experience excessive sweating due to other factors. Some of these factors are already been discussed in the relevant section of this post. They include:
- Use of certain medication such as antidepressant drugs
- Hormone disorders such as hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism
- Infections and illness that include HIV, Flu, tuberculosis and kidney infection
- Lymphoma that includes malignant tumor in the lymph nodes or cancer
- Diabetes, Hypoglycemia or low level of blood sugar
Sweating at night in Children
If your child, baby or toddler sweats during the night with no fever, this is normal and you should not worry about it. In most occasions, children tend to sweat at night as an effect of warm clothing, beddings and overheating of the environment.
Primary focal hyperhidrosis is a condition that is associated with night sweating in children without any underlying medical condition. the body of a child has brown adipose tissue that generates a lot of heat that can cause excessive sweating on hands, feet, head, face, armpits, and groin.
Other possible factors that can make your child sweat excessively during the night time include:
- Heavy and warm beddings, nightclothes, and warm environmental temperature in bedroom
- Poor ventilation in the bedroom due to closed windows
- Infection such as flu, tuberculosis, and others
- Strange nightmares or terror dreams
- Side effect of certain medication
- Anxiety and stress
- Congested nose, cold, coughing and difficulties in breathing
- Snoring
- Fever
- Eating spicy food before sleeping
- Weight-related problems
How to Stop of Sweating at Night
You can stop heavy night sweats using the following tips that include:
1. Regulate your bedroom temperature
Ensure you regulate the temperature in your bedroom to normal that can allow you to sleep comfortably without sweating a lot. Ventilate your bedroom by opening the windows or use an air conditioner to facilitate air circulation in your bedroom before you sleep.
2. Check on your nightclothes and beddings
Ensure your nightclothes and bedding is lighter to allow air to circulate around your skin. Also, ensure the material of your nightclothes and bedding is a natural fiber such as cotton. Avoid heavy synthetic blankets that can cause your body to overheat.
3. Relieve the stress a, anxiety and emotions before you go to bed
Before sleeping you can help yourself to relieve stress, anxiety, and emotions by relaxing and think positively about your life achievements than negative things. Alternatively, watch a movie that can soothe your mind to relax.
4. Go for medical treatment
You can go for medicinal treatment by visiting your doctor who can help you in diagnosis and treatment of the underlying condition that may cause sweating at night.
5. Change of lifestyles
You can stop sweating excessively at night by changing your lifestyle. Avoid any risk factors that might encourage night sweats. Here are some of the adjustments you can try:
- Avoid the use of alcohol, tobacco products or any other illicit drugs
- Take balanced diet that has low content of fat and drinks a lot of water during the daytime
- Avoid taking any drugs that are not prescribed to you by the doctor
- Replacement of medication you are using with other drugs with the help of your doctor
Treatment
Sometimes sweating at night might be a symptom of an illness or an underlying medical condition. You can go for a medical check-up by visiting your doctor for diagnosis and treatment. Your doctor will give you the appropriate treatment depending on the causes of your health problem.
Your doctor can fix your health problem by dealing with the underlying condition that causes your body to sweat during the night time. Usually, your doctor might prescribe the medication or drugs that can help to cure infection, illness or underlying condition that causes your body to sweat excessively at night.
Home Remedies
you can get rid of sweating at night by using natural home remedies. These treatment methods are effective for mild night sweats that are not caused by serious health condition. You can try the following treatment methods:
1. Warm water bath
Washing your body with lukewarm water is an effective home remedy that can prevent sweating during the night. Warm water bath or hot shower can help to make your body feel fresh and relaxed to facilitate cool sleep.
2. Lemon juice
Drinking 1 cup of fresh lemon juice per day is an excellent home remedy that can help to treat the problem of night sweats. Lemon juice has antioxidant properties that can help to remove harmful substance in your body that can cause night sweats.
3. Flaxseeds
Flaxseeds have medicinal properties that can help to control hormone disorders that can lead to night sweats. Also, it can lift your moods, relieve pains in muscles and prevent excessive sweating. You can simply eat every day about 50 grams of crushed flaxseed.
4. Apple cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar can help to remove toxins in the body that causes hot flashes and night sweats. You can add 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar into one cup of water at drink it. Ensure you repeat this procedure by taking it three times in a day for few weeks until your body is relieved from sweating at night.
5. Sage
Sage is an effective herbal remedy that can help you to get rid of night sweats. The natural deodorant of sage can help to reduce excessive sweating during the night. It can also help to regulate the sweat glands to produces fewer sweats at night.
Preparation procedures include adding 2 teaspoons of dried sage leaves into 1 cup of water. Boil it for about 10 minutes and strain the sage extract. Drink the 1 cup of sage extract every day for few months until the problem of sweating during the night reduces.
When to See a Doctor
It is advisable to see your doctor over the problem of sweating at night if you notice the following conditions:
- If sweating during the night has persisted for more than three weeks without an improvement
- If your night sweats are accompanied by other strange symptoms such as a headache, high fever, vomiting, dizziness, difficulties in breathing and others
- When sweating at night causes you to feel restless and sleepless night
- When you infant, baby, toddler or children have symptoms of excessively sweating during the night time
Sources and References
[showhide type=”links” more_text=”Show Sources and References” less_text=”Hide Sources and References”]
- Night sweating: https://www.medicinenet.com/night_sweats/article.htm
- Causes of night sweating: https://www.webmd.com/menopause/guide/8-causes-of-night-sweats
- Night sweating in men: https: https://www.livestrong.com/article/274141-common-causes-of-night-sweats-in-men
- Night sweating in women:https://www.livestrong.com/article/188077-causes-of-night-sweats-in-women/
- Night sweats in children: http://www.momjunction.com/articles/night-sweats-in-children-causes-symptoms_00116412/#gref
- How to get rid of night sweats: https://www.wikihow.com/Stop-Sweating-in-Your-Sleep [/showhide]
