How To Stop Night Sweats In Women and How To Beat The Heat At Night

It is such a pain to wake up in the middle of the night, drenched in your own sweat even when your air conditioner is at full blast. You notice that this has been happening to you lately and you just want to find a solution. Is it because

As a woman, this experience is highly uncomfortable because getting your bed wet with sweat would mean constant piles of laundry because you’d have to change your pajamas more than once daily and your sheets every day instead of every week.

Don’t worry in this article you will learn how to stop night sweats in women and probable causes of this sweating that has disturbed your peaceful sleep for days or even weeks for some. I’ll make sure to include everything I know and to give you the best solutions for what you’re experiencing.

I and my friend Oscar write about anything related to sweating. To learn more about Oscar’s story, click here.

Why Do I Have Night Sweats?

First of all, I’d like to inform you that I am not a doctor and all the information here is from research I did on night sweats. I highly suggest that you go to your doctor after reading this article because they can definitely give you the best treatment plan.

Treat this article as something that can give you more information on your condition and could help you feel less nervous about things. Your doctor would also be happy knowing that you read and inform yourself on the stuff your body goes through. It would then be easier for the doctor to explain things to you.

This said, please watch the video below as night sweats is explained on television. After this video, I will explain further and we’ll definitely go through these causes one by one.

This segment in the British program This Morning with Phillip and Holly shows us Dr. Sara Kayat giving advice to this woman who has been experiencing night sweats.

As the doctor mentioned, it is important to rule out serious illnesses when dealing with night sweats. I will go through the eight most common causes starting with the serious illnesses down to other possible things that can cause this type of excessive sweating at night.

1. Cancer

Scary as it may seem, as Dr. Sara mentioned in the video, it is important to go to your doctor and have a full battery of tests to make sure it isn’t any type of cancer. Most tests would be done to check your white blood cells. If all these are normal then it could be something less serious.

It is important to rule this out because cancer can spread quickly and it is important to get treated immediately to ensure a speedy recovery. Don’t panic because cancer isn’t the common cause of night sweats in women.

2. Thyroid Issues

If you have an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism), one of the biggest indicators of it is having night sweats. This is because your thyroid overproduces the hormone thyroxine which speeds up a lot of bodily functions such as the heartbeat and sweating.

Other symptoms of hyperthyroidism are sudden weight loss, palpitations, and night sweats. To be sure please go to your doctor so that he/she can administer different tests to rule any thyroid issues being the cause of the excessive sweating at night.

3. Infections

If you have any bacterial infections you may experience high fever which can cause excessive sweating. The same also goes if you’re sick with influenza or anything that can trigger the increase in your body temperature.

HIV or human immunodeficiency virus. This viral infection has a lot of signs and symptoms such as rashes, inflamed lymph nodes, and night sweats. If you notice that this is happening to you, see a doctor because there are many treatment options that can help with the night sweats and the infection as well.

4. Stroke or Sleep Apnea

People who have had a stroke often have a hard time breathing. The same goes for people who have sleep apnea. SDB or sleep-disordered breathing is a common cause of night sweats.

People who have these conditions often sweat from the neck up and have higher than normal blood pressure. This is what triggers the sweating. Getting proper medications to treat these conditions may help alleviate nocturnal sweating.

5. Medication

Unbelievable as it seems, night sweats can be caused by medication as well. Some medications like antidepressants, acid reflux medications, asthma, and even migraine medications can cause a lot of sweating at night. Did you know that over 22% of people taking these medications report that they have night sweats? Yikes.

If you have GERD, asthma, or any of the abovementioned conditions, make sure to tell your doctor about the excessive sweating so he/she may switch your medication to something that won’t make you sweat at night. After all, you would want to cut the mountains of laundry and you’d definitely want a good night’s sleep.

6. Hypoglycemia

People with diabetes that are taking insulin or oral diabetes medication can find themselves drenched with sweat at night. Like what was mentioned above, we know that medications can cause excessive sweating, but I wanted to be more specific on this one.

Insulin and oral diabetes medications can cause the person taking it to be hypoglycemic at night (low blood sugar) which is usually accompanied by chills and excessive sweating.

7. Menopause

This is the most common cause of night sweats among women. This excessive sweating and other symptoms such as hot flashes usually occur before and during menopause because the body experiences a sudden change of hormone levels.

These hormones estrogen and progesterone regulate the body’s temperature control so women in this stage often need to go to their doctor to get the proper treatment to balance their hormone levels.

8. Idiopathic Hyperhidrosis

Idiopathic means there is no identifiable cause. Hyperhidrosis is divided into two categories — primary or secondary hyperhidrosis. Secondary hyperhidrosis is usually caused by other conditions or medications that you take.

Primary hyperhidrosis has no known cause — you just sweat a lot regardless if it’s cold or hot. This form of excessive sweating is symmetrical meaning both sides of the body sweats a lot. It usually appears in the scalp, face, armpits, and feet.

This idiopathic night sweat is only diagnosed when everything is ruled out even after dozens of tests. Make sure you go through all the possible causes above before self-diagnosing. It is also best to consult a doctor about your night sweats because if it is caused by any condition, it can definitely be treated by addressing the issue or switching medication.

If diagnosed with idiopathic hyperhidrosis, I can recommend antiperspirants that can help reduce or stop sweating. This may not be a permanent solution but at least it is non-invasive, painless, and it has worked for a lot of people with hyperhidrosis.

How Do Avoid These Night Sweats?

I am not a doctor so I cannot give any medical advice as I don’t know what is causing your night sweats. I decided to make a list of stuff you can do while getting treatment for night sweats. The different methods below go hand-in-hand with what your doctor tells you to do and is not to be used as the only treatment for what you are experiencing.

1. Sleep Downstairs

Simple science, heat rises so if you are living in a two-story house it would be best to get a room downstairs as it would be cooler than the second floor of the house. If you don’t have space on the first floor you may set up a temporary sleeping place while you fix things in your room upstairs to help with the excessive sweating.

2. Avoid Sweat Triggers

There are a lot of sweat triggers so make sure that you avoid them as much as possible. Smoking can cause clamminess and chills. Also, avoid wearing very tight clothing when going to sleep. This can trap the heat causing your body to sweat.

Avoid drinking alcohol and caffeine as this can increase heart rate which can cause your body to overheat. Last but not least, meditate or try to find any relaxing activity before sleeping. This can help the body release the stress which can lessen the excessive sweating at night.

3. Sweat-wicking Sheets

Sweat-wicking sheets or any breathable fabric such as bamboo or Egyptian cotton can feel cool to the skin, making your body comfortable and sweat-free. Use this instead of your usual silk or flannel, which traps the heat and can be very uncomfortable to the skin especially when you sweat.

4. Change Your Pillow

Using down pillows are nice, but not if you sweat a lot at night. These pillows trap the heat which can make your head feel warm. This can result in more discomfort because you will sweat and feel warm at the same time. I suggest using a microfiber or even a buckwheat pillow. Yes, it may not be as comfortable as a down pillow, but it is cooling and can help lessen the sweating. Also, try using cooling pillows as I think that they’re an amazing invention.

Conclusion

Night sweats have many causes but there are so many treatment options available nowadays so you don’t have to worry as much. The key is to know about this condition and seeking help from a doctor for the best way to solve this problem.

As you have read, I have provided easy methods you can do to help lessen night sweats. I know that it can be very worrisome at first but now that you know more about it and how to address the situation, it’s not so bad anymore.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Don’t forget to click on the social media buttons below to share this article with friends or family that want to learn more about night sweats in women. Be in the loop and check this blog daily for interesting articles.