How To Stop Night Sweats Naturally? 4 Simple Tips

It can get extremely uncomfortable, waking up from your sleep with sweat drenching your face and your clothes. All you want to do is make it stop but you don’t know how or what to do.

You may have tried all these remedies posted online, but you’re just looking for anything that can make the sweats go away without having to drink oral medication or having to buy the expensive creams.

Lucky for you as you are in the right place as you will learn how to stop night sweats naturally as I will share with you some important tips and tricks. Read more below to learn about why night sweats occur and what you can do to reduce or even stop this from happening to you.

Feeling all alone in your struggle with night sweats (or sweating in general)? Worry no more as this is exactly why my friend (Oscar) and I write all about anything sweat-related. You are not alone as lots of people have successfully managed this condition. Check out Oscar’s hyperhidrosis story here.

What is Night Sweats?

Night sweats are called such because you sweat in the middle of the night and you end up waking up soaked in sweat. Many people think that it is normal, when in fact it isn’t. Especially if your room isn’t warm or humid.

There are a few possible causes of sweating at night and I will discuss each reason below. But take note that true night sweats have no known cause and is also called sleep hyperhidrosis. Here are the known causes of night sweats:

1. Idiopathic Hyperhidrosis

Idiopathic doesn’t mean idiot as many people would like to joke about any condition with “idiopathic” on it. Idiopathic means that there’s no known cause and that means that you wake up flushed or sweaty even if the room isn’t warm at all.

This is what most doctors call “true” night sweats or sleep hyperhidrosis, as other causes can be treated because the root cause is known while this form (or any form ) of hyperhidrosis is a bit tougher to treat but will be manageable after a while.

If you have idiopathic hyperhidrosis, the only thing you can do is to wear sweat-wicking pajamas or to use topical antiperspirants to lessen or eliminate sweating altogether.

2. Medication

Did you know that some medications you take can cause night sweats? This is actually the first time I learned about this and it made me read more. Apparently, some anti-depressants like sertraline and venlafaxine can cause night sweats. There is a reported 22% of people taking these medications that say they have night sweats.

Other medications that lower blood sugar (hypoglycemic agents) have also been known to cause night sweats. This is because medications for diabetes known as sulfonylureas can cause your blood sugar to drop. When that happens your body produces excess adrenaline which causes sweating.

If you suspect that it’s your medication that’s causing your night sweats, it would be best to go to your doctor immediately so that he/she can change your medication into something that won’t cause sweating as a side-effect. I wouldn’t suggest immediately going off your medication without the doctor’s go signal.

3. Infections

Night sweats can be a sign that your body is fighting an infection. The most common infections that cause sweating is tuberculosis, endocarditis, or even HIV. Infections trigger your body’s fight response, which is usually a high fever. Your body then tries to cool itself down by sweating.

The best way to treat this is to immediately go to the hospital so that they can properly diagnose you and find what may be causing the sweating. After that, you’ll be on the road to recovery with the help of medicine and a lot of rest.

4. Menopause

Menopause is when a woman’s ovaries stop producing an egg each month and stop menstruating. This happens usually at 45-50 years of age. What people don’t know is that menopause can happen early for people who undergo chemotherapy or undergo surgery that affects their ovaries.

Hot flashes can occur as a symptom of menopause. Hot flashes are the sudden feelings of warmth all over your body, especially on the face and neck. When these flashes occur at night that’s what causes you to sweat.

I suggest going to your doctor so that he/she can prescribe you medication that can lessen these symptoms caused by menopause. There are also different treatment plans that your doctor can suggest. They might also recommend cooling pillows or even cooling blankets.

5. Hypoglycemia

As mentioned above, low blood sugar triggers excess adrenaline production which causes you to sweat. Low blood sugar can happen a lot to people with diabetes and who take a specific medication. The best option is to tell your doctor immediately so he/she can change your medication to one that doesn’t have bad side effects on you.

If your medication can’t be changed you might want to have cooling stuff near you like cooling blankets or you can use sweat-wicking sleepwear, but if you can really change your medication this would be the best option.

6. Cancer

Some cancers that are unidentifiable have both fever and cold sweat symptoms that can be very uncomfortable. Lymphoma, cancer that attacks the body’s lymphocytes, cells that protect us from infections, when you get this form of cancer, you tend to get “drenching” night sweats.

Symptoms of lymphoma can include swollen lymph nodes, shortness of breath, sudden weight loss and night sweats that are so extreme that you wake up soaked. I made a separate section for cancer because unlike other infections, it is important to get this treated immediately, plus the fact that some medications are not advisable to take when diagnosed with this condition.

I’ve also read that night sweats are one of the early signs of lymphoma but can also happen during the day. it is still best to go to your doctor for a proper treatment plan and how to lessen the discomfort caused by the sweating.

7. Pregnancy

Hot flashes and night sweats are normal when you’re pregnant because your hormones levels are increased, so is your blood flow which causes your body to think that you’re feeling hot. Since sweating is our body’s normal cooling system as I would call it, it will start sweating to bring down your temperature.

8. GERD

GERD is the acronym for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. GERD is when your stomach acid goes back up the tubes connecting your mouth and stomach. It can be highly uncomfortable and sometimes even painful.

A common symptom of GERD is night sweats and heartburn. So if you experience these symptoms, please see your doctor ASAP. Getting rid of the GERD or treating it so it’s manageable will make the night sweats go away.

9. Substance Abuse/ Withdrawal

Substance abuse can often cause elevated heart rate which makes your body think that it’s working so hard, which means it will do its best to cool you down by sweating.

Substance withdrawal can also cause night sweats because your body is constantly looking for what a person used to take for instance alcohol, and elevated heart rate again, can cause your body to think that you’re overheating.

The best thing to do is to go through these symptoms and avoid alcoholic substances. Go on a full detox as prolonged alcohol abuse can cause so much damage to your liver and being intoxicated all the time can also ruin relationships.

What Can I Do About My Night Sweats?

If your night sweats aren’t caused by a condition that can be treated, it most likely is sleep hyperhidrosis. This excessive sweating condition can be as tough as any psychological problem can directly affect your sweating.

I have prepared some tips you can do to make the night sweats occur less or to make you feel less uncomfortable when it does occur. Another option can be to make go away bit by bit. Read more to find out how

1. Wear Sweat-Wicking Pajamas

Sweat-wicking pajamas are so amazing because they’re cool to the skin, the fabric dries so quickly you don’t have time to get drenched, and they’re comfortable to wear.

Wear these pajamas so that you won’t wake up drenched in sweat and in some cases, you won’t even wake up because you are sound asleep because the pajamas do their job.

You should choose pajamas that are made of sweat-wicking materials like bamboo cotton blends or nylon blends that have a natural feel. You can also opt to wear sleeveless stuff so that you feel cooler when sleeping.

2. Cooler Room

I mean this literally (but maybe figuratively too? The figurative part I’ll explain in a bit). You should make sure that your room is cool and not warm and humid as warm rooms can definitely make you sweat and can drench your clothes.

Make sure that the room isn’t too cold as well as you might get sick. A cooler room would be really good after you take a bath. You will definitely sleep better when you sweat less. Set your thermostat to the perfect temperature. It would take a few tries but when you find the perfect settings you’ll discover that you actually sweat less. You can even use a fan to have the cool air circulate the room when you’re asleep.

3. Less Stress and Natural Resources

Stress is usually a factor in excessive sweating when it comes to people diagnosed with hyperhidrosis. The more anxious, nervous, or stressed you are, the more you sweat.

My advice would be doing (or in my case reading) something relaxing so that you’d be able to go to bed relaxed. You can either meditate, listen to soothing music, or do relaxing breathing. There are also other more natural remedies like herbs or food that you can avoid to stop the sweating episodes.

4. Use Antiperspirant

One of the biggest misconceptions about antiperspirants is that they’re solely for the underarms. Well, the good news is that a lot of antiperspirant brands are becoming more open to people using their products on different parts of their bodies aside from their armpits.

For example, Carpe is an antiperspirant for the hands and feet. Odaban is a spray that can be used on the back or chest. The best option though is to get antiperspirant wipes as they are so compact and can stop the sweat for more than 3-5 days.

Conclusion

Night sweats may be a tough condition to have but always remember that I’m here for you and I’ll always be here to help. I will do my best to come up with the best solutions to these problems as I’m sure you have been trying to find anything that can stop or even just reduce the excessive sweat at night.

Last but not least, I’d like to thank you for your time in reading all of these and I know you’re leaving with more knowledge about night sweats. Please don’t forget to click on the social media buttons below to share this article with many more people.

If you think that you know someone who is experiencing this and may need the tips you have read above, please feel free to leave comments and questions (I’m sure you have some) below. I will do my best to read and answer all of them immediately.

Thanks and until next time!

xx

Yvonne