Causes of Night Sweats
Sleep is a simple—and necessary—joy in life, but if you frequently wake up drenched, you may be wondering what’s causing your night sweats and how to stop the misery. There are numerous factors that can cause you to sweat while sleeping.
However, once you enter the seriously-soaked zone, you go from “sweaty at night” to “night sweats.” Night sweats are intense bouts of sweating that can soak your pajamas and sheets.
This type of sweating is usually persistent and is caused by an underlying health problem. So, if your night sweats are accompanied by other new or unusual symptoms, such as snoring, consult your doctor.
What’s the good news? In most cases, night sweats are not harmful. However, waking up feeling like you just stepped out of the shower on a regular basis indicates that something deeper is at work. Experts explain the various causes of night sweats to consider, so you can take the first step toward sweet relief.
1. Hyperhidrosis
Hyperhidrosis, a condition characterized by excessive sweating, is classified into two types: primary and secondary. Primary hyperhidrosis occurs when there is no underlying cause for excessive sweating, such as a medical condition or medication. Secondary hyperhidrosis occurs when your excessive sweating is caused by a specific medical concern, such as a health problem or a medication you’re taking to treat one.
While primary hyperhidrosis usually occurs while you are awake, secondary hyperhidrosis can cause night sweats.
2. Anxiety disorders
People frequently believe that anxiety is only defined by excessive worry and fear, but these emotions can also cause a slew of physical symptoms. One of them is, you guessed it, excessive sweating, especially if your anxiety escalates into panic attacks.
If you’ve been experiencing a lot of stress or anxiety and believe it’s causing your night sweats, talk to your physician if you don’t see a therapist or mental health professional on a regular basis.
3. Menopause
Excessive sweating can occur in a person’s 50s, 40s, or even as early as their 30s if they have premature menopause. Menopause can cause a slew of unpleasant symptoms due to fluctuating hormones, specifically decreased estrogen and progesterone. These symptoms include hot flashes, night sweats, chills, irregular or absent periods, mood changes, vaginal dryness, a slower metabolism, and thinning hair.
Menopause is a completely normal condition that does not require treatment; however, if symptoms such as night sweats are interfering with your life, you do have options. If patients experience unbearable night sweats, they can discuss with their doctor whether hormone replacement therapy would be a good option for them.
4. Obstructive sleep apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder in which your breathing briefly stops and restarts while you sleep. When you have OSA, your throat muscles relax when they shouldn’t, making it difficult for your airway to get enough oxygen while you sleep.
Yes, it will make you sweat. Other symptoms of OSA include loud snoring, excessive fatigue during the day, waking up during the night gasping or choking, morning headaches, mood changes, decreased sex drive, and more.
5. Acid reflux
Acid reflux occurs when stomach acid travels back up into the esophagus, causing the sensation of heartburn. When this occurs on a regular basis (more than twice per week), it is referred to as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). According to anecdotal evidence, some people with acid reflux or GERD experience night sweats, which usually go away once the acid reflux is treated.
The autonomic nervous system, which regulates bodily processes such as breathing, may be activated by acid reflux, increasing your heart rate. Furthermore, an increased heart rate may cause excessive sweating. When lying down, there is no gravity to help keep stomach acid from flowing into the esophagus, which may explain why acid reflux patients experience night sweats.
6. Medication side effects
A variety of medications may cause night sweats as a side effect. Some antidepressants, such as SSRIs, diabetes medications, cancer medications, some high blood pressure medications, and some over-the-counter pain relievers fall into this category.
Consult your doctor if you suspect that a drug you’ve recently started taking is causing your night sweats; they may recommend adjusting your dosage or switching to another medication entirely.
7. Infectious diseases
Some infections are known to cause night sweats. That’s because any type of infection—whether it be bacterial, viral, or fungal—can cause a fever, which is triggered when the part of your brain that governs body temperature (your hypothalamus) causes your internal temperature to rise. As a result, you might experience chills or shivering, dehydration, and yes, night sweats.
