Night sweats, sometimes called nighttime hot flashes, don’t mean you get hot while you’re sleeping every now and then. They’re repetitive, extreme and disrupt sleep, says Amy Zack, a family medicine physician at the Cleveland Clinic. “It’s sort of a conventional name for an experience in which folks wake up soaked in sweat,” she says. “It’s not just feeling hot, maybe if a room is hot or it’s warm outside, but rather sort of a drenching sweat that requires changing clothes, maybe changing bedclothes, as well.”
What causes night sweats?
Night sweats can be caused by a number of factors. If you have night sweats that disrupt your sleep, Zack says you need to talk to your doctor to rule out anything serious. “Whenever we hear about somebody having soaking night sweats, it definitely requires a range of questions to determine what might be causing that,” she says. “Sleep disruption has a really big impact on all aspects of life.” Here are 10 possible causes of night sweats in women:
1. Menopause and perimenopause
Common causes of night sweats for women are menopause and perimenopause, the stage leading up to menopause, when ovarian functions and menstrual cycles start to fluctuate, Zack says. “That’s caused by hormonal fluctuation in the body,” she explains. “It’s believed to affect the vascular system and result in a flushing and heat on the skin. When that happens, the body sweats to cool the skin down.” Night sweats and hot flashes during menopause can be treated with prescription medications and herbal supplements, such as ginseng or evening primrose oil.
2. Infections
Night sweats can be a sign of a serious infection says Peter Bidey, vice chair of the Department of Family Medicine and assistant professor of family medicine at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. “Some of the infections that notoriously go along with night sweats are tuberculosis and HIV,” he says, adding that endocarditis, an infection of the heart tissue, and osteomyelitis, infections of the bone, can also cause night sweats. In these cases, treating the illness or infection may help night sweats go away.
3. Cancer
Some cancers, like leukemia and Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, cause night sweats, Bidey says. And, night sweats can be an early sign of cancer, so it’s a good idea to visit your doctor for some tests. Night sweats may also be a side effect of cancer treatments, including surgery, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, chemotherapy and some medications, according to the National Cancer Institute.
4. Anxiety and depression
Anxiety, stress and depression, though mental health conditions, also impact the body physically, including raising the heart rate. “Anytime you raise the heart rate can cause a feeling of anxiety, jitteriness, restlessness, and that can definitely make you feel sweaty,” Zack says. But, anxiety might not always cause the soaking night sweats that come with other conditions, she says.
5. Some medications
Night sweats may be a side effect of certain medications, Bidey explains. Antidepressants, medications used to treat diabetes and hormone therapy drugs commonly have night sweats as a side effect. For people with drug addiction, especially opioids, night sweats might also accompany drug withdrawal, Bidey adds.
6. Thyroid conditions
Hyperthyroidism, or an overactive thyroid, causes excessive sweating, and sometimes night sweats. “It’s generally less likely to be exclusively at night,” Zack explains. “It can change the body temperature and result in changes in metabolic rate that can cause sweating.” Treating the thyroid condition will usually help alleviate night sweats.
7. Hormonal changes or conditions
Any hormonal change may cause night sweats, especially for women, Zack says. That could include menopause, pregnancy, premenstrual syndrome or other hormonal shift. Low testosterone in men may be another cause of night sweats.
8. Drinking alcohol before sleep
Drinking alcohol raises your body temperature and can cause skin flushing. So, when you drink too much before bed, you may have night sweats. “It disrupts sleep as well,” Zack says. If you suspect your night sweats are alcohol-related, she suggests embracing a healthy lifestyle which includes healthy eating, exercise, and avoiding alcohol close to bedtime.
9. Sleep apnea
Night sweats are often a symptom of sleep apnea, the condition causing you to stop breathing while asleep (often several times a night), Bidey says. If you’re struggling with night sweats on a regular basis, consider trying out one of the cooling mattresses we cover in our Helix mattress review. A cooling mattress can help to regulate your temperature, and keep you cool and comfortable. Excessive sweating at night occurs three times more frequently in people with untreated obstructive sleep apnea, according to a 2013 study published in BMJ Open.
10. Hyperhidrosis
For people with hyperhidrosis, a condition that causes excessive sweating, night sweats are common.“It’s not only happening at night, though,” Bidey says. “They’re overproducing sweat in certain areas of their body, sometimes their whole body. It happens during the day, too.” Medications, as well as some antiperspirants, Botox injections, laser treatment and iontophoresis are common treatments for hyperhidrosis, according to the International Hyperhidrosis Society.
When to seek treatment for night sweats
The occasional sweaty night probably isn’t cause for concern. Wearing loose-fitting clothing, opening a window, sleeping next to a fan, and avoiding alcohol, caffeine or spicy foods before bed will help, Bidey says. But, if night sweats occur regularly and are so extreme that your clothing and bedclothes are soaked through, he suggests visiting your doctor. “You don’t want to chalk up night sweats to just being menopause or things along those lines,” Bidey says. “You want to take a deeper delve into it if necessary, which is where you want to bring in your primary care provider. Sometimes you could be missing a small cue or something, and it could be something that’s more serious or underlying as a whole.” Stress, too, could be making you sweat more. Read more about how to stop stress sweating.
