What is Night Sweats?
Night sweats refer to excessive sweating during sleep. They are a common symptom that can have many different causes, ranging from lifestyle factors to underlying medical conditions.
Some key things to know about night sweats:
- They involve drenching sweats that require changing clothes or bedding. Mild sweating at night is normal, but true night sweats are severe.
- Women in perimenopause and menopause often experience them due to hormone changes. But men and younger people can also develop night sweats.
- Possible causes include:
- Hormone changes in women from perimenopause, menopause, pregnancy, etc.
- Infections like tuberculosis, endocarditis, HIV/AIDS
- Cancers and cancer treatments
- Medications, alcohol withdrawal
- Sleep disorders, anxiety disorders
- Menopausal syndrome, neuropathic disorders
- To diagnose the cause, doctors consider the person's full medical history and lifestyle. Blood tests, imaging scans, and other tests may be ordered.
- Treatments depend on the underlying cause but can include:
- Hormone therapy for menopausal women
- Medications to reduce sweating
- Antibiotics or other drugs targeting infections
- Lifestyle changes like weight loss and stress management
The bottom line: Night sweats can disrupt sleep and daily life. They often relate to hormone shifts in women around the menopause transition. But many medical conditions can also be involved. Seeing a doctor to investigate the cause is wise, especially for severe or persistent cases. Lifestyle adjustments and medical treatments may help manage troublesome night sweats.