Excessive Sweating During Sleep

Photo by kumarnm

Night sweats is a term used to describe excessive sweating at night while a person is sleeping. If it also called sleep hyperhidrosis or nocturnal hyperhidrosis. I prefer sleep sweats because I can spell and pronounce it.People suffering from night sweats may or may not experience excessive daytime sweating. Night sweats also tends to begin in early adults.

Night sweats may run from being fairly mild where a person can get some relief by removing a blanket or two or flipping their pillow over to the cool side. Others may have to splash some cool water on their face or use a cool wash cloth under their arm pits.

In the most extreme situations, a person may awaken when their sleepwear or sheets become uncomfortable as they get wet from the perspiration. They have to change clothes, change their bed sheets and have a cool bath or shower before going back to bed. The frequent nightly awakenings disturbs their sleep and leads to daytime drowsiness.

Night sweats can be an inherited condition where the person’s body just produces too much sweat. It often afflicts their hands, arm pits and the soles of their feet. With other people there is an underlying cause which may be medical or environmental.

Some causes of Night Sweats include:

• Hot weather
• Hot drinks
• Bedroom that is too warm
• Too many sheets or blankets
• Heavy sleeping clothes
• Spicy foods
• High fat foods
• Caffeine (coffee, colas, chocolate)
• Exercising at night near bedtime
• Alcohol
• Acidic food
• Birth Control Pills
• Zoloft (an anti-depression medication)
• Fever due to an illness
• Diabetes insipidus
• Anxiety or stress
• Cerebral palsy
• Pregnancy
• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Heart Disease
• Epilespy
• Menopause in women
• Andropause in men
• HIV/AIDS
• Some high blood pressure drugs
• Tuberculosis
• Stroke
• Gastrointestinal Reflux Disease
• Head trauma
• Hyperthyroidism (an over-active thyroid gland)
• Cancer
• Genetics

Treatments for Night Sweats

The primary treatment for night sweats is to treat the underlying cause of the sweating whether from a disease or an environmental cause. When night sweats is genetic a person may be get a prescription for an anti-perspirant or for a drug like Robinul or Propranolol.

They could also have Botox injections to block nerve endings at the location of the sweat glands. Surgery could also be used to stop the body from triggering the sweat glands or an operation can be done to remove some of the sweat glands.

Some Home treatments for Night Sweats include:

• Avoid spicy or acidic foods and caffeine a few hours before bedtime
• Use cotton, linen or bamboo night clothes and bedding
• Reduce your stress
• Try chamomile or peppermint tea
• Put lighter sheets on your bed
• Don’t exercise a few hours before bedtime
• Keep your bedroom cool with AC or an open window
• Try a cool shower before bed
• Use a cooling pad on your pillow or on your mattress
• Use an overhead fan
• Switch to high-tech moisture wicking pajamas

Have your doctor rule out any underlying medical condition you may have for your night sweats. Pay attention to what and when your are eating. Keep a journal to see if there is a pattern between what you may have eaten and the severity of your night sweats.

If you can determine what triggers your night sweats you are on the way to overcoming this problem and getting a better night sleep.

Do you have night sweats? What have your tried? Leave a comment below.

Amazon Resources

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