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Causes of Night Sweats
While the exact cause of night sweats is unknown, most experts point to hormonal imbalance as the primary culprit. In more rare cases, a medical condition can prompt symptoms that include night sweats; however, these are not typically the cause of night sweats in menopausal women.
In addition to the main cause of hormonal imbalance, certain lifestyle triggers can provoke or increase the severity of night sweats.
Learning about the causes of night sweats and their triggers can be an important step toward understanding how to manage and prevent these bouts from occurring. Read on to learn more about the causes of night sweats.
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Hormonal Causes
Many doctors believe that hormonal imbalance is the primary cause of night sweats during menopause. During this transition the body begins to produce less estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone, which can provoke myriad menopausal symptoms, including night sweats.
The drop in estrogen that comes with menopause affects the part of the brain called the hypothalamus. This region is responsible for regulating body temperature.
During menopause, the hypothalamus gets "fooled" into sensing that the body is overheating. It then sends out signals to the body to dispel this perceived heat, increasing blood pressure, heart rate, sweat production, and temperature. This results is what menopausal women experience as hot flashes and/or night sweats. |
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While hormonal imbalance is the prime cause of night sweats during menopause, medical conditions can also cause night sweats in rarer cases. Please read on to learn more about the other possible causes of night sweats.
Other Causes of Night Sweats
While the most common cause of night sweats during the menopausal transition is hormonal changes, night sweats can also be a symptom of other medical conditions.
Medical Causes of Night Sweats
• Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)/ diabetes
• Medication use (e.g. antidepressants, psychotic drugs, aspirin)
• Infections (e.g. tuberculosis, bacterial infections)
• Hormone disorders (e.g. hyperthyroidism)
• Neurological Conditions (e.g. stroke)
• Cancer
• Anxiety
• Sleep apnea
In addition to these causes of night sweats, a number of environmental, psychological, and behavioral triggers can trigger or intensify night sweats. Please read on to learn more about these triggers in order to understand what to avoid in order to reduce the frequency and severity of this common menopausal symptom.
Triggers of Night Sweats
Certain factors can intensity night sweats or make them more frequent. Avoiding these triggers can help many menopausal women alleviate both hot flashes and night sweats.
Environmental Triggers
• Excess bedding
• Close proximity to bed partner
• Hot rooms
• Warm weather
• Saunas, tubs, hot showers |
Emotional Triggers
• Stress
• Anxiety
• Disturbing dreams
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Behavioral Triggers
• Hot or spicy foods
• Alcohol or caffeine
• Diet pills
• Smoking
• Drug use
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To determine the causes or provoking factors of night sweats, it's helpful to keep track of the presence of these triggers in your daily life. Noticing that night sweats often follow particular triggers, such as a certain type of food or a stressful day, can help you to avoid these factors in the future and perhaps decrease the frequency of night sweats.
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Important Note:
While avoiding these triggers helps to reduce the frequency of night sweats, it may not be enough to provide relief. Treating the underlying cause of hormonal imbalance, often through natural remedies, is the most effective way to alleviate this symptom.
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Understanding the causes of night sweats is just the beginning to learning how to live with, and perhaps even rid yourself of, night sweats. Please read on to learn about night sweat treatments, including important lifestyle changes, natural remedies, and medical options.
Return to home page and learn more about the 34 Menopause Symptoms.
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