Night Sweats

While night sweats, the nocturnal cousin of hot flashes, can be uncomfortable and disruptive, they don't usually signal a more serious underlying condition. In fact, night sweats are one of the most common companions of menopause which typically begins in a woman's late 40s to early 50s. Scientific studies suggest that as many as 75% of menopausal women experience night sweats.

When a woman approaches menopause, she may have many questions about the potential symptoms, including night sweats. Understanding what to expect, why these symptoms occur, and how to manage them can help a woman better prepare for and manage this transitional time period. Read on to learn more about night sweats.

Night Sweats	About Night Sweats Night sweats, medically termed "sleep hyperhidrosis," are episodes of nighttime sweating, which can range from mild to profuse. Night sweats are similar to the hot flashes that can affect menopausal women during the waking hours. Oftentimes, night sweats can be so intense that they interrupt a woman's sleep, which can affect many aspects of her daily life. Common symptoms of night sweats include sudden and intense heat, irregular heartbeat, nausea, flushing, chills, and headaches. Women with menopause-related night sweats may experience anywhere from mild to severe symptoms of these night sweats, of both infrequent or frequent duration, during their usual sleeping hours.
Night Sweats Overview About Night Sweats Definition Symptoms Who is affected? Causes of Night Sweats Hormonal causes Other causes Triggers Night Sweats Treatments

Who is Affected?

Many women in their 40s and 50s develop night sweats, which often begin before the actual cessation of a woman's menstrual cycle. One study found that approximately 19% of women aged 40 to 55 who still had regular periods experienced night sweats. Most women begin to develop symptoms three to ten years before actual menopause, a span of time called perimenopause. Research shows that not all women are affected the same. Age, race, and other factors can influence how likely a woman is to develop night sweats during menopause.

Night Sweats and Sleep: The symptoms of night sweats can drastically disturb sleep patterns, making it difficult to get a good night's rest. Because of this, women who suffer from night sweats often experience: • Insomnia • Sleep disorders • Trouble concentrating • Exhaustion during the day • Irritability • Heightened levels of stress

Age Age can affect a woman's experience of night sweats. One large study found that younger women are significantly more likely than older women to experience night sweats. Another found that only 10% of patients older than 64 had night sweats.

Race Studies have found that the prevalence of night sweats varies by racial group. One large study found the 3 in 4 white women experience night flashes. Another found that African-American women were more likely to have night sweats than white or Hispanic women. Asian women seem least likely to report night sweats.

Click here to learn more about night sweats, or continue reading below to learn what causes night sweats.

Causes of Night Sweats

Many women who experience night sweats wish to know the reason behind this symptom of menopause. While the exact cause of night sweats is unknown, most experts point to hormonal imbalance as the primary culprit.

Hormonal Causes

During menopause, levels of the hormone estrogen become erratic and eventually begin a steady and permanent decline. This change in estrogen levels affects the hypothalamus in the brain, which is responsible for the regulation of body temperature. As a result, the hypothalamus often prompts a series of physiological reactions, which women experience as hot flashes or night sweats.

Other Causes

While hormonal imbalance is by far the most common cause of night sweats in menopause, there are rare medical causes, such as diabetes, anxiety, neurological conditions, sleep apnea, cancer, and thyroid disorder.

Night Sweat Triggers

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

Behavioral Triggers • Hot or spicy foods • Alcohol or caffeine • Diet pills • Smoking • Drug use

Click here to find out more about the causes of night sweats, or continue reading below to learn more about treatments for night sweats.

Treatment of Night Sweats

Treatment of night sweats often begins with lifestyle changes that can help to reduce the frequency and severity of night sweats. This approach typically involves avoiding night sweats triggers, and taking steps to relieve stress and improve diet and exercise. For instance, tryptophan is an amino acid that helps aid in sleep and can be found in dairy products, nuts, and eggs, which all can help boost the occurrence of a good night of sleep.

While these lifestyle changes can help to relief night sweats and improve sleep patterns, they are unable to get at the root cause of night sweats, which is hormonal imbalance.

Fortunately, alternative medicine treatments are available to safely and effectively correct hormonal imbalances with little or no risk. In fact, most experts recommend that women combine lifestyle changes with natural therapies to achieve night sweats relief.

In extreme cases of night sweats, women may turn to more severe measures, such as pharmaceutical or surgical options. These medical options are usually only advised if this combined approach does not help.

Most experts recommend that women who suffer from night sweats and wish to treat it begin with lifestyle changes, then move onto alternative medicines (ideally combining the two) and finally, look to drugs or surgery if nothing else seems to work. Click the following link to learn specific treatments for night sweats during menopause in these three categories.

Return to home page and learn more about the 34 Menopause Symptoms.

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Review on May 14th, 2012 How To Give Your Wife The Support She Needs When Having Night Sweats Just when you think you´ve put your wife´s hot flashes to bed at night, they flare up once more... Review on May 11th, 2012 Do Not Disturb: How Not To Wake Up Your Partner During Night Sweats Night sweats are already ruining your daily eight hours of sleep, but you don´t want them to... Review on May 9th, 2012 Is fatigue a result of night sweats? Otherwise known as sleep hyperhidrosis, night sweats are a common sign and symptom of menopause. Women tend to get these and hot... Review on May 7th, 2012 How to combat night sweats in women under 25 More than three-quarters of all women suffer from night sweats at some stage in their lives but... Review on May 4th, 2012 I do not have a fever, why do I have night sweats? Night sweats are a flash of heat in the middle of the night, often striking while the sufferer is... Review on April 30th, 2012 Q&A:What sleep disorders are linked to night sweats? 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Review on March 21st, 2012 How to recognize menopausal night sweats Do you think that menopause is just around the corner? Are you trying to prepare yourself for the symptoms that are so commonly associated... Review on March 19th, 2012 Why do I have night sweats? A woman may experience night sweats at many times throughout her life and for many reasons. Most usually the cause is linked to a... Review on March 14th, 2012 Q&A: What are the differences between night sweats and hot flashes? Night sweats and hot flashes are two of the most common symptoms of menopause, each... Review on March 12th, 2012 Q&A: What are perimenopausal night sweats? For some women, the prospect of hitting menopause is daunting. It is an unavoidable... Review on March 7th, 2012 How long will my night sweats last? Unfortunately, there is no time limit or expiration date on menopause symptoms like night sweats. Every woman is different. While some... Review on March 5th, 2012 Best Alternative Treatments to Put You Back To Sleep After Night Sweats There are absolutely tons and tons of medical treatments available for treating night sweats... Review on March 2nd, 2012 3 Triggers of Night Sweats There are few things worse than waking up in the night: you’ve just dropped off to sleep when suddenly you’re wide awake again and... Review on February 27th, 2012 Two In the Bed: Night Sweats When Your Partner Is In Bed We're often reminded that menopause isn't just suffered by the woman going through it. The... Review on February 22th, 2012 Tossing and Turning: How To Cope with Insomnia after Night Sweats It's 3 a.m. and you've awoken drenched in sweat. Your heart is racing. You're disoriented and... Review on February 20th, 2012 Suffering from Night Sweats? Tips for Finding Relief If you're going through menopause, chances are you know all about night sweats. This universally ... Review on February 17th, 2012 Top 4 Lifestyle Changes To Prevent Night Sweats Night sweats are one of the more common, and uncomfortable, symptoms of menopause. They... Review on February 8th, 2012 Escaping the Heat: Tips for Summer Night Sweats Summer can be a glorious time of year; you can sit in the sun, enjoy the hot weather and take...

Review on February 6th, 2012 Creating the Right Ambience to Put You to Sleep after Night Sweats If you’re stressed at work, the last thing you want is to be stressed at night. After working hard... Review on February 3th, 2012 Can I Get Night Sweats During The Day? You may have thought you were the only person to ask if you can get night sweats during the day, but let me assure... Review on February 1st, 2012 Best Herbal Remedies to Combat Night Sweats There is a whole host of herbal remedies that can help you beat the common symptoms of,... Review on January 25th, 2012 Night Sweats: 4 Things to Avoid to Get a Good Night’s Sleep Waking up at all hours of the night, drenched in sweat? Losing sleep because your feel as... Review on January 23th, 2012 Bundling Up When You’re Feeling Hot: Tips for Winter Night Sweats Sudden bursts of heat, profuse sweating followed by fever and intense chills. No, it´s not the... Review on January 20th, 2012 How To Deal With Night Sweats On Vacation You´ve got your suitcases packed, your tickets printed and your hotel booked. You´ve prepared for travel hassles and medical emergencies... Review on January 16th, 2012 Night Sweats: When Will The Nightmare Be Over? They strike in the middle of the night, leaving you sweaty, overheated and counting sheep to fall... Review on January 13th, 2012 How To Deal With Night Sweats During Overnight Travel The idea behind overnight travel is for you to get some shut eye during your journey. But for... Review on January 9th, 2012 Midnight Munchies To Curb Menopausal Night Sweats It´s the middle of the night – you´re tired, drenched in sweat, and can´t go back to sleep... Review on December 7th, 2011 How to stop my night sweats Night sweats are a common affliction of women and are often likened to a hot flash. However, night sweats are more feared because they... Review on December 7th, 2011 Night Sweats: Does this mean I’m menopausal? The complaint of night sweats is a regular one that doctors hear. But, what does it mean? Are... Review on November 25th, 2011 Menopause: weight and night sweats Everyone knows that smoking, heavy drinking, and obesity are hazardous to health, and yet people continue to make these unwise lifestyle choices... Review on November 25th, 2011 Dealing with your wife’s night sweats You love nothing more than your wife, even in menopause, but dealing with your wife’s night sweats can feel a little beyond your reach.... Review on November 16th, 2011 Q&A:Does alcohol cause night sweats? Night sweats are the nighttime counterpart to hot flashes and are generally associated with women going through the menopausal ... Review on November 16th, 2011 Can sage help night sweats? Around three-quarters of all menopausal women suffer from night sweats and they are one of the most disruptive of all the signs and symptoms... Review on November 11th, 2011 Homeopathic remedies for night sweats What are some of the best homeopathic remedies for night sweats? Below is our short list of the most talked about natural solutions to... Review on November 11th, 2011 Suggested day plan to deal with your menopausal night sweats Knowing how to deal with the many signs and symptoms that come with the natural transition... Review on October 26th, 2011 Six items night sweat-sufferers can’t live without For women nearing middle age, menopause is the next rite of passage. It is also a scary, lengthy... Review on October 26th, 2011 Nightwear for night sweats in menopause Life can sometimes be a strange roundabout cycle – for the first few years in life your parents will have to get you up... Review on May 29th, 2011 Shopping tips for minimizing night sweats during menopause Everyone has to go shopping. Food shopping, clothes shopping, medicine shopping; what you... Review on May 19th, 2011 Night sweats in postmenopause: is this normal? The four stages of menopause culminate in a phase referred to as “postmenopause,” which is... Review on May 19th, 2011 The effects of night sweats in perimenopause Are you suffering from night sweats? Are you yet to enter menopause? Do you know what this ... Review on May 18th, 2011 5 exercises to deal with night sweats Night sweats are often referred to as the ‘nocturnal cousin’ of hot flashes. In a lot of ways, they are the most disruptive of... Review on May 28th, 2011 Stress relief methods for night sweats Night sweats are the nocturnal cousin of hot flashes and they can make it very difficult for a woman to have a comfortable night’s... Read all Night Sweats Articles

Review on October 29, 2009 Night sweats and the Quality of a Women's Sleep Night sweats have long been known to be a pesky symptom of menopause. The lowered levels of estrogen that trigger menopause are responsible... Review on October 29, 2009 A Brief Explanation on the Causes of Night Sweats Many people who wake up sweating at night wonder what is the cause of their night sweats. The causes of night sweats are varied... Review on April 30, 2009 Fewer Japanese Women Experience Night Sweats Margaret Lock of McGill University (Canada), reports that Japanese women are less likely than North American women to suffer night sweats...

Review on March 11, 2009 Red Clover extract may not be an effective treatment for Night Sweats While women have turned to alternative treatments such as red clover for the treatment of night sweats, recent studies have shown red clover to... Review on November 07, 2008 Black Cohosh May Not Affect Night Sweats Despite growing popularity in the treatment of menopause symptoms as an alternative to HRT, recent studies have shown black cohosh to be ineffective in the treatment of night sweats...... Read All Night Sweats Research