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 symptoms 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 best prepare for this transitional period. Keep reading 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, varying in 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 the 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, during the 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.

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 experienced night sweats.

Race Studies have found that the prevalence of night sweats varies by race. One study found that 3 in 4 Caucasian women experience night sweats. Another found that African-American women were more likely to have night sweats than Caucasian or Hispanic women. Asian women where 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 want 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 also rare medical causes, such as diabetes, anxiety, neurological conditions, sleep apnea, cancer, and thyroid disorder.

Night Sweat Triggers

Certain factors can intensify night sweats or make them more frequent. Avoiding these triggers can help to alleviate both hot flashes and night sweats.

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

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 to encourage a good night of sleep.

While these lifestyle changes can help to relieve 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 relief from night sweats.

In extreme cases of night sweats, women may turn to more drastic measures, such as pharmaceutical or surgical options. These medical options are usually only advised if lifestyle changes and natural therapies do not help.

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