Night sweats meaning and how to help avoid them
Night sweats meaning and how to help avoid them

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Night sweats meaning and how to help avoid them

Night sweats meaning and how to help avoid them

Night sweats often begin during perimenopause, the stage before actual menopause, and they can be a disruptive symptom associated with the menopause transition. Almost 75% of women will experience night sweats before, during or after menopause. Night sweats meaning is key to understanding and controlling this particular menopausal symptom which can greatly impact a woman’s life. The information below explains night sweats meaning and provides practical information about night sweats meaning.

What causes night sweats?

night sweats gnrhNight sweats are like hot flashes except they occur during the night. Another night sweats meaning is “nocturnal hyperhydrosis” which isn’t actually a sleep disorder but a common perspiration ailment that occurs during sleep. Night sweats can become bad enough to wake you up night after night, either due to increased body temperature or being wet and shivering because of damp sleepwear. This can be very disturbing since adequate sleeping is important for a healthy, active life. Night sweats meaning can significantly upset a woman´s physical and emotional well-being. Understanding night sweats’ meaning allows women to deal with night sweats in a more appropriate manner. The following articles show and explain the different causes for night sweats, specifically relating to menopause.

Night sweats during menopause

Night sweats can mean many different things but for women in their 40s and 50s night sweats may mean menopause is imminent. Menopause causes a woman’s body to change in various ways and there is a fluctuation in hormone levels. Normally, the hypothalamus (heat regulatory area in the brain) regulates the body heat according to the environment – if it’s hot outside, it makes the body release heat; and if it’s cold outside, the body retains heat. However, night sweats are produced because the hypothalamus starts overproducing heat.

The declining levels of estrogen hormones associated with menopause are responsible for the malfunction of the hypothalamus, which detects an increased body temperature and releases chemicals that cause the skin blood vessels to dilate so that heat can be released.This process is often accompanied by cold shivering.

Common symptoms of night sweats:

• Damp bedding.
• A feeling of being too hot or cold.
• Wet bedclothes.
• Chills.
• Interrupted sleep.

Treating night sweats in menopause

Night sweats are closely related to decreased levels of estrogen in a woman’s body during menopause. Therefore, the most important thing is to ensure that you are giving your body the support it needs to maintain healthy hormone levels. The following tips will help you to avoid night sweat triggers and to deal with problematic night sweats meaning menopause.

Top tips:

night sweats balance• Sleep in a cool room.
• Take a cold shower before going to bed.
• Lower the thermostat when possible.
• Drink two liters of water each day.
• Keep cold water close by.
• Support your body with natural remedies.
• Quit smoking.
• Get regular exercise to reduce stress.
• Avoid alcohol, caffeine, spicy foods, and hot soups.
• Eat a balanced diet containing protein, fiber, fruits, vegetables and grains.

Click on one of the links in the article above to learn more about the night sweats treatment that most suits you.

Other Related Articles:
What do night sweats indicate?
What causes heavy night sweats?
Understanding Night Sweats Causes
The causes of Night Sweats

Sources:
  • The National Institute of Health. "Signs of the Menopausal Transition." www.nih.gov.
  • Boston Women's Health Collective. "Hot Flashes, Night Sweats and Sleep Disturbances." Our Bodies, Ourselves, 2006.
  • Von Muhlen, DG, et al. "A community-based study of menopause symptoms and estrogen replacement in older women." Maturitas. Sept 1995; 22(2):71-8.