Night sweats can be a problem, especially if it prevents you from sleeping at night. While living in a hot environment can contribute to sweating at night, night sweat works a bit differently than just being exposed to a more humid climate. If you find yourself facing sudden bouts of sweating, then you’re facing night sweats.
Causes of night sweats
Night sweats cause the face and skin to turn red.Considering regular sweating is different from night sweats, causes of it also vary to a great extent. Night sweat leads to a lot of discomforts, especially since it interrupts your sleep cycle and makes you sweaty. Nobody likes waking up in the middle of the night due to excessive sweating which is why knowing its causes can be of immense help.
The most common causes of night sweat include the following:
- Menopause
Sudden hot flashes are the most common causes of night sweats due to menopause in the nights. - Idiopathic hyperhidrosis
A kind of night sweating referred to as idiopathic hyperhidrosis has no specific reason behind its occurrence. - Various infections
Infections are some of the leading causes of night sweat. HIV results in night sweats. Inflammation of the bones, inflammation of the heart valves and abscesses are also common night sweat causes. - Different Cancers
A wide array of cancers are commonly associated with the night sweat. The most usual amongst them is lymphoma. Undiagnosed cancers which lead to unexpected weight loss and fever are also listed under the different causes of night sweats amongst people. - Antidepressants
Almost 8% to 22% population in the world taking antidepressants are prone to night sweats. Flushing is another symptom accompanied by night sweats alongside these antidepressants. - Hypoglycemia
If you have diabetes with low blood sugar, it’s not surprising that hypoglycemia causes night sweats. For diabetic patients, night sweats are common and nothing out of the ordinary. - Hormonal disorders
Different hormonal disorders ranging from pheochromocytoma, carcinoid syndrome, and hyperthyroidism contribute to the causes of night sweats. - Uncommon neurological disorders
Night sweat causes include, but are not limited to, neurological disorders such as autonomic dysreflexia, posttraumatic syringomyelia, stroke, and autonomic neuropathy.
Remedies to treat night sweat causes
Although night sweats are prevalent amongst many, there are a few steps you can take to prevent future occurrences of this phenomenon or at least provide you with relief. When you are suffering from night sweat, causes may be many, but being patient, gentle, and aptly applying the following remedies can pave the path to a long-term solution and help you get rid of the night sweats.
- Avoid initial triggers. Some of the most common triggers of night sweats are smoking, inhaling smoke via a second person, wearing tight-fitting clothing, consuming spicy foods, taking harmful drugs, and experiencing too much stress in life.
- Avoid staying in warm rooms since they contribute to night sweats.
- Establish a stress cleansing routine before bedtime to help calm your mind and body. Relaxing physically and mentally is an important aspect of curing night sweat.
- Exercise is a good stress buster and helps to relieve symptoms of night sweat. Since it causes sweating during the day, it helps you get a restful sleep in the night, minus the hassle of night sweats.
- Wear loose clothing which is light on the body. This will help relieve stress and therefore prevent night sweats.
- Dressing up in layers can help you adjust your body temperature according to different times of the day, and this helps in curing night sweats.
- An age-old method of curing night sweats is by using a bedside fan or an air conditioning unit during the nights. This helps cool down the temperature of the room and prevent night sweating. Turning down the thermostat also helps.
- Weight loss is a proven method of reducing night sweat causes. Weight loss translates to more cooling and internal relaxation, thus less stress on the body, which equals to curing night sweats.
- Turn your pillow frequently to find yourself getting a certain degree of relief from night sweats.
- Drink a lot of fluids and especially mineral water. This helps reduce night sweats due to proper hydration and cooling of the body.
- Incorporate a healthy diet rich in vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids. A vegan diet can also be useful.
If you are experiencing night sweats, causes of it may differ from one person to another and may range from infections to hormonal disorders. However, by applying some of the above remedies, with time and a little dose of patience, you will find yourself being able to relax and having a restful sleep. Night weather a result of stress, which may come from medication, obesity, and so on. However, you can tackle this by incorporating a healthy lifestyle and implementing these natural remedies.
