Night sweats typically occur due to anxiety, stress, hot environments or consumption of thermogenic foods, but can also indicate menopause, diabetes, hyperthyroidism or infections.
Depending on the cause of night sweats, other symptoms such as weight loss, tremors in parts of the body, fever, irritability, irregular menstrual cycle and diarrhea may also be present.
In case of night sweats, especially if there are other symptoms, it is important to consult your general practitioner. Treatment may involve the use of antidepressant medications, hormone replacement, diabetes control and, sometimes, surgery to stop sweating. See how surgery is performed to stop sweating.
Main causes
The main causes of night sweats include:
1. Anxiety or stress
Anxiety or stress are conditions in which a person frequently presents intense, excessive or persistent worry and fear in relation to everyday situations, caused by the activation of the nervous system that releases the hormone adrenaline into the bloodstream. When this happens during the night, the person may wake up with night sweats, associated with other symptoms such as rapid heartbeat and the feeling that something bad might happen.
What to do: It is important to identify the cause of anxiety or stress and follow up with a psychologist, who may also recommend a consultation with a psychiatrist to assess the need for medication. In addition, daily measures should be taken to reduce anxiety or stress, such as practicing physical activity, breathing slowly during the crisis or drinking a calming tea before bed. Check out the options for calming teas for anxiety and stress.
2. Menopause or PMS
The fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone hormones that occur in women during menopause or premenstrual periods, for example, are also capable of increasing body temperature and causing episodes of hot flashes and sweating, which can be nocturnal, being a benign and which tends to pass over time.
Men are also not free from these symptoms, as around 20% of those over 50 years of age may experience andropause, also known as male menopause, which consists of a drop in testosterone levels, which leads to night sweats, in addition to heat, irritability, insomnia and decreased libido. Those who undergo prostate tumor treatment using medications to reduce testosterone may also experience these symptoms.
What to do: If night sweats are repetitive or very intense, women should talk to their gynecologist or endocrinologist to further investigate the symptom and seek treatment, such as hormone replacement therapy. Find out how to take hormone replacement therapy and natural options.
In the case of men, a urologist should be consulted who should advise on the treatment that can be carried out with testosterone hormone replacement. However, this treatment is not recommended for men with prostate cancer.
3. Diabetes
It is not uncommon for people with diabetes who are taking insulin to experience episodes of hypoglycemia during the night or early in the morning. When this happens, the person may not experience any symptoms other than night sweats.
Hypoglycemia causes sweating as it activates the body’s mechanisms to compensate for the lack of glucose, resulting in sweating, paleness, dizziness, palpitations and nausea.
What to do: Some measures can be taken at home to avoid hypoglycemia attacks during sleep, such as never skipping dinner and avoiding drinking alcoholic beverages at night. Another important measure is to check blood glucose levels before bed and, if they are too low, they should be corrected with a healthy snack. Additionally, it is important to talk to your doctor to evaluate the possibility of adjusting the dose or type of diabetes medication. See all diabetes treatment options.
4. Sleep apnea
Sleep apnea can cause a drop in blood oxygenation during the night, leading to an activation of the nervous system, which can cause night sweats, in addition to the person having a greater chance of developing high blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmias and cardiovascular diseases.
This disease is a disorder that causes a momentary stoppage of breathing or very shallow breathing during sleep, resulting in snoring and unrelaxing rest, which causes symptoms of drowsiness during the day, difficulty concentrating, headache and irritability, for example. example.
What to do: Sleep apnea must be treated by a pulmonologist, who may recommend a device called CPAP or, in some cases, surgery. Learn more about treating sleep apnea.
5. Hot environments
When body temperature rises, sweating appears as the body’s way of trying to cool the body and prevent it from overheating. In very hot environments or seasons where temperatures are high, it is common to increase sweat production, which can occur at any time of the day, but can also cause night sweats.
What to do: You should ventilate the room or, if you have one, use a fan or air conditioning, turning it on for a few minutes before going to sleep.
6. Consumption of thermogenic foods
The consumption of thermogenic foods such as pepper, ginger, alcohol or caffeine stimulates the brain in the region that regulates body temperature and accelerates metabolism, causing the body to generate more heat, which increases sweat production and, therefore, can cause night sweats if consumed close to bedtime. Check out the complete list of thermogenic foods.
What to do: Avoid consuming thermogenic foods at night, giving preference to consuming these foods during the day, to reduce the production of night sweat.
7. Hyperthyroidism
Hyperthyroidism is a disease in which there is dysregulation of the thyroid gland that produces excessive amounts of the hormone thyroxine, leading to an increase in the body’s metabolism, which increases the production of sweat, which can be nocturnal, being a common symptom of this disease.
What to do: You should consult a doctor for blood tests to check thyroid hormones. If hyperthyroidism is confirmed, it is important to start the most appropriate treatment, which tends to be done with medication or surgery. Find out how hyperthyroidism is treated.
8. Infections
Some infections, which can be acute or chronic, can cause sweating, preferably at night. Some of the most common include:
- Tuberculosis;
- HIV;
- Histoplasmosis;
- Coccidioidomicose;
- Endocarditis;
- Lung abscess.
Generally, in addition to night sweats, these infections can also cause symptoms such as fever, weight loss, weakness, swollen glands or chills, which are rapid and involuntary contractions and relaxations in parts of the body. Learn about other causes of chills.
What to do: It is very important that there is a medical evaluation as soon as possible, and treatment is guided according to the type of infection, which may require the use of antibiotics, antifungals or antiretrovirals.
9. Use of some medications
Some medications may have the presence of night sweats as a side effect, and some examples are antipyretics, such as paracetamol, some antihypertensives and some antipsychotics.
What to do: The use of medications should not be stopped, but you should talk to your doctor to understand if the dose can be changed or if there is another medication that can be used.
10. Cancer
Some types of cancer, such as lymphoma or leukemia, may present night sweats as a frequent symptom, in addition to weight loss, enlarged lymph nodes throughout the body, bleeding and decreased immunity. Sweating can also occur in neuroendocrine tumors, such as pheochromocytoma or carcinoid tumor, which stimulate the release of hormones that activate the neurological response, causing bouts of palpitation, sweating, facial flushing and high blood pressure, for example.
What to do: You should consult an oncologist or endocrinologist, who may recommend treatments that include surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy, for example, according to the type of tumor and severity of the condition.
When to worry
Night sweats are generally nothing to worry about, but in some cases, they may be a sign of a condition that requires treatment, and medical help should be sought if:
- Frequent or excessive night sweats;
- Experience stopping breathing or suffocating during sleep;
- Presence of fever or chills;
- Presence of cough;
- Unexplained weight loss.
Furthermore, in people with lymphoma or HIV, night sweats may be a sign that the disease is progressing, and it is important to notify your doctor and have regular follow-up.
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