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What no one tells you about night sweats?

Menopause, low blood sugar, and fever can cause night sweats. So can certain medications, including antidepressants and steroids. If your clothing or your bedroom temperature causes you to sweat, it's not considered night sweats. Night sweats are unpleasant, but most of the time they're harmless.

healthline.com - When to Be Concerned About Night Sweats - Healthline

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Night sweats can happen for a number of reasons, and many of them aren’t too serious. In some cases, however, regular episodes of night sweating could indicate a potentially serious medical condition. But if you sweat enough that you regularly wake up with wet pajamas and bedding, there could be an underlying medical issue. It’s not uncommon to sweat at night. You may sweat a little or a lot, depending on how many blankets you sleep with, how warm your room is, and even what you ate before going to bed. It’s not always possible to determine the cause of night sweats. But other symptoms you experience along with nighttime sweating could help you narrow down an underlying medical cause.

Your environment

Your room, mattress, and pajamas could all influence whether you sweat during the night. Your bed may be adorned with several cozy blankets that cause overheating. Similarly, your pajamas could be too heavy, or your mattress may not be breathable. Adjusting the environment may help alleviate your night sweats.

Your nighttime routine

External factors beyond your sleeping environment may impact night sweats. These include:

alcohol use at night

eating spicy foods at dinner or as a late-night snack

exercising before sleep

Avoid these behaviors before bedtime to see if your night sweats decrease.

Stress and anxiety

Anxiety and stress are mental health issues, but they often involve physical symptoms, too. Increased sweating is one common physical sign associated with these conditions. If your night sweats are happening because of anxiety or stress, you might also:

have feelings of worry, dread, and fear that keep coming back

find it hard to think about anything besides these feelings

have sleep issues or unpleasant dreams

have stomach and digestive trouble

have unexplained aches, pains, or muscle tension

feel irritable or have other mood changes

feel weak, tired, or generally unwell

Hormonal issues

A range of hormonal issues and hormone disorders can cause excessive nighttime sweating.

These include:

Hormonal conditions can cause a range of symptoms, but some general ones include:

unexplained weight changes

changes in energy level

headaches

sexual dysfunction

menstrual changes

Many hormonal issues can be managed.

Medication side effects

Certain drugs can cause night sweats as a side effect. If you’ve recently started a new medication and are experiencing night sweats, talk with the doctor who prescribed your medication.

Some common drugs known to sometimes cause night sweats include:

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steroids, including prednisone and cortisone

both tricyclic and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants

pain relief medications, such as aspirin and acetaminophen

medications for diabetes that help lower blood sugar

hormone therapy medications

phenothiazine antipsychotics

If the night sweats have a negative impact on your sleep, a doctor may recommend a different medication or have suggestions to help you manage the side effects.

Hyperhidrosis

Hyperhidrosis causes you to sweat excessively to the point of it being noticeable to you and possibly others. It may interfere with your daily life. But it can be inconvenient and require management. You may have the condition with no underlying causes. Or it may be a symptom of another medical condition or a side effect of medication.

Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia occurs when you have low blood sugar. It could cause you to sweat at night or during the day. You may have hypoglycemia if you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Other reasons for low blood sugar may include alternations in hormone levels or metabolism. In addition to excessive sweating during sleep, you may have nightmares or feel disoriented after awakening.

Other symptoms of hypoglycemia are:

unsteadiness

shaking

hunger

exhaustion or fatigue

racing or irregular heartbeat

headaches

disorientation

Severe symptoms include losing consciousness or having a seizure.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)

You can experience GERD during the day or at night, and it can sometimes cause night sweats.

Along with night sweats, GERD can cause:

heartburn, often after meals

chest pain or esophageal spasms

problems with swallowing

regurgitation (when liquid or food comes back up after swallowing)

sleep issues

respiratory problems, including coughing or increased symptoms of asthma

GERD is generally diagnosed if you experience this at least twice per week, or if more severe reflux happens once per week or more.

Sleep apnea

Sleep apnea is a condition that causes you to stop breathing while asleep, usually multiple times in a night. Obstructive sleep apnea generally occurs when something like throat tissue blocks your airway. You can also develop central sleep apnea when certain health conditions affect the function in your central nervous system.

If you have sleep apnea, you might also:

feel tired during the day

wake often in the night or sleep restlessly

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wake up struggling to breathe

have difficulty focusing during the day

have headaches

Sleep apnea can have serious complications if it goes untreated, such as increased risk for respiratory and cardiovascular issues. Women going through menopause who experience night sweats may also be at a greater risk for developing sleep apnea, according to a 2018 study. It’s a good idea to see a doctor for night sweats that happen with other symptoms of sleep apnea.

Serious infections

Some serious infections can also cause night sweats, including:

tuberculosis, a highly contagious infection that usually affects your lungs

endocarditis, an infection in the valves of your heart

osteomyelitis, an infection in your bones

brucellosis, an infection you can get from animals with brucellosis or unpasteurized products from infected animals

HIV

fungal infections

infectious mononucleosis (mono)

other infections

But as with cancer, infections also tend to cause other noticeable symptoms. These include:

chills and fever

aching muscles and joints

body pain

general weakness or fatigue

weight loss

lack of appetite

Call a doctor if you have any of the symptoms above.

Neurological disorders

In rare cases, night sweats can occur as a symptom of certain neurological issues, including:

Neurological issues can involve many symptoms, but some might include:

appetite loss or other GI or urinary symptoms

losing consciousness

feeling dizzy or lightheaded

trembling

muscular weakness

numbness and tingling in your arms, hands, legs, and feet

Cancer

It’s possible for unexplained night sweats to be a symptom of cancer, but this doesn’t happen often. If you do have cancer, you’ll most likely have other noticeable symptoms, too. These symptoms may seem to resemble other, less serious health issues, like the flu. It’s a good idea to contact a doctor if you have night sweats and feel fatigued or generally unwell. It’s particularly recommended to see a doctor if you have a fever that doesn’t go away and you’ve recently lost weight without trying, as these can be early signs of cancer.

Types of cancer often linked to night sweating include:

These cancers also involve the following symptoms:

healthline.com - When to Be Concerned About Night Sweats - Healthline

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