Night sweats can be a manifestation of simple infection, underlying malignancy, more complex infections – including TB and HIV – connective tissue disorders, menopause or certain prescribed drugs. It's also important not to overlook possible psychological causes, such as night terrors secondary to PTSD.
"If you're regularly waking up soaked in sweat, experiencing sudden night sweats accompanied by weight loss or if your night sweats are keeping you from getting quality sleep, it's time to talk to your doctor."
Excessive Sweating
When the arteries become clogged, your heart is forced to work harder to keep blood flowing. In response, your body sweats to keep your temperature down. Night sweats are a common symptom in women who are having heart problems, though the symptom is sometimes mistaken as a sign of menopause.
Occasional night sweats are usually nothing to worry about, but if they happen more often, you'll want to see a healthcare provider.
Tuberculosis is the infection most commonly associated with night sweats. But bacterial infections, such as endocarditis (inflammation of the heart valves), osteomyelitis (inflammation in the bones), and abscesses can cause night sweats. Night sweats are also a symptom of HIV infection.
Some people with heart failure wake up in the middle of the night with severe shortness of breath. The medical term for this symptom is paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea (PND). This may occur with waking up coughing and/or wheezing, having a rapid heart rate, and a feeling of being suffocated.
Myth: People with high blood pressure will experience symptoms, like nervousness, sweating, difficulty sleeping or facial flushing. Truth: High blood pressure is a largely symptomless “silent killer.”
As your cholesterol levels rise, there's a noticeable link between high cholesterol and night sweats — your body reacts to the thickening and hardening of your arteries. Blood flow (and blood pressure) speed up and your body often starts sweating. Learn more about high cholesterol and night sweats in in this blog.
Leukemia and lymphoma are among the cancers associated with night sweats. Those associated with leukemia usually occur in conjunction with symptoms such as fatigue, weight loss, or excessive bruising. Leukemia-related sweats may also result from daytime fevers.
Night sweats are repeated episodes of very heavy sweating during sleep, heavy enough to soak your nightclothes or bedding. They're often caused by an underlying condition or illness. Sometimes you may wake up after sweating heavily, particularly if you're sleeping under too many blankets or your bedroom is too warm.
Vitamin B12 deficiency is common. It is known to cause a wide spectrum of neurological syndromes, including autonomic dysfunction. Three cases are discussed here in which drenching night sweats were thought to be caused by vitamin B12 deficiency. All three responded dramatically to vitamin B12 therapy.
Autoimmune disorders: Night sweats can sometimes be a symptom of autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, celiac disease, and lupus. Autonomic neuropathy: This can lead to problems with excessive sweating.
People with diabetes often suffer night sweats due to low blood sugar levels, or nocturnal hypoglycemia . A drop in blood glucose can cause all sorts of symptoms, including headaches and severe sweating.
Fatigue, palpitations, dizziness, shortness of breath, paleness, sweating, headache, restless legs: these are all symptoms that could indicate a shortage of iron in the body.
Warning signs and symptoms of heart failure include shortness of breath, chronic coughing or wheezing, swelling, fatigue, loss of appetite, and others. Heart failure means the heart has failed to pump the way it should in order to circulate oxygen-rich blood throughout the body.
“Bedding and sleepwear are the most common reasons people sweat in their sleep,” says Dr. Harris. “Even if the bedroom temperature is cold, sleeping in materials that aren't breathable and don't promote airflow can cause overheating and night sweats.”
During the night, hormone levels can swing even more drastically, which sometimes results in much more severe hot flashes that can leave clothes and bedding soaked. Diet – caffeine, spicy foods, and alcohol are just a few of the dietary contributing factors that can create more severe hot flashes at night.
Sometimes, the balance between hot and cold is thrown off to the point where these thermoregulation processes cause us to wake up. Waking up shivering cold or hot and sweaty is never a comfortable experience. This can happen due to the sleep environment being too cold or too warm.
Night sweats are a common symptom of menopause. They may also be caused by illness or medical conditions, such as infection, cancer, low blood sugar, hormone disorders, and neurologic conditions. They may also be a side effect of certain medicines, cancer treatment, too much caffeine or alcohol, or tobacco or drug use.
Hot flashes, night sweats, loss of regular menstrual periods and sleep problems. These familiar symptoms of menopause appear in most women around age 50. But if they arise before age 40—which happens for about 1 in 100 women—it's a sign that something's wrong.
If a history and physical do not reveal a possible diagnosis, physicians should consider a purified protein derivative, complete blood count, human immunodeficiency virus test, thyroid-stimulating hormone test, erythrocyte sedimentation rate evaluation, chest radiograph, and possibly chest and abdominal computed ...