Night Sweats
Night sweats are not as disturbing for the patient as other forms but because undisturbed sleep is so important to our body, it can have a significant impact on our health – no on like to wake up to wet sheets, especially in the cold!
There are 2-4 million sweat glands that are used by our nervous system to cool off the body and keep it within a constant and acceptable temperature. When the sweating process exceeds its normal production, such as night sweats, we are dealing with the phenomenon called hyperhidrosis. The condition is acknowledged when the production of sweat by the axillary glands exceeds 100 mg in an interval of five minutes.
The hypothalamic preoptic sweat center is located in the brain and it sends commands through the brain stem and medulla to the innervations of the sweat glands. The nerves enter the spinal cord and synapse in the anterolateral cell column of the spinal cord. Neurons then exit the spinal cord and enter the sympathetic ganglia found in the chest and from there they supply the upper limbs. A hyperactive sympathetic nervous system is believed to be responsible for hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating. The deregulation of the sympathetic nervous system may occur when the individual is exposed to various distressful stimuli. Thermal stimuli may also trigger the negative effects of hyperhidrosis.
The most common areas of the body where emotionally triggered excessive sweating appears are the hands, the underarms and the feet. When, during sleep, emotional stimuli are reduced, hyperhidrosis may manifest itself through thermal sweating.
Symptoms of Night Sweats
- Damp and clammy bedding. You wake up to find your bedding soaked. You either feel too hot or clammily cold.
Night Sweats – Causes
- Menopause or Andropause. Menopause in women is the most common cause of night sweats. However, some men also suffer from night sweats during the male menopause, or andropause.
- HIV, tuberculosis. In fact, any infectious disease or condition that brings on a fever can cause night sweats.
- Diabetes. Diabetes can also cause night sweats.
- Sleep apnea. This is the one that most concerns us. Night sweats can also be a sign of sleep apnea. If you also suffer from severe snoring and excessive daytime sleepiness, it might be time for a study.
- Alcohol, some drugs, spicy foods. Consumption of any of these can cause night sweats. And by drugs, I’m not necessarily referring to street drugs. Some prescription drugs, like Zoloft, can also cause night sweats.
Treatment of Night Sweats
Various anticholinergic medications have success in treating excessive sweating. A treatment with Robinul starts at 1 or 2mg one to three times a day and has good effects on excessive manifestations of hyperhidrosis. Higher doses are usually needed to help sustain a favorable environment for a successful treatment.
Excessive Sweating Medications
The side effects that appear with an increase in dosage are to be considered. Hyperhidrosis medications, especially when used intensively, produce mouth dryness, also known as cotton mouth. Other patients suffer from side effects such as blurry vision, constipation or urinary retention. Reflex tachycardia and moderate memory impairment were also signaled with some patients undergoing medication treatment for hyperhidrosis.
Another medication used in the treatment of excessive sweating is Propranolol, a beta-blocker that has both sympathetic and generalized activity. It mostly targets stress induced hyperhidorsis and is successful in eliminating most of the negative effects of the condition. Side effects are considerable and include a slow heart rate and a low blood pressure. As a consequence of the two side effects mentioned before, the patients also accuse a continuous state of tiredness and apathy.
Anticholinergic medications such as Propentheline Bromide (Probanthine) and Oxybutynin (Ditropan) are also used in the treatment process. They are used orally and have been known to improve the excessive sweating process, reducing the sweat amount. Anticholinergic drugs are not suitable for targeted local use, as the skin does not absorb them properly.
Botox to Control Sweating
Botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) is sometimes used to treat night sweating. It is injected into the skin and it acts as a temporary blockage for the sympathetic nerves that stimulate the excessive sweat production. This type of medication works well on local areas, where it is injected. When applied in 15 or 20 locations in the under arm area, Botox is usually effective; noticeable decreases in the sweat levels are observed after the injections. The downside of this treatment method is that it needs to be repeated every 3 or 4 months for facial treatment and up to 12 months for other areas.
The high cost of the Botox injections may prove to be a difficult obstacle to remove for a patient. The repeated usage of this treatment is expensive and the cure itself is temporary, not final. Another deterrent has been the pain that is associated to the Botox injections.
Before your receive treatments, you should first ask your doctor exactly what steps they take during the process. Most experienced doctors will apply topical numbing creams before the treatment which greatly reduces any pain. You should also look for doctors who perform a starch-iodine test to map out the sweat glands prior to treatment.
Don’t ask these questions directly, but rather look for them in the response to your questions. If during the consultation you don’t hear these or similar answers, then ask them directly and make your evaluation. Many patients suffering from Night Sweats have been very happy with the results of this treatment.
Apart from axillary hyperhidrosis, Botox is also used to treat facial sweating and palmar excessive sweating. Many patients, who wish to avoid the pain of receiving the injection, do not accept treating the face and hands with Botox injections. Temporary paralysis of the hand muscles was observed in some cases, but this is not a frequent side effect.
Just a Bad Dream?
Just because you wake up with wet sheets does not mean you have a problem, it could be as simple as a dream, stress at work or similar factors. If however, you wake up at night with bedding and nightclothes damp with sweat at least 4 of 7 days, then you should seek medical attention.
I have been waking up every night for the past 2 months soaking wet.
After reading this I have made an appointment to see the Doctor.
Thanks
Kind regards
Fritz
Any help for those of us on zoloft / wellbutrin to decrease day/night sweats?
en dias pasados e tenido sudoracion despues de tener un tratamiento para la gripe se me ha quitado pero a los quice dias me ha vuelto que me recomiendan
Hi there,
I’ve just started keeping a diary of my night sweats, they seem pretty moderate. I have to sleep on a towel or change the sheets after and wipe my body down. I was wondering if it could be related to my job. I’m a fitness instructor and do a lot of exercise, in the evenings it can be up to 2 hours of strenuous work and there is a little more during the day. Could my muscles repairing themselves once I’ve gone to bed and resting be related in any way??
I run alot and enjoy the sauna. I also take an Ambien to sleep and this I think…..makes me wake up with night sweats.
More so on the day’s that I spend too much time in the sauna
I’m 41 and I’m in cars sales I haven’t had any diet change but for the last two weeks the night sweats are overwhelming.
I wake up my hair is soaked along with the bedding wet. I have tried cooler sheets it helps some. I have always have had a feet sweat issue but gold bond has always help; now it just barely cuts it down. The sweating in my hair has also produce a sweat rash at the base of my hair line in my neck.
Could it be Male menapause or something else due to the stress from job lately.. Should I see a Doctor??
i wake up numerous times during the night, to find that my neck and ears are soaked from sweat, any ideas?
I always wake up every night with very wet sheets! I was on betablockers for high blood pressure but was taken off them and ever since i have woken up every night like this.
I am always very tired and have been so for some time. I also suffered from blackouts and migraines before I went on beta blockers but I don’t know if this is related. I have not had any blackouts for a few months.
I always wake up in the middle of the night due to my clothes being soaking wet and the sheets too..i usually have to grab a cold glass of water and let the sheets dry a little or change them altogether.
The funny thing is that even though I’m sweating i never feel unusually Hot,in fact i feel cold and wen i try to uncover myself to ease the situation i usually end up grabbing the covers again because i end up freezing
i have a history of chest problems and i usually feel blocked and have a really dry mouth in the morning..I’m only 23. what could be causing the sweating? I’m living with my boyfriend now and he always complains about the sweating..it is becoming embarrassing for me…..please advise.
I take Lexapro everyday once a day…. and I have developed severe night sweats. I soak the bed from my knees to my hair. I have found one thing that stops me night sweats….. arrid extra dry antipesperent cream (it comes in a small can and is a white cream) it contains aluminum. I wear a dab of this under each arm and WALAAAAA! no sweating at night! it’s great! now my husband will sleep in the same bed with me again.
At what age is normal for men to begin male menopause?
I am a 34 male and sweat excessively, have a stressful job, drink and smoke marijuana daily but am very concerned with the very heavy sweats I have at least 5 times a week, even if is cold which is my case; my home is very cold?
Have there been cases were exercise and diet helped this situation?
i am 15 years old and started taking zoloft about a month ago i then started to wake up at night sweating. I don’t know if its from the zoloft and i’m very nervous zoloft possible?????
I will go to the doctor too, thank you!
I have had night sweats for 8 years. i had sarcoidosis on the lung which took along time to diagnose,. Reading Victoria’s message was like reading about myself. I have no symptoms of sarcoid now but the nights sweats have never left me.
My hormone levels are fine so my GP prescribed low dose betablockers, they did not work and made me depressed, tired and ill. Always get your gp to test for sarcoid especially if you have chest problems and a hacking cough, It also can affect the skin and eyes so get it checked out.
I’m still looking for a solution and my husband has to live with my sweats too!!!!!! keep a dry sheet next to the bed to wrap around you when you get wet, take that one off when it gets wet and the bed should be dry by then, its not fun i know!!!!
Wearing pj absorbs the sweat and I’m never hot always cold when i wake up. My husband in the winter puts my dressing gown on the radiator when he gets up early for work so when i wake up i have something warm to wear. good luck
Note: Sarcoidosis is a disease of unknown cause in which inflammation occurs in the lymph nodes, lungs, liver, eyes, skin, or other tissues.
Please please help me. Much like all the other commenters above, I suffer from severe sleep hyperhidrosis. Every night I wake up drenched and have to change my clothes 2-3 times during the night. It’s awful and I usually get up cold and miserable. My partner is getting annoyed as he can never hold me
I’ve been taking Serlife 100 for about a year now. A SSRI anti-depressant. Please help
Thank you!
For the past 4 days I’ve noticed that when i woke up my body was dripping with sweat. I have a dry cough also. My fiancee suggests that I go and see the doctor because she suspects its TB. Could it be TB?
i had back surgery September 14 2007 and again may 20 th 2009 after the first surgery the night sweats stared the day of surgery it lasted seven months and stop then when i had to have surgery in may this year it started again and i still have them every night i get tired of them and wish they would go away
Question:
This sweat is just around my neck only and happens in the night. it soaks my pillow. It disturbs my sleep as i have to wake up and turn the pillow again and again. I just discover also that i don’t need to sleep before experiencing it. Once it gets to about 20:00 Nigerian hours even under cold condition i had this sweat around my neck.
Please assist.
i am a recovering alcoholic 52 years old attending AA meetings just reunited with my wife of 21 years after a year with 6 months separation. I have a blood clot behind my left knee which means i cannot work at least till February causing us sever financial strain after a lifetime of earning 20,000 UK Pounds pounds per month ($31,920 US Dollars).
I lost my contract 2 years ago after 19 successful years, this is when my alcoholic drinking started although i suffered chronic night sweats before due to business pressure.
We have 3 kids all beautiful and healthy. I get so filled with anxiety before going to bed with my wife i can almost feel the sweat coming. Last night i soaked the bed 3 times which is depriving my wife of her sleep which a) is unfair to her b) adds to my anxiety and C) leaves me tired and full of low self esteem and feeling worthless.
After my last drinking binge ended i had slept 2 nights in a convertible jeep in sub zero temperatures leaving me with very poor foot circulation. Could somebody please give me some advice?
Thank you so much. I am at my wits end but determined not to drink again even moderately. I have decided that complete abstinence is the only option left for me!
Also,
What medications are available for men’s chronic night sweats?
I use to get hot night sweats and I found out that it was from AIDS ( the death defying illness caused by HIV infection). Now I am experiencing cold night sweats and I wake up from very vivid nightmares. I must investigate withdraw from alcohol as a possibility.
Ken
Yeah, I’m only 15 and I had one the other night. I’m not sure why. I don’t drink or do drugs. Anyone know why this happens?
I have endured terrible night sweats for 10 years, ever since I was put on SSRI anti-depressants for my chronic depression and anxiety. First, I was taking Effexor and then changed after a few years, to Cymbalta. I also suffer from lactose intolerance (not able to digest milk products), and severe food allergies to wheat, gluten, apples, pork, cola, and ginger. I have been avoiding these foods completely, and still have the profuse night sweats for about 2-3 weeks out of a month. I researched and found they may be caused by too much sugar intake before bedtime…but that is not always the case for me. I don’t know what to do. Please suggest.
I’m only 18 and I have been waking up the past 4 weeks with my clothes soaked! my bed doesn’t get soaked it just mostly my back. I just need help because this scares me.
I understand its summer time here in Australia. But lately when its not hot just sitting and watching tv my hair and the back of my neck get soaked in sweat. Then when I’m in bed my pillows get soaked through.
Last night was the same my pillows were wet with sweat. I was covered in sweat. I had a ceiling fan above me on a window open and I could feel the cold breeze through the window, but I was covered in sweat. At one stage I awoke went to the toilet bathed in sweat and my breathing was almost asthma like (no i don’t have asthma). And the first 3 hours at work I felt like I was sea sick and yes lately I’m having trouble falling asleep.
I am worried I am on a heart medication 2 blood pressure tablets. Should I see my doctor or is it nothing .
For the drinkers above, I have been sober for 51/2 yrs. and in early sobriety it is normal to have all kinds of weird responses to life without drugs/alcohol. So sweating is normal for those folks—at least for the first year. I have been on Lexapro for about 1 yr. and also take adhd meds.
I do not know when the sweating started but it has prob. been going on for about 6 months or more. off and on. I soak the back of my neck and shirt. Usually it is random places all over. I turned 40 in Oct. and will contact doctor again because he says I am okay – Glad I am not alone.
I joke about buying the ‘menopause’ wicking pajamas but am not joking any more. Like the other ladies, I get cold when I get up to change clothes. I have tried to sleep with air conditioner on and still sweat, although, not as bad. Going back to Dr., I guess. And I have a rx for a beta blocker and it does not help.