Night Sweats Causes
Night sweating can arise from harmless situations or serious disease. If your
bedroom is unusually hot or you are using too many bedclothes, you may begin to
sweat during sleep - and this is normal. In order to distinguish night sweats
that arise from medical causes from those that occur because one's surroundings
are too warm, doctors generally refer to true night sweats as severe hot flashes
occurring at night that can drench sleepwear and sheets, and that are not related
to an overheated environment. It is important to note that flushing (a warmth
and redness of the face or trunk) may also be hard to distinguish from true
night sweats.
There are many different causes of night sweats. Some of the known conditions
that can cause night sweats are:
- Menopause:
The hot flashes that accompany the menopausal transition can
occur at night and cause sweating. This is a very common cause of night sweats
in women at or near menopause.
- Idiopathic
hyperhidrosis: a condition in which the body chronically
produces too much sweat without any identifiable medical cause.
- Infections: Classically,
tuberculosis is the
infection most notoriously
associated with night sweats. However,
bacterial infections, such as
endocarditis (inflammation of the
heart valves),
osteomyelitis
(inflammation within the bones), and abscesses all may result in night sweats.
Night sweats are also a symptom of
AIDS virus (HIV) infection.
- Cancers: Night sweats are an early symptom of some cancers. The most
common type of cancer associated with night sweats is
lymphoma. However, people
who have an undiagnosed cancer frequently have other symptoms as well, such as
unexplained weight loss and fevers.
- Medications: Taking certain medications can lead to
night sweats. Antidepressant medications are a common type of medication that
can lead to night sweats. All types of
antidepressants can cause night sweats as
a side effect, with a range in incidence from eight to 22% of persons taking
antidepressant drugs. Other psychiatric drugs have also been associated with
night sweats. Medicines taken to lower
fever such as
aspirin and
acetaminophen can sometimes lead to sweating. Other types of drugs can cause
flushing, which, as mentioned above, may be confused with night sweats. Some of
the many drugs that can cause flushing include
niacin (taken in the higher doses used for
lipid disorders),
tamoxifen (Nolvadex),
hydralazine (Apresoline), nitroglycerine, and
sildenafil (Viagra).
Many other drugs not mentioned above, including
cortisone medications, such as
prednisone and
prednisolone, may also be associated with flushing or night
sweats.
- Hypoglycemia: Sometimes low blood
glucose can cause
sweating. People who are taking insulin or oral anti-diabetic medications may experience hypoglycemia
at night that is accompanied by sweating.
- Hormone disorders: Sweating or flushing can be seen
with several hormone disorders, including pheochromocytoma, carcinoid syndrome, and
hyperthyroidism.
- Neurologic conditions: Uncommonly, neurologic conditions including autonomic dysreflexia, post-traumatic syringomyelia, stroke, and autonomic neuropathy may cause increased sweating and possibly lead to night sweats.
Night Sweats Symptoms
Excess sweating that occurs at night may drench sheets and bedclothes when
severe. As mentioned previously, sometimes the sensation of flushing (a warmth
and redness of the face or trunk) may be hard to distinguish from true night
sweats or may accompany night sweats. Depending upon the underlying cause of the
night sweats, other symptoms may occur in association with the sweating. For
example, with certain infections and cancers, fever and chills are associated
with the night sweats.
Medical Treatment (Medications)
Night sweats are generally a symptom of an underlying problem that may
require medical treatment. However, typically treatment is not directed at the
night sweats themselves, but rather at the underlying cause. For examples,
hormonal disorders, cancers, and infections are among the causes of night sweats
in which treatment is directed at the underlying condition.
Night sweats arising as a symptom of perimenopause may
be treated with hormone therapy, if appropriate. Both estrogen therapy (ET) and
combined estrogen and progestin therapy (hormone therapy or HT) have been used
successfully to treat symptoms of perimenopause when these become severe or
troubling.
Night sweats arising as a side effect of medications may improve when the
medication is discontinued or changed, if appropriate. Your health care
practitioner may be able to suggest an alternative form of therapy if you are
experiencing severe side effects from taking a medication.
Try to avoid these stimulants or “triggers” to help avoid hot flashes:
- Caffeine (includes chocolate as well)
- Hot drinks
- Acidic foods such as citrus and pickles
- Spicy foods
- Alcoholic beverages
- Hydrogenated or saturated fat
- White sugar (switching to sugar in the raw is an easy choice)
Other stimulants that can cause hot flashes, but might be a little harder to keep under the radar are:
- Hot weather
- Stress
- Hot tubs and saunas
- Unexpressed anger
- Tobacco
- Intense exercise and lovemaking
Natural Herbal Remedies to Help Reduce Hot Flashes and Nightsweats:
- Dong Quai is an emmenagogue and has been reported to help relieve menopausal problems such as hot flashes, as well as mental and emotional upset.
- Black Cohosh is used for the treatment of dysmenorrheal and menopause. Clinical studies have shown it to relieve hot flashes and depression.
- Licorice Root is believed to reduce estrogen while increasing progesterone. This root is very powerful and useful in treating a number of conditions such as female hormonal problems, abdominal pains, insomnia, infection, peptic ulcers and malaria.
- Motherwort has been found to relieve many symptoms such as frequency and duration of hot flashes, ease stressed nerves and relieve insomnia and anxiety.
- Progesterone Cream – this is a cream that you rub onto your abdomen prior to menstruating to help balance your estrogen and progesterone levels. It is generally done for 3-6 months depending on your symptoms. It would be important to speak to your physician about this, and it would probably be a good idea to have your estrogen and progesterone levels checked prior to using this. It not only aides in balancing your hormones…assisting with hot flashes and night sweats, it also helps reduce cramping.
- Evamist Spray – Developed by Dr. John Buster, a reproductive endocrinologist at Women and Infants Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island. Buster’s spray is made naturally and is an alternative to estrogen patches, pills and gels. You simply hold the spray to your skin, the hormone absorbs in the body, and the hot flashes will likely fade. I myself have not tried this spray, however a friend of mine has and said it worked wonders for her.
- Sage & Alfalfa – A 2005 study at the School of Public Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, found that in a controlled trial, sage and alfalfa reduced severe hot flashes by 60% compared with a placebo.
STAY FIT N HEALTHY !!!
1 comment:
This blog post is interesting, informative and one kind of cure of night sweats. I get alot of valuable information from this blog. Thanks keep sharing
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