Excessive sweating during sleep. Why does the body sweat during sleep (women and men)

“I sweat a lot during sleep” is a fairly common complaint among men when visiting their doctor. Excessive sweating during sleep bothers people at any age. It can be associated with external factors - stuffiness in the room, a hot blanket, or the internal state of the body.

Excessive sweating during sleep is a serious problem that causes a lot of inconvenience. A man wakes up at night because he is hot, his pillow and sheets become wet. You have to get up, change the bed linen, and then it’s very difficult to sleep. As a result, a person does not get enough sleep and feels exhausted, which affects performance and general well-being.

People always sweat - morning, afternoon, evening and night. This is fine. But when a man wakes up sweating, this is considered a deviation. Increased sweating is a consequence, but the cause must be treated, so it is recommended to seek medical help.

Let's find out the causes of night hyperhidrosis - external and internal, and also find out what to do with night sweats?

Why do men sweat in their sleep?

It is normal for adult men to sweat during sleep. But only in situations where the amount of sweat produced is within acceptable volumes. On average, this is 50 ml of liquid. And when a person wakes up, he does not feel the moisture in his body.

When your body becomes covered with profuse sticky sweat at night, and your pillow and sheets become covered with wet spots, you need to pay attention to your health. Especially in situations where such a picture is observed constantly.

However, it must be taken into account that if the temperature and/or humidity in the sleeping room is high, then increased sweating can be caused by these reasons. When the problem is not the climate, it is necessary to look for the cause of excessive sweating at night. Diseases that are accompanied by hyperhidrosis are not only dangerous due to their complications, but can also be contagious.

Men sweat because of nightmares. They appear as a result of strong nervous tension, emotional experiences, unpleasant events during the day - conflict with a girlfriend, relatives, problems at work, physical trauma, etc.

If the reason is nightmares, you will need the help of a competent psychotherapist.

Causes of excessive sweating at night

When cold sticky sweat covers the neck, face and other parts of the body, this is just a symptom indicating a malfunction in the body. The etiology of hyperhidrosis at night is diverse.

Hormonal imbalance. In the male body, as in the female body, with the onset of a certain age, changes appear associated with a decrease in the concentration of testosterone - we are talking about male menopause. Andropause is manifested by various symptoms, including increased sweating at night.

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease in which the utilization of sugar in the body of men is impaired. At night, glucose concentration can drop sharply, which negatively affects the functioning of organs and systems and may be accompanied by sweating. In medicine, this condition is called hypoglycemia.

If you sweat during sleep, you can suspect the following diseases:

Tuberculosis;
Infectious diseases;
Cold;
Sore throat;
Flu;
Cancer diseases;
Neuropsychiatric disorder;
Astheno-neurotic syndrome, etc.

An unbalanced diet can also trigger sweating. Abuse of sweet, salty and spicy foods leads to increased production of subcutaneous sebum and clogged pores. The body, trying to “open” the pores and skin, begins to quickly produce sweat, which leads to excessive sweating at night.

Some medications cause excessive sweating. In this regard, the most dangerous medications are sedatives and antipyretic drugs.

External factors that cause sweating at night

Before going to see a doctor, you can figure out for yourself if the disease or cause lies in other factors. Often the pathogenesis of hyperhidrosis is based on external factors, which are caused by bed or underwear, temperature in the sleeping area, etc.

Too warm a blanket, pillows, or terry bedding can cause sweating. Another reason may be night clothes made of unnatural material, which do not allow air to pass through well and practically do not absorb liquids. In other words, the skin does not breathe, the effect of a steam room appears, which leads to disruption of thermoregulation and increased sweat production.

Other causes of night sweats in men:

High temperature in the sleeping area. Stuffiness in the room, especially when a man is under a warm blanket, provokes increased sweating at night. Usually not only the back, chest and armpits sweat, but also the face, neck, and head.
Consuming food immediately before bed. Eating at night is harmful not only for the figure, but also for the body as a whole. It is difficult for the stomach to digest food when a man is sleeping. In this case, the release of energy and liquid is detected, which comes out through the skin in the form. Excessive sweating is provoked by “heavy” foods for the stomach and liver - fatty foods, sweets.

Consumption of alcoholic beverages leads to intense sweating.

Alcohol dilates blood vessels, which creates the illusion of heat and cools the body through sweating.

What to do?

When it is not associated with pathologies, but is provoked by external factors, it is easy to get rid of the problem. When the room is hot, it is recommended to ventilate the room more often. The house can be hot in summer or winter when there is a lot of heat. You can open the window slightly. It is recommended to buy a thermometer. The optimal temperature for sleep is 18-22 degrees.

It is necessary to buy nightwear and bed linen only from natural materials. It is better to buy two thin blankets than to cover yourself with one thick and bulky one. This allows you to control the desired temperature.

You need to eat 2-3 hours before going to bed. Nutritionists talk about this. Compliance with the rule not only prevents nighttime hyperhidrosis, but also promotes weight loss.

The following tips will help you get rid of sweating during sleep:

Bath with essential oils before bed. The water procedure relieves fatigue, promotes relaxation, and normalizes the emotional background;
Sports activities. Energy that does not find an outlet during the daytime manifests itself at night in the form of terrible dreams. But before going to bed, you should reduce your activity, since the body heats up due to the load, which is manifested by increased sweating.

Hygiene helps reduce the severity of hyperhidrosis. The less often a man washes, the more his skin becomes dirty. The body tries to cleanse the pores and secretes sweat intensely.

Before going to bed, you can take a bath or a contrast shower.

Treatment options for nocturnal hyperhidrosis

Night sweats can be eliminated in two ways - traditional and medicinal methods. In the second case, medical antiperspirants, Botox injections, medications, specialized creams, pastes, and other products that are aimed at reducing sweating are used.

In folk medicine, there are many recipes that reduce sweat production. Baths based on oak and willow bark help well. You need to add 200 g of components to two liters of hot water, simmer over low heat for an hour, filter. Pour the broth into a half-filled bath. The duration of the manipulation is 20-25 minutes.

Increased sweating is quite often the first signal that serious changes are beginning in the body, and often not for the better. Many dangerous diseases begin with night sweats. In this article you will find out what happens to the body when you sweat a lot in your sleep, and why a person’s sweating increases. After all, as you know, nothing happens for nothing. Let's understand the causes of sweating.

Perhaps the most common reason that a person sweats at night while sleeping is a cold and other viral and infectious diseases. Any infection comes out with sweat, as people say, so there is nothing supernatural about the fact that you sweat during sleep when you have a cold or flu. This is the body's natural reaction to an internal threat. However, there are a number of more dangerous diseases that also cause sweating.

Abscesses are a bacterial disease that manifests itself in the appearance of purulent inflammations on the body.
Infection with dangerous viruses. Such as, for example, HIV.
Osteomyelitis is an inflammation of the bone marrow caused by infections.
Endocarditis is an inflammation of one part of the heart caused by symptoms of another disease or bacteria.
Tuberculosis.

Important! If you feel a general malaise and are sweating a lot, then this is a reason to consult a doctor.

Household reasons

In addition to purely medical reasons, there are also a number of ordinary, everyday reasons that play an important role in a person’s sweating at night.

The room is too poorly ventilated and the room is too stuffy. A simple lack of fresh air and oxygen can also cause severe sweating due to stuffiness. Therefore, before going to bed, the room should be well ventilated. In summer, it is generally recommended to sleep with the windows open. If there are electronic devices in the room, such as computers, televisions, etc., then the window should be opened for an hour or two.
A warm blanket. In winter, we all take warm, woolen blankets out of our closets to keep warm and not freeze. However, if in warmer times they cause you to sweat profusely, then you should change the blanket to a lighter and cooler one. If the problem persists, continue searching.
Cloth. Massive and warm pajamas for winter are also unlikely to be practical in summer, so you may also sweat due to the abundance of clothing on your body. The best option for any weather would be cotton pajamas, and if you are cold, you can buy cotton pajamas with long pants.
Nutrition. Severe sweating at night can also be a consequence of an unhealthy and unhealthy diet. Pay attention to your diet and exclude hot spices, carrots, chocolate of any kind, coffee, garlic and soda.

If none of these reasons suits you, then most likely it is the internal state of the body.

Neurological causes

Autonomic dysreflexia is an unusual nervous system disorder that occurs due to damage to the spinal cord. There is a disruption in the transmission of nerve impulses, which results in most symptoms, including sweating.
Stroke. During a hemorrhage in the brain, body temperature is greatly disturbed, which is why sweating begins.
Post-traumatic syringomyelia- a disease of the nervous system similar in nature to dysreflexia, which creates cavities in the structure of the spinal cord, but is often accompanied by a decrease in sweating, but in some cases the opposite reaction occurs.
Autonomic neuropathy– impaired functioning of the nervous system in people with diabetes. Symptoms include increased sweating as some nerve fibers are damaged.

Causes of sweating in women

Men and women are different from each other not only externally, but also internally. Therefore, each sex has its own, individual reasons and reactions to various external stimuli.

One of the most common female diseases is hyperthyroidism. It manifests itself in a disease of the thyroid gland, where the synthesis of two hormones occurs - thyroxine and triiodothyronine. In addition to the fact that a woman’s neck, chest, back, legs and arms sweat during sleep, this syndrome also causes trembling in the hands, weight loss, rapid heartbeat, rapid breathing, which causes the chest to constantly rise. Sometimes your head may hurt.

In order to accurately diagnose this disease, you need to take hormone tests. According to statistics, this syndrome is more common in women than men, but there are cases when the stronger sex also suffers from this disease.

During menopause, as well as during menopause, hot flashes often occur, which mainly cause sweating during this period. It should also be noted that hot flashes can appear even several years before the onset of menopause itself. By the way, during menopause, women often suffer from insomnia. We wrote about this.

Causes of sweating in men

A decrease in testosterone in the body in men is called andropause. This process usually occurs around age sixty. In addition to age, it is believed that the course and occurrence of this process can be greatly influenced by stress, difficult living conditions and many diseases. But, one way or another, symptoms of andropause, along with high blood pressure, muscle weakness and disturbances in sexual and urinary functions, are also increased sweating.

However, this cannot be taken lightly. Sweating in men can be a consequence of other serious illnesses.

Other medical causes of sweating

In addition to the reasons described above, there are still quite a large number of diseases, a symptom of which may be sweating.

When an adult sleeps poorly and sweats at night, this, among other things, can mean the development of cancer. In this case, the patient pours sweat (cold sweat), with increased body temperature, fever, and rapid weight loss. If you have these symptoms, do not under any circumstances delay your visit to the oncologist.

But don't be scared. Just get checked. You can't leave everything to chance. You need to deal with the symptoms of heavy sweating immediately without stressing yourself out, as women often do. Men react less severely, but do not put off visiting the clinic.

Low blood sugar levels, called hypoglycemia, also makes a person sweat. Those at risk for this disease are those who suffer from diabetes and take pills to lower blood sugar. And also those who eat little or eat junk food.

Sweating itself also has a scientific name, namely idiopathic hyperhidrosis. The causes of this disease are still unknown to scientists, but a person with this disease sweats not only when he sleeps, but throughout the day.

Among the symptoms of various diseases and pathologies, one symptom that stands out is the occurrence of excessive sweating during sleep - night sweats. ICD-10 classifies it in class XVIII (symptoms and signs without specifying any diagnosis), category R (general symptoms), subcategory R61.9 - unspecified hyperhidrosis, night sweats.

Night sweats in women

One of the most common causes of nocturnal hyperhidrosis in women over 43-45 years of age is hormonal changes associated with menopause and perimenopause. Night sweats during menopause and daytime “hot flashes” are classic vasomotor symptoms of this condition, which is caused by a decrease in the level of estradiol in the blood and a disruption of the circadian rhythm of GnRH secretion.

Night sweats before menstruation are a physiologically normal phenomenon and are associated with the same sex hormones. But if a young woman suffers from night sweats, and this is not associated with the menstrual cycle, then one should be wary of problems with the thyroid gland or pituitary gland, as well as premature decline of ovarian function or the possible development of a hormone-dependent tumor.

Changes in hormone levels usually cause night sweats during pregnancy, and night sweats after childbirth are also associated with the removal of excess interstitial fluid that has accumulated during pregnancy.

Night sweats in men

Night sweats in men have many causes - see earlier Causes of night sweats.

But there are also specific reasons. After 50, nightly attacks of weakness and sweating may indicate the onset of andropause - an age-related decrease in testosterone levels, accompanied by an increase in blood pressure and disorders in the genitourinary area. This condition is physiologically determined, that is, it is not a pathology. However, it should be borne in mind that night sweats in men under 40 years of age can be a sign of dangerous diseases such as inflammatory prostate cancer or testicular cancer.

Night sweats after alcohol are caused by the fact that blood vessels reflexively dilate, blood acidity increases, insulin production by the pancreas decreases and the toxic load on the liver increases. By the way, increased sweating (as a consequence of low-grade fever) can also occur in the initial stage of liver cirrhosis...

Night sweats can cause a lot of trouble for a person. The cause of sweating may lie in natural sources such as menopause. Otherwise, heavy sweating may indicate serious pathologies: HIV-AIDS, tuberculosis, cancer of the lymphatic system and other diseases.

If you sweat excessively at night and this continues for a period of time, you should seek proper medical help. The causes of sweating come from different origins. Sweat is released both due to menopause and in the presence of serious pathologies. Heavy sweating at night is a symptom that requires special attention and quick response. Knowing the 9 main causes of excessive sweating will help you quickly respond and take the necessary measures.

Sweating at night: 9 signs of illness

1. Night sweats during menopause

Night sweats often occur due to hormonal changes. Unfortunately, women can experience a number of symptoms during menopause (and perimenopause, that is, immediately before menopause), including sudden mood swings, heavy sweating, and depression. Night sweats cause a lot of discomfort for a woman at this stage of life.

To prevent the body from producing sweat above normal levels, need to create optimal conditions for sleep:

The room temperature should be lower than normal,
take a cool shower before bed,
wear clothes that allow the skin to breathe.

2. Acid reflux as a cause of sweat

Another cause of sweating is gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), or acid reflux. When the disease occurs, gastric juice flows into the throat or esophagus, causing an attack of heartburn. At night, discomfort is more noticeable due to the anatomical horizontal position of the human body during sleep. Night sweats also accompany GERD symptoms.

Taking medications can help relieve heartburn and the body's excessive sweat production in the middle of the night.

3. Excessive sweating due to obstructive sleep apnea

Snoring is often considered a “bad habit” or even a fad. However, it is not. Snoring can be a sign of a serious pathology - sleep apnea.

Night apnea provokes disturbances in the breathing process, making it rapid and uneven, with possible even short-term stops. This results in heavy sweating, adding additional discomfort.

So that sweat is not produced in excess, and breathing is stable, A number of recommendations are used to eliminate this disease.

Among them:

losing excess weight,
refusal to use tobacco and alcoholic beverages,
the use of special devices that promote the development of the jaw muscles.

If therapy is ineffective, then surgical intervention will help relieve negative symptoms.

4. Night sweats due to hyperthyroidism

Another cause of sweating is increased levels of hormones in the thyroid gland. Hyperthyroidism provokes an increase in temperature, thereby producing sweat in large quantities. Night sweats can be easily eliminated with the help of a special diet and medications.

Should be excluded from food cauliflower and white cabbage, turnips, millet, soy products. All this causes malfunction of the thyroid gland, and causes not only sweating at night, but also disturbances in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

5. Heavy sweating during hypoglycemia

Heavy sweating often occurs due to a sharp decrease in a person's blood sugar level. People suffering from hypoglycemia, in addition to nightmares and poor sleep, often also experience sweating at night.

Eliminate signs of disease possible through proper blood sugar control. A special continuous glucose monitoring device (CGD) will help the patient sleep peacefully at night and not be afraid that the whole body will be enveloped in profuse sweat.

However, in order to get a blood glucose level of 6.2 mmol/l, you should first consult with your doctor and get all the necessary recommendations for setting up the device. Such a device will always monitor and signal surges in glucose in the bloodstream.

6. Night sweats and tuberculosis

One of the most terrible infectious diseases is development of a pathogenic bacterium in the human body called Mucobacterium tuberculosis. The statistics are as follows: 9.6 million people in the world suffer from this pathology, of which 1.5 million die annually.

You should be careful and not ignore the symptoms, as Night sweats are one of the signs of tuberculosis. Night sweats due to pathology may continue for several months before the bacterium reaches a more virulent state.

At the same time, you need to monitor the accompanying signs: fever, loss of normal body weight and cough.

7. Night sweats with lymphoma

Oncological disease of the immune system - lymphoma- another reason for sweating at night.

If in the middle of the night it is discovered that sweat has completely wet the nightgown and the entire sheet, then this may indicate the presence of oncological pathology in the human body.

This symptom occurs due to the body’s focus on fighting cancer cells and the concomitant rise in body temperature.

It is worth paying special attention to a set of signs that are often symptoms of lymphoma:

loss of appetite and weight loss,
fatigue,
night sweats and drowsiness

It is necessary to remember that the causes of sweating are of different nature, but you should not ignore the signals of your body. It is best to visit your doctor to make sure there are no serious pathologies.

8. Heavy sweating due to HIV-AIDS

The cause of sweating may also be the development of a disease such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). However, in the early stages, a person with HIV may experience symptoms such as fatigue, severe headache, night sweats and even a rash.

When sick, the virus tends to form acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in a person.

Since the causes of sweating at night are so different, it is worth checking with your doctor about the distinctive symptoms of HIV. Among the main symptoms are:

weight loss,
sweating at night,
inflamed lymph nodes,
malaise,
chills.

Some HIV patients also claim that they have never felt such strong sweating before.

9. Night sweats due to medication

Side effects from taking medications may cause night sweats. This cause of sweating is often due to the use of antidepressants, antihypertensive and antipyretic drugs.

One study found that heavy sweating at night was caused by taking paroxetine.

If necessary, severe sweating can be treated with cyproheptadine or benztropine.

Night sweats may also occur periodically due to heroin and alcohol addiction. In this case, night sweats can be eliminated only by undergoing a course of treatment for these addictions.

How to support the body with drainage drinks

If your night sweats are not associated with serious health problems, then most likely your body is oversaturated with toxins, excess fluid and other harmful substances. After a mandatory consultation with a doctor, try drinking natural drainage drinks for cleansing and losing weight for a while.

Be vigilant and seek help from a doctor in time! published .

If you have any questions, please ask

During sleep it is not as rare as many might think. Doctors admit that quite often patients come to them with the same question: “Doctor, why do I sweat so much during sleep, as if I were sleeping in a steam room?” Typically, night sweats are associated with a natural process in the human body - daily temperature changes. In the morning and during the day you can observe the lowest temperature of our body, and in the evening and at night, on the contrary, the highest. And sometimes the environmental conditions in which we find ourselves can cause sweat. For example, if you sleep in a stuffy, heated room. In such cases, to avoid sweating, you just need to turn on the air conditioner or fan, open a window, put on lighter pajamas, or simply open up while sleeping. “When I sleep, I sweat because I’m hot,” that’s what your body wants to tell you in this way.

Night sweats and menopause

In a certain number of women, as they age, nocturnal hyperhidrosis can serve as a symptom of menopause. At such moments, our body is not able to constantly maintain the correct body temperature, which leads to its sharp jumps and so-called “hot flashes”. A couple of seconds, and you are overcome with intense heat and profuse sweating. This often happens in women in the first year or two after the onset of menopause. Men, on the other hand, do not tend to experience hot flashes as they age. Of course, over the years, the level of testosterone in their body gradually decreases, but, as a rule, this does not lead to intense sweating at night. The exception is cases when, due to any medical treatment, a testosterone deficiency occurs in the body. That’s when men begin to ask the following question: “Why do I sweat during sleep as if I ran a marathon half the night?”

Night sweats as a symptom of infection or chronic disease

In more rare cases, hyperhidrosis during sleep can be caused by various diseases. If you have recently had a cold or any other respiratory infection, then sweating is your body’s natural reaction to the stress it has experienced. “When I sleep, I sweat like a mouse. I also suffered from heartburn,” if such thoughts visit you every day, it is likely that you have acid reflux. It is often found in those people who prefer to eat a heavy meal before going to bed. Unfortunately, night sweats can also be caused by more serious (and sometimes chronic) diseases, including tuberculosis, bacterial and fungal infections, osteomyelitis, the HIV virus, and lymphoma (a type of cancer). As a rule, in such cases, sweating never comes alone; it is usually accompanied by other symptoms of the disease: loss of weight and appetite, high fever, inflammation of the lymph nodes, rash and others.

What else causes sweating during sleep?

The cause of your nightly torment may also be a neurological disease (dysreflexia, autonomic neuropathy), although this is extremely rare. Sweating during sleep is often caused by medications. This primarily applies to psychiatric medications, in particular antidepressants. Hormonal imbalance in the body and too low glycemia can also be accompanied by profuse sweating. If you find yourself with hyperhidrosis, then do not dismiss the solution to the problem, go to the doctor. Only an experienced specialist will help you understand what causes sweat, how and why. “Am I sweating a lot for no apparent reason? This means that the body is signaling about some health problems!” - this is the first thing you should remember when you are faced with the problem of night sweats.