When does night sweats occur? Night sweats in women

It is customary to talk about sweating only when it begins to cause significant discomfort. People often go to the doctor with problems such as night sweats. Hyperhidrosis can be cured very simply, but first you should consult a doctor. Since this problem may signal the presence of some illness. That is why it is not recommended to neglect visiting a specialist.

People always sweat, and this is considered normal. This is how the body gets rid of excess heat. However, if sweating is profuse, this may indicate some problems, for example, illness.

The amount of sweat produced per day is 500 ml. At night, the appearance of moisture on the surface of the skin is regulated by the vagus nerve and parasympathetic system. This is why sweat is more intense at night.

Cosmetologist Irina Kotova will tell you why hyperhidrosis occurs in various parts of the body, as well as how to treat it.

Provoking factors (external causes)

Why does a person sweat at night when he sleeps? Sweating is caused by various reasons. Firstly, it may occur due to a blanket that is too warm. It is best to purchase bedding from natural materials. They do not negatively affect the body's thermoregulation.

Another reason for sweating is high temperature in the bedroom. The optimal option is 20 degrees Celsius above zero. It is also important to periodically ventilate the bedroom. Otherwise, your skin's pores become clogged and it stops breathing. As a result, again, profuse sweat appears.

A person may sweat due to the wrong clothes. It is best to wear cotton clothes at night. Satin shirts will cause profuse sweating.

People who eat poorly, smoke, and drink alcohol are at risk of sweating. The walls of their vessels are dilated, and this provokes increased blood flow. To cool the blood, the body begins to intensively secrete moisture during sleep.

Internal causes of nocturnal hyperhidrosis

If you constantly experience severe night sweats, you should go to a specialist. He will determine the disease that provokes it.

The release of moisture by the body is a normal process. If you sweat a little, this is completely normal. A thin layer of moisture on the body helps the blood cool and maintains a body temperature of 36 degrees. If there is a malfunction in the body, active production of sweat begins.

Moisture can be released abundantly from human skin due to:

• Problems with the respiratory system;
• Problems with the cardiovascular system;
• Psycho-emotional state of a person;
• Overwork, stress and anxiety;
• Problems with the nervous system (schizophrenia, depression, etc.)

High sweating can also be caused by taking certain medications - cytostatics, antipyretics, anti-inflammatory drugs, etc. People who suffer from hyperthyroidism, diabetes mellitus, orchiectomy, fever, and multiple sclerosis also suffer from the problem.

Basically, abundant separation of moisture is provoked by fever. This is how the body fights bacteria. In some cases, sweating may indicate the presence of tuberculosis. To identify it, you need to go for a “lung x-ray”.

Excessive sweating at night may also indicate the presence of lymphoma. In this case, the thermoregulation system fails. As a result, hyperhidrosis occurs.

The body can sweat heavily due to hormonal imbalances and pathology of the endocrine system. If diabetes mellitus has developed, a person may wake up with a wet head. The rest of his body remains dry.

The problem is most often observed in the presence of diabetes mellitus and dysfunction of the thyroid gland.

Night sweats in a child - what are the causes?

Increased sweat on the baby's neck and head may indicate rickets. Changes occur in the skeletal system of the body, disturbances in the balance of calcium and phosphate. If you notice that your child's body is leaking more moisture than usual, or that there is urinary incontinence, contact a specialist.

Sweating can also be a sign of developing a fever. Because of her, the baby starts crying at night. Overheating can be caused by stress, nightmares and diaphoretics.

Night sweats in men

Many representatives of the stronger sex experience sarcoidosis - drops of moisture appear on the legs, arms, armpits, head, etc. The cause of the disease can be fever, fatigue, and insufficient nutrition. The person himself becomes twitchy and nervous. Additional symptoms may include blue spots on the skin and cough. In this case, only a specialist can determine the cause of night sweats. He will prescribe the correct treatment.

Disturbances in the functioning of the heart or blood vessels may be the cause of cold sweats at night in men.

At night, cold sweat in the fair sex can occur due to a number of reasons. There are many diseases that cause hyperhidrosis:

• Hormonal imbalances;
• Infections;
• Poisoning;
• Disturbance in the endocrine system;
• Intoxication;
• Diabetes;
• Fatigue;
• Vegetovascular dystonia;
• Stress;
• Granulomatosis, etc.

Most often, women sweat from the chest and neck. Thoracic hyperhidrosis can occur due to muscle weakness, pregnancy, menstruation, and tight clothing. The representatives of the fair sex get wet at the back of their heads from excitement. Increased sweating throughout the body at night can signal menopause, cancer, and mental disorders. Another reason why a person sweats in his sleep is hyperfunction of the thyroid gland, when more hormones are produced than necessary.

Nocturnal hyperhidrosis as a symptom of the disease

Night sweats can indicate the presence of serious illnesses. So, what diseases cause a person to sweat a lot? This problem occurs with chronic hepatitis. At the same time, the disease can occur without sclera and yellowness of the dermis.

Night sweats are one of the symptoms of HIV, along with weakness, diarrhea and loss of appetite. There are also a number of other diseases that are symptomatic of night sweats:

1. Hyperthyroidism (high levels of thyroid hormones).
2. Diabetes. It is characterized by hypoglycemic syndrome. At night, people suffering from diabetes experience a drop in blood glucose and insulin levels. As a result, the adrenal glands begin to produce more adrenaline, which, penetrating into the blood, activates the secretion of sweat.
3. Syphilis. In this case, treponema enters the bloodstream, which has a bad effect on the body.
4. Pulmonary tuberculosis. Night sweats are observed along with weakness, cough, high fever, and weight loss.
5. VSD. Sweating is a response to increased formation of acetylcholines. The head, neck and back become wet.

Doctors also observe hyperhidrosis in pleurisy, pneumonia, and brucellosis. Night attacks also occur due to oncology, systemic lupus erythematosus, and Parkinson's disease. Increased sweating is also associated with strokes, osteomyelitis, and herpes zoster.

Fight night sweats

First you need to eliminate the cause of the disease. To do this, you will have to undergo examination by specialists in various fields. If they do not see significant health problems, hyperhidrosis is defined as primary. In this case, it will be easy to deal with it.

Children under 1 year of age are given vitamin D. The doctor may also recommend taking your baby for walks more often. By moving actively during the day, your child will sweat less at night.

Medicines are not given to children under 6 years of age. However, if a child is overweight, it is worth showing him to a specialist. Perhaps sweating is a symptom of poor nutrition.

One of the effective ways to combat excessive sweating in adults is to use a laser. It damages the structure of sweat cells and, as a result, you can forget about the disease for a couple of years.

Sweaty armpits, palms and feet can be treated with Botox. It is injected into those areas of the body where problems are observed. The effect of the procedure is observed within six months.

The video will help you learn more about the presented methodology:

Drug treatment

Sweating is usually treated with anticholinergic drugs. This group includes the following drugs:

• propantheline bromide;
• glycopyrrolate;
• benztropine and others.

It will not be possible to block the discharge completely, but their number will be significantly reduced. Anticholinergic drugs are also actively used for diseases of the nervous system. Some of them do not pose a threat to small children, for example, glycopyrrolate. However, older people should use such drugs with caution, as they increase the risk of developing dementia.

Anti-sweating cosmetics

Nowadays, stores and pharmacies sell a huge number of antiperspirants and deodorants. Many of them have a very pronounced effect. They can be used daily.

The most popular antiperspirant is DryDry. It is applied to the skin of the armpits, palms and feet once every 7 days. A universal remedy is “Odaban”. Using it once, you can reduce sweat production for up to 10 days. It can be applied to any part of the body. The presented drug can be used even by pregnant women.

Hypoallergenic product "Maxim". The main feature of the drug is excellent absorption. One bottle of the product lasts for up to a year. As for deodorants, the most famous of them are Reviving Foot and DEOControl.

Folk remedies

Folk remedies will help reduce the activity of the sweat glands. An excellent option is to use a soda solution - take a teaspoon of the substance per 1 glass. Lemon juice and black tea brew are equally good.

A decoction of walnut leaves will help eliminate the problem in the skin of the armpits. Take 2 tbsp. l. products, pour half a liter of boiling water, cook for 5 minutes. All that remains is to cool the tincture and you can use it. Alcohol tincture of horsetail also copes well with the problem. You can buy it at the pharmacy or prepare it yourself.

You can combat sweaty feet in summer by covering your feet with birch leaves. You can put socks on top of your feet. You can also put oak bark in them.

So, night sweats can be cured using different methods. In most cases, a good effect occurs after the first session. However, for the result to be good, the cause of the disease must first be identified. To do this, you need to contact a specialist.

“I’m already used to living with this problem. I sweat a lot for no apparent reason, especially at night, although the room is not stuffy. The condition is bad, I have difficulty falling asleep, and then I wake up covered in cold sweat. Doctors haven’t really diagnosed anything for two years now. I do not know what to do", - KCVN patient, Elena.

Every fourth patient comes to us with complaints of severe sweating at night. Most often, hyperhidrosis is not a single symptom and is accompanied by a complex of problems: insomnia, anxiety, night “nightmares,” a feeling of lack of air and related vegetative problems that also manifest themselves during the daytime.

The patient does not always connect these complaints and makes unsuccessful attempts to treat profuse sweating, heart, blood pressure, stomach and even the psyche separately. If many years of attempts remain unsuccessful, then this is a serious reason to reconsider your attitude to the problem and think about the true causes of the disorder.

If this is your first time experiencing such symptoms, then it is important to understand that profuse sweating is not normal and is not a fact that needs to be tolerated year after year. Hyperhidrosis requires treatment, and with the right approach you can get rid of it forever.

Why do I sweat at night?

“It happens that I have to change my clothes several times a night, and still my underwear is wet in the morning. This is a very unpleasant problem for me and my loved ones. For over a year now I have been trying to somehow adjust and come to terms, because there is nothing else left", - patient of the CCCVN, Dmitry.

Excessive sweating at night is one of the signs of a dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, VD (vegetative dystonia). Agree that profuse sweating is quite appropriate at high air, body temperatures, or under strong emotional or physical stress: when a person is running, afraid, nervous, etc. The appearance of profuse sweating at night, as well as accompanying symptoms in the form of anxiety, rapid heartbeat, low-grade fever, chills, etc. in situations that do not require any stress from us, is inadequate behavior of the body, that is, pathology. And this pathology is caused by a malfunction of the autonomic nervous system.

The ANS (autonomic nervous system) is that part of the nervous system that is responsible for regulating the functions of the body at all levels, that is, ensuring an adequate response of all its systems. It regulates the activity of internal organs, blood circulation, metabolism, respiration, excretion, thermoregulation, hormones and much more. We are often surprised how such a complex mechanism as the human body works. That’s how it works – thanks to the ANS. Patients are simply not aware of the significance of its role and therefore ignore its diagnosis and treatment.

Functionally, the ANS is divided into sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions. Relatively speaking, the first department activates the body, and the second “quenches” its activity. Normally, at night the body is at rest, in the “kingdom of the vagus”: during sleep, the parasympathetic division of the ANS restores the body’s strength and even eliminates the beginnings of potential problems. Literally, the body heals itself.

If the nervous system is not in order, then the behavior of the nervous system and the entire organism becomes inadequate. Then, during sleep mode, the sympathetic department turns on, and the body experiences severe stress, although there is no reason for it. As a result, a person experiences anxiety, blood pressure rises, heart rate increases, sweating increases, etc. - the patient feels as if he has just run a marathon.

Causes of hyperhidrosis

The reasons for regular profuse sweating can be different. First of all, you should take a number of necessary tests and undergo an examination to rule out non-neurological diseases. If, in the end, the doctor finds it difficult to make a diagnosis, or if, with similar symptoms, you are offered to “drink chamomile” at night, then you should pay close attention to the health of your nervous system and consult an experienced neurologist.

What can “break” our nervous system? If there was severe stress, prolonged stress, emotional or physical stress, if you often disturbed your sleep patterns, drank caffeine-containing drinks late in the evening, etc. - all this will affect the nervous system. Most often, the cumulative effect works. If you stretch a spring too often, then one day it will not be able to return to its original state. The nervous system is the same - after severe overstrain, it can no longer go into a state of relaxation and begins to involuntarily activate processes in the body when it is not required. The hormones adrenaline and norepinephrine are released - and as a result we get nocturnal hyperhidrosis and other symptoms of VD.

Diagnosis and treatment for hyperhidrosis

“In the middle of the night I wake up all wet, my heart is pounding, I can’t breathe, even in winter I have to go out to the balcony and then after 10 minutes everything goes away", - patient of the CCCVN, Vladimir.

How to get rid of excessive sweating? Before prescribing treatment, you need to make an accurate diagnosis. The first important sign of VD is that the situation of profuse sweating at night occurs regularly, without obvious reasons, and really interferes with living, getting enough sleep and feeling cheerful and rested in the morning.

The next step, although obvious, still requires clarification. You need to make sure that there are no external reasons for increased sweating at night: the room is ventilated, the linen is made from natural materials, the blanket is not too hot, heating devices are located at a sufficient distance from you, etc.

The next step is to exclude such possible causes of hyperhidrosis as flu, colds and other infectious diseases, as well as tuberculosis, leukemia, heart, tumor or mental diseases, hyperthyroidism and metabolic disorders. If such diseases are excluded due to a lack of complaints or a full examination, then there is only one reason left - the nervous system.

Checking the VNS for failures is not difficult and takes no more than 1-2 hours. During this time, the doctor receives a complete picture of the functioning of the patient’s nervous system. The comprehensive diagnosis of CCVC includes the study of the ANS using infrared thermography, the study of heart rate variability, and a clinical study of the nervous and muscular systems. After diagnosis, the neurologist prescribes the necessary treatment.

If there is a need to quickly eliminate the symptom, the doctor may prescribe botulinum therapy. The procedure involves using Botox injections to block the action of the sweat glands. The disadvantage of this treatment is that the effect is short-lived and lasts only a few months. If we eliminate the cause of excessive sweating at night, then our main task is to restore balance within the nervous system with the help of neural therapy, which is mandatory for this problem. To normalize the central mechanisms of thermoregulation, the treatment complex can also include microcurrent therapy and methods for correcting the functioning of peripheral nerve centers using photolaser therapy.

When a woman experiences severe night sweats, she notices it immediately. There is a feeling of discomfort; excessive work of the sweat glands is often accompanied by an unpleasant odor. Many people understand that this phenomenon may be a sign of a disease. Night sweats in women - the causes of this phenomenon, as doctors explain, can be physiological and pathological.

How to know if you are sweating above normal

Sweat glands are part of the structure of the body in both men and women. Sweating is a natural physiological process. With its help, the body is cleansed of toxins. The sweating system is also responsible for thermoregulation; it helps maintain normal body temperature. Thanks to intense sweating, the elevated temperature decreases. Some women generally begin to feel weakness and the onset of colds, precisely by paying attention to sweat.

Why is excessive sweating sometimes considered a deviation from the norm? This happens when there are no objective reasons for increasing the functioning of the sweating system. In medicine, this problem is called hyperhidrosis; it is not a separate disease, but only a symptom.

It is impossible to calculate the rate of sweat secretion, since each person’s body has its own characteristics, and, moreover, it largely depends on the woman’s type of activity. High sweating among female athletes, compared to office workers, is the norm. But if they have the same indicators, then the latter most likely developed hyperhidrosis. Also, a deviation from the norm can be diagnosed when the volume of fluid released is excessively large. For example, if you have hyperhidrosis, your feet may slip out of your shoes. Even for the hot season this is a deviation.

Causes of increased sweating

During sleep, it is important to provide yourself with a favorable environment in the room. Sometimes it turns out that sweating is not associated with the characteristics of the body or pathological factors, but with the fact that a woman does not allow her body to fully relax.

If during the day, while in other rooms, the problem disappears, but appears when you come to the bedroom, the reason for this may be one of the external factors:

1. Increased temperature in the room. Experts advise ensuring that it does not exceed 18 degrees. During sleep, body temperature always decreases, and at the moment of awakening it increases. If, when getting out of bed, a woman feels heat in her body, it is necessary to reduce the temperature in the room at night.
2. Hot blanket. Under no circumstances should you sleep under the same blanket in winter and summer. Some say they can't do it any other way. In fact, it is worth making an effort to wean yourself from the bad habit of sleeping under a cotton blanket in the summer. Otherwise, poor sleep and excessive sweating are guaranteed.
3. Bed linen and accessories. All of them must be breathable and breathable. It is important to use high-quality bedding made from natural materials.

If excessive sweating is associated with these external factors, they simply need to be eliminated. In this case, hyperhidrosis is not diagnosed.

Physiological

Severe night sweats are often triggered by physiological factors:

1. Features of the menstrual cycle. It occurs in several stages, increased sweating is typical for two of them - before menstruation, especially the day before, during ovulation. At this time, hormonal changes and increased work of the circulatory system are observed.
2. During menopause. Serious hormonal changes also occur in women after 40–50 years. The body's metabolism is rebuilt, and reproductive function gradually fades away. In addition to excessive sweating, a woman may experience attacks of headache in the back of the head, chills, rushes of blood throughout the body, and sometimes muscle cramps.
3. During pregnancy. A sharp restructuring of the female body, which occurs more often in the 1st and 3rd trimester, provokes some unpleasant symptoms, including increased sweating. After childbirth, it may persist due to breastfeeding. After all, the mammary gland is located in close proximity to the sweat glands.
4. Psychological factors. The female psyche is more vulnerable and receptive, as evidenced by increased sweating during emotional arousal. Often at night he is accompanied by insomnia or sleep becomes restless. Even a small psychological shock can cause a storm of emotions, which will manifest itself in excessive sweating.

Physiological reasons also include sweating at night after drinking alcohol or drinking too much liquid. In such cases, sweating of the whole body is observed without fever or other signs of deterioration.

Until recently, hyperhidrosis, caused by diseases, most often affected women after 45 years of age, today the problem has become noticeably “younger”. Some girls face serious illnesses even in adolescence.

Important! Sometimes women seek medical help specifically with complaints of hyperhidrosis, and during the examination, doctors diagnose pathologies of the endocrine and cardiovascular systems.

Most often, nocturnal hyperhidrosis occurs with the following diseases:

1. Vegetative-vascular dystonia. With VSD, some parts of the head sweat, especially the temples, as well as areas in the neck, back, especially the shoulder blades. Many people have to wash their hair every day, as constant sweat causes the condition of the hair to deteriorate.
2. Malignant tumors. However, recognizing the signs of a fatal disease is not easy. Tumors of the stomach, appendages, and other organs are accompanied by abnormalities in the composition of the blood. Because of this, body temperature changes sharply, which provokes hyperhidrosis. For cancer, the mainstay of treatment is surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. During chemotherapy, hyperhidrosis also continues to develop, even intensify, as one of the complications.
3. Diseases of the endocrine system. In diseases of the thyroid gland, organs of the reproductive and hypothalamic-pituitary systems, excessive sweating can occur throughout life. Sweat is often released in the chest area, under the arms.
4. For HIV infection and other diseases associated with infection of the body. Any infectious process affects the functioning of the sweat glands. During the day this is not so noticeable, at night the sensations become more intense.
5. Spinal diseases. With osteochondrosis and other degenerative lesions of the musculoskeletal system, hyperhidrosis often occurs. During sleep, it is enough to simply take an uncomfortable position, provoking painful sensations, causing cold sweat.

Most often, night sweats appear with pneumonia, sarcoidosis, tuberculosis, and other inflammatory diseases affecting the lungs and bronchi. If the disease becomes chronic, then so does hyperhidrosis. It is often accompanied by general weakness, pain in the knees, calves, and chest.

How to get rid

To find a way to get rid of hyperhidrosis, you need to understand what causes excessive sweating. Treatment consists of diagnosing and eliminating the cause. First, you need to contact a therapist who will prescribe a set of tests: general blood test, urine test, biochemical and hormonal spectrum, detection of antibodies to infections. Then, based on their results, referrals to other specialists are issued.

For example, if hyperthyroidism is suspected, the therapist will give a referral to an endocrinologist. Consultation and examination of a cardiologist, neurologist, and oncologist are also often required. Sometimes it is possible to get rid of chronic hyperhidrosis only through surgical intervention - sympathectomy.

Advice! A good alternative to surgery may be botulinum injection (Botox injection). Although the effect of the procedure is temporary, it often lasts for several years.

To get rid of night sweats associated with physiological factors, you must carefully observe the rules of hygiene, adhere to the principles of proper nutrition, and avoid drinking alcohol. It is also important to choose high-quality anti-sweat products.

Night sweats can be caused by many factors, including both physiological conditions and diseases. To determine the exact cause, you need to contact specialists and follow their instructions.

Getting sweaty while jogging or playing with the dog on a hot summer day, or simply digging up your “six acres” of garden is completely normal and does not raise any questions. But when a person sweats in his sleep, this is alarming - no one likes to wake up like after a bath on a wet pillow or even sheet and change bed linen every day. Causes of night sweats may include stress and infectious diseases. In addition, it can act as an independent pathology or be one of the symptoms of another disease.

Many people complain of increased night sweats. Some people sweat all over their body at night, and then it is called general hyperhidrosis. The armpits, groin folds, back, head, and in women - the area under the mammary glands - these are the parts of the body that suffer most from sweat. Some people only complain about increased sweating in the scalp area (the scalp). Then we are talking about local hyperhidrosis.

Why a person sweats at night needs to be clarified on a case-by-case basis. Sometimes it is enough to simply change a blanket that is too warm or ventilate the room, but there are cases when serious complex treatment is required.

Factors that can cause night sweats:

• warm blanket or blanket, with which a person hides at night. This is especially true for models with artificial filler. For example, synthetic padding has the property of not allowing air to pass through, and a person wrapped in a blanket with such a “filling” ends up in a kind of greenhouse, as a result of which he begins to sweat heavily during sleep;
• synthetic nightgowns, pajamas and other nightwear. Even silk, satin and satin can cause heavy sweating. It is better to replace them with cotton, calico or other natural fabrics and monitor the body’s reaction;
• room temperature where a person sleeps. It’s worth thinking about in two cases: if it is above +20 °C, or if the room is rarely ventilated. Stale air can provoke not only sweating, but also other skin problems;
• poor nutrition. Strong alcoholic drinks, a cup of Americano or espresso, sparkling water and spicy dishes taken in the evening can make the body sweat in full. After all, they all expand the walls of blood vessels, blood moves faster, and night sweats are a completely logical conclusion to the process.

In addition to the listed factors, hyperhidrosis during sleep may indicate diseases such as:

• infectious (influenza, endocarditis, malaria, mononucleosis, lung abscess). In these cases, night sweats indicate a protective reaction of the body in the fight against infection. Body temperature rises, sweat glands work harder;
• fungal infections (histoplasmosis and others) can manifest themselves both in the form of profuse sweating at night, and in combination with other symptoms: enlarged lymph nodes, high temperature, fever, muscle pain, weakness, nausea, vomiting and dizziness;
• chronic infectious. These include: tuberculosis, chronic bronchitis or HIV in the AIDS stage;
• sleep disturbance, apnea syndrome;
• heart failure or other heart diseases;
• hormonal imbalances (hyperthyroidism, menopause/menopause in women). During menopause, the production of estrogen (the female hormone) decreases, and this causes a malfunction of the hypothalamus. It is responsible for thermoregulation of the body, which is why its causeless increase occurs;
• lack of androgen in men also leads to severe sweating during sleep;
• metabolic pathologies (diabetes, Cushing's syndrome);
• autoimmune (rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatic polyarthritis);
• allergic pathologies;
• oncology (including lymphoma, leukemia);
• cytostatic therapy accompanied by medications (antipyretics, phenothiazines);
• pathologies of the nervous system;
• mental illnesses also provoke cold sweats at night;
• stress - both acute and chronic;
• nutrition problems - exhaustion (bulimia, anorexia), obesity;
• alcoholism and drug addiction.

Pregnant women also report frequent night sweats.

Doctors

If you complain of sweating at night while sleeping, you should contact your doctor. And, if necessary, he will refer you to specialists:

• cardiologist;
• endocrinologist;
• somnologist (specializes in sleep disorders);
• a psychiatrist who can subsequently recommend a psychotherapist;
• neurologist;
• oncologist;
• allergist.

They, in turn, will determine why a person sweats in his sleep.

Diagnostics

Before prescribing tests, the doctor will ask a series of questions for medical history about complaints, existing diseases - both chronic and past and cured, allergies to any foods.

When you first contact a doctor with complaints of sweating at night, the following examinations will be prescribed for further medical history collection:

• general and biochemical blood tests;
• general urine analysis;
• X-ray of the lungs (fluorography);
• general therapeutic examination: ultrasound of the thyroid gland and internal organs, electrocardiogram, blood for HIV, hormones, tumor markers, examination by a gynecologist for women and a urologist for men, examination by a neurologist, endocrinologist.

Other studies may be carried out if necessary, for example, cardiac screening.

Upon receipt of the examination results, the following will be excluded or confirmed: tuberculosis, HIV, oncology, hyperthyroidism, heart disease, neurological pathologies. After this, the attending physician can refer the patient for a consultation with a psychiatrist to rule out mental illnesses.

Treatment

Depending on the diagnosis, the patient is prescribed treatment. It is aimed at eliminating the root cause of the disease, not sweating. That is, if a fungal infection is detected, it needs to be treated first. After completing the full course of treatment, an observation period begins to see whether the attacks of night sweats will continue. If the diagnosis is correct, all symptoms accompanying the disease, including hyperhidrosis, should go away along with the identified disease.

If there is no medical reason for night sweats, the doctor will recommend remedies for hyperhidrosis, such as a medical antiperspirant, Botox injections into the armpits, or electrophoresis.

If sweating at night bothers the patient and is really severe, it is possible to perform an operation such as thoracoscopic or percutaneous sympathectomy. As a result, the activity of the nerves innervating the sweat glands is suspended. Sympathectomy is highly effective, but has contraindications and side effects.

Prevention

You can try to help yourself and, along with treatment, restore nighttime sleep. This is facilitated by factors such as:

• regular ventilation of the bedroom, the temperature in it should not be lower than +18 °C and not higher than +21 °C;
• normal indoor humidity;
• the use of breathable natural fabrics for both bed linen and nightwear;
• do not eat later than 2–3 hours before bedtime;
• take a relaxing bath at night with the addition of oils or extracts of medicinal plants - lavender, sage, conifers. The bath should not be hot; after it, it is recommended to rinse with lukewarm water to tighten the pores;
• Avoid doing things in bed that are not related to sleep: reading, working on a laptop or tablet, playing on the phone. An exception can be made for quiet literature;
• Do not watch TV shows and movies at night that contribute to overstimulation. Instead, it is better to listen to relaxation music or sounds of nature - rain, the sound of sea waves or forests;
• an hour and a half before bedtime, switch the lighting from bright to dim;
• engage in physical exercise, take long walks regularly;
• do not work after 21:00. Learn to “switch” from work mode to rest mode, don’t spin a to-do list for tomorrow in your head;
• learn to relax - with the help of yoga, meditative practices or other methods that help clear the mind and inner peace. Art therapy helps well - coloring books for adults (mandalas) are now fashionable.

Bibliography

When writing the article, the therapist used the following materials:

• Adhikari S. General medical practice according to John Nobel / [S. Adhikari et al.] ; edited by J. Nobel, with the participation of G. Green [et al.]; lane from English edited by E. R. Timofeeva, N. A. Fedorova; ed. trans.: N. G. Ivanova [and others]. - M.: Praktika, 2005
• Mikhailova L. I. Encyclopedia of Traditional Medicine [Text] / [ed.-comp. Mikhailova L.I.]. - M: Tsentrpoligraf, 2009. - 366 p. ISBN 978-5-9524-4417-1
• Palchun, Vladimir Timofeevich ENT diseases: learning from other people's mistakes: a guide with a reference book of medicines: dozens of case histories, medical errors, pharmaceutical reference book, diseases of the nose and paranasal sinuses, ear diseases, pharynx disease, diseases of the larynx and trachea, medical documentation, mordi and vitae anamnesis / B T. Palchun, L. A. Luchikhin. - M: Eksmo, 2009. - 416 p. ISBN 978-5-699-32828-4
• Savko Lilia Universal medical reference book. All diseases from A to Z / [L. Savko]. - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2009. - 280 p. ISBN 978-5-49807-121-3
• Eliseev Yu. Yu. Complete home medical reference book for the treatment of diseases: [clinical manifestations of diseases, methods of traditional therapy, non-traditional methods of treatment: herbal medicine, apitherapy, acupuncture, homeopathy] / [Yu. Yu. Eliseev and others]. - M: Eksmo, 2007 ISBN 978-5-699-24021-0
• Rakovskaya, Lyudmila Alexandrovna Symptoms and diagnosis of diseases [Text]: [detailed description of the most common diseases, causes of occurrence and stages of disease development, necessary examinations and treatment methods] / L. A. Rakovskaya. - Belgorod; Kharkov: Family Leisure Club, 2011. - 237 p. ISBN 978-5-9910-1414-4

Excessive sweating at night is familiar to many women - this unpleasant symptom brings significant discomfort and interferes with normal rest.

Sweating in a dream is a nonspecific phenomenon; it accompanies many different diseases or occurs on its own, acting as an independent symptom. Why do women sweat in their sleep? Basically, increased sweating at night in the fair sex is associated with the same reasons as in men; only to some extent this symptom is associated with conditions characteristic only of women.

The causes of night sweats in women may be physiological or may indicate the presence of diseases

A little physiology

Sweating is the most important process in the body, responsible for several functions:

• Together with sweat, a large amount of toxic substances are removed from the body.
• Sweating helps maintain body temperature at the desired level - if necessary, excess energy and heat are removed along with sweat.
• Sweat, combined with the secretion of the sebaceous glands, forms a special protective layer on the skin.
• Maintaining water-salt balance by removing excess minerals along with the liquid.

Excessive sweating in women is indicated if the volume of fluid leaving the body is 100 ml in 5 minutes.

Causes of increased sweating at night in women

All causes of excessive sweating at night during sleep can be divided into non-medical, or external, and medical, or internal.

Non-medical reasons why women sweat in their sleep

• Stuffy, poorly ventilated sleeping area. Maintaining the right microclimate is an important condition for good sound sleep. In the warm season, it is recommended to sleep with the windows open; in winter, ventilate the bedroom immediately before going to bed.
• A warm blanket. Often the reason why a woman sweats profusely during sleep is that the blanket is too thick.

It’s trivial, but the cause of sweating at night can be a blanket that is too warm

• Warm clothes for sleeping. It is important to choose the right nightwear - pajamas made of silk or thick fabrics easily lead to overheating, which causes profuse sweating at night while sleeping.
• Nature of nutrition. Excessive sweating at night can be related to diet, especially the last meal before bed. Increased sweating during sleep can be caused by eating chocolate, coffee, sweet carbonated drinks, spicy foods and garlic.

Medical factors that contribute to excessive sweating during sleep

In the absence of everyday causes of increased sweating at night, a connection between hyperhidrosis and various pathological processes in the body is possible. There are many acute and chronic diseases, the symptom of which is increased sweating.

Most infectious diseases are accompanied by an increase in body temperature combined with excessive sweating. Most often, increased sweating is accompanied by:

• Acute respiratory infections (ARVI).
• Endocarditis.
• Mononucleosis of an infectious nature.
• Fungal infections of the skin, mucous membranes and internal organs.
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
• Tuberculosis.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Endocrine pathologies:

• Hyperfunction of the thyroid gland.
• Ovarian hypofunction.
• Diabetes mellitus with episodes of nocturnal hypoglycemia.

Oncological diseases:

• Leukemia.
• Hodgkin's disease (lymphogranulomatosis).

Other pathologies:

• Sleep apnea syndrome.
• Dyspeptic phenomena.
• Pneumonia.

Specific causes of female night sweats

Excessive sweating at night in women is associated with conditions in which hormonal changes occur - pregnancy, menstruation and menopause.

Why does sweating occur in these situations? Hormonal balance is regulated by the pituitary gland and hypothalamus. During pregnancy and in the first days of menstruation, there is a sharp jump in the level of female sex hormones - estrogens, which are responsible for maintaining many functions in a woman’s body, including thermoregulation.

Women over 45 years of age suffer from sweating due to the onset of menopause. At this moment, a complete restructuring occurs in the woman’s body - ovarian function fades and the menstrual cycle stops. The level of estrogen drops sharply, the regulation of heat exchange in the body changes, so women begin to worry about the so-called hot flashes, accompanied by sweating during sleep. This symptom causes significant discomfort, causing you to wake up in the middle of the night in sweat, often the sweat is so intense that you have to change your night clothes. The condition of sweating at night during menopause requires special medical correction using hormone replacement therapy.

It is the sharp change in hormonal levels that is the reason why representatives of the fair sex sweat at night while sleeping.

Prevention of night sweats

If sweating is caused by external factors, then to eliminate it it is enough to create a comfortable microclimate in the bedroom

To reduce discomfort during sleep, it is recommended to reconsider your lifestyle and change your habits. It is important to monitor the microclimate in the bedroom - the air should be fresh, the humidity should be at least 60%, and be sure to ventilate the bedroom before going to bed. It is advisable to choose sleepwear from natural fabrics.

It is not recommended to consume spicy or too hot food, strong tea and coffee before going to bed. Excessive sweating significantly reduces the volume of fluid in the body, so it is important to drink enough clean water, but no later than two hours before bedtime.

In the event that changing your lifestyle and habits does not bring any results, and other suspicious symptoms are added to night sweats, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible for diagnostic measures. In this case, treatment will be aimed at the underlying disease that caused excessive sweating.