If you sweat while sleeping. What causes body sweats at night and how to get rid of it

If night sweats are bothering you, stop being embarrassed and understand the possible causes. This is the only way to get rid of wet sheets and pillows forever.

If your bedroom is stuffy or you like to sleep in warm pajamas, then night sweats are a normal reaction of the body. If everything is in order with your sleeping conditions, but nevertheless you wake up sweating in the morning, this is a signal - you should contact a specialist. Your doctor will review your medical history and test results to find the root cause of your excessive sweating. Here are just a few of the possibilities.

Taking medications

The most common medications that can cause night sweats are antidepressants. It is reported that between 8 and 22% of people taking antidepressants sweat excessively at night. As a rule, after completing the course of treatment, sweating returns to normal. You may experience night sweats when taking fever reducers such as aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and so on.

Menopause

Hormonal changes and a decrease in the level of estrogen in the blood lead to hot flashes, which can occur not only during the day, but also at night. This is the most common cause of night sweats in women.

Alexey Kalinchev

Let's say a woman is 50 years old and she starts having night sweats. She often gets feverish during the day. There is no need to guess here, menopause begins. You need to go to a gynecologist-endocrinologist to receive appropriate therapy. By the way, early menopause can begin at 35 years old. And taking hormonal contraceptives will mask it. When such drugs are discontinued, symptoms will appear.

Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia is a pathological condition of the body in which the blood sugar level is low. During the day, a person takes insulin or other oral antidiabetic drugs, but it is impossible to regulate blood glucose levels while sleeping. The body comes to the rescue and responds to a decrease in blood sugar concentration by releasing adrenaline, which is accompanied by sweating. Often, such manifestations of hypoglycemia wake a person.

Hormonal disorders

The correct balance of hormones in the body is also responsible for maintaining the functioning of the sweating system. Failures in the functioning of one or more endocrine glands often lead to an increase in the volume of sweat produced, even at night, when metabolic processes slow down and body temperature decreases.

Alexey Kalinchev

endocrinologist, nutritionist, dietitian

In my patient population, excessive night sweats are usually associated with hormonal imbalance - when I normalize it, the sweating goes away. I would recommend anyone who suffers from this problem to see their doctor. The doctor must rule out the most obvious causes.

For example, men are 45 years old. At this age, male sex hormones drop. You need to go to a urologist-andrologist, he will cure you quite quickly.

Night sweats may be a warning sign to be examined by an oncologist. In some types of cancer, such as lymphoma, night sweats are one of the early symptoms. However, most often, people with undiagnosed cancer also experience sudden weight loss and fever.

Konstantin Titov

surgeon-oncologist, MD, PhD, head of the oncosurgical department of tumors of the skin and soft tissues of the Moscow Scientific Research Center, associate professor of the department of oncology and radiation therapy of the LF RNRMU named after. N. I. Pirogova

Sweating often accompanies an increase in body temperature with tumors; it can also be associated with tumor intoxication (general weakness, lethargy, decreased appetite, dry mouth), but sometimes it is a separate manifestation of the disease. Most common in malignant tumors increased sweating occurs at night. It can be so severe that patients are forced to change their underwear after each awakening.

Tumors in which excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis) is one of the typical manifestations:

Hodgkin's lymphoma

In this case, generalized hyperhidrosis is characteristic against the background of a wave-like increase in temperature. The tumor process affects the lymphatic formations, so with this disease enlarged lymph nodes are found in the cervical, axillary, groin and other areas.

Neuroendocrine tumors

Neoplasms from enterochromaffin cells can be located in different parts of the digestive system - in the intestines, stomach, pancreas, and also in the bronchi. Tumor cells produce serotonin and various hormones, so one of the main manifestations of the disease are hot flashes, accompanied by redness of the skin, profuse sweating, diarrhea or bronchospasm.

Pheochromocytoma

Neuroendocrine tumor of adrenal chromaffin cells. When adrenaline is released into the blood, blood pressure rises sharply, a large amount of sweat is released and the heart rate accelerates.

Tumors of the nervous system

In some cases, such neoplasms can also lead to the release of vasoactive substances, in particular adrenaline, into the bloodstream, which leads to increased sweating.

Infections

Most often, night sweats are associated with classic tuberculosis. But it is worth familiarizing yourself with the list of other infectious diseases that can lead, especially in the chronic stage, to night sweats. Pneumonia, chronic tonsillitis during exacerbation, fungal infection of internal organs, infectious mononucleosis and even HIV infection.

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...

The production of sweat by the human body is considered a physiological process, but excessive sweating during sleep and while awake requires special attention and concern. The situation is further complicated by the fact that quite often when this pathological symptom appears, an unpleasant specific odor also appears. In this article we will try to understand the questions of why a person sweats during sleep and what may be the reasons for heavy sweating during sleep.

Sweating during sleep is accompanied by a large number of problems, especially in the morning, because there is a need to take a shower so that the unpleasant smell of sweat does not accompany a person when communicating with colleagues and friends. People who are faced with the problem of severe sweating during sleep are interested in the question of why sweating occurs and whether this is evidence of pathological processes in the body.

According to the physiological characteristics of the structure, the human body tends to sweat during sleep and not only. Due to the fact that a person sweats a lot, excess heat is eliminated, because an increased temperature level can cause disruption in the functioning of vital organs. When the temperature rises, the brain signals the sweat glands, which, in turn, begin to actively secrete sweat in order to prevent overheating. It helps cool the body and remove harmful and toxic substances from the body.

Please note that the physiological amount of sweat produced per day is considered to be 500 ml. However, there is a certain category of people who begin to actively secrete sweat from some parts of their body during sleep.

An important point that requires attention is that the sympathetic nervous system is responsible for the production of sweat during the day, and the parasympathetic at night, when a person is sleeping. Excessive sweating at night during sleep for a long time is evidence of the presence of a disease in the body.

Physiological factors

First of all, it should be noted that heavy sweating at night is not always a disease, because there is a large list of factors, the influence of which leads to the fact that a sleeping person begins to sweat at night.

Such reasons include:

Primary hyperhidrosis. This condition is genetic in nature; quite often it is called idiopathic due to the difficulty of identifying the cause of sweating during sleep. In most cases, this pathological process becomes a consequence of emotional stress and prolonged exposure to stressful situations.
Hygiene problems. This group of factors includes: increasing the temperature in the room, using an overly warm blanket, wearing underwear made of synthetic fabrics that are not able to absorb moisture. All of this can cause people to sweat while sleeping.
Taking certain medications before bed, including sleeping pills and antidepressants (to help you sleep), the side effects of which include increased sweating.
Excess body weight.

Link between excessive sweating and disease

Please note that excessive sweating at night may indicate certain illnesses.

Insomnia

Of course, sleep disorders can be provoked by physiological factors, but in some situations they are accompanied by nightmares and fears, which are often found in heart disease and mental disorders.

These situations are accompanied by excessive production of adrenaline, which, in turn, causes a person to begin to sweat heavily during sleep.

Sleep apnea syndrome

The presence of this pathological symptom is evidenced by snoring during sleep, which is accompanied by short pauses in breathing.

It poses a great danger to humans and can cause death, because the process of oxygen supply to the body is disrupted. This condition is accompanied by people sweating excessively at night and suffering from hypertension and tachycardia.

Infectious diseases (infections of viral and bacterial origin, AIDS, tuberculosis)

Everyone knows that in most cases, infection in the body causes the formation of inflammatory processes, accompanied by an increase in body temperature and sweating.

Disruption of the functioning of the endocrine system organs

Most often, excessive sweating is caused by hormonal imbalances, low blood sugar levels due to diabetes, and thyroid diseases.

Malignant neoplasms

Causes of excessive sweating in women

Quite often, during the period of bearing a child, you can hear from women the question of why the body sweats a lot at night, what reasons lead to the appearance of this. The answer is quite simple: such changes are explained by the fact that it is in the body of a pregnant woman that changes in hormonal balance occur.

The organs of the endocrine system receive a double load, there is an activation of metabolic processes, which is accompanied by the release of a large amount of heat. That is why, to maintain thermoregulation, the body began to produce excess sweat.

A similar problem may bother women during menopause and menopause. This is explained by the fact that it is during this period of time that physiological changes occur in the female body, which are accompanied by the appearance of hot flashes and excessively intense sweating.

To overcome this problem, you need to consult a doctor who will prescribe hormonal medications. However, only those women for whom this condition does not allow them to lead a normal lifestyle need to take medications.

What does excessive sweating indicate in children?

A considerable number of parents are interested in the question of why their child sweats at night. In answering, it should be noted that the fact that children sweat a lot during sleep is considered a physiological phenomenon and is not at all pathological. This is explained by the fact that the duration of sleep phases in children is somewhat different from the duration of the same phases in adults. Many teenage children may sweat at night during the transition period, if there are any emotional experiences.

However, there are cases when children sweat at night in their sleep due to the presence of a pathological condition such as rickets - the disease will be accompanied by excessive sweating of the back of the head.

In parallel with this pathological symptom, when the child sleeps, others may appear, such as:

sleep disturbance;
irritability;
frog belly;
decreased muscle tone.

To eliminate these pathological symptoms, you must consult a doctor who will prescribe adequate treatment.

Treatment

Nowadays, there are quite a large number of cosmetics that help mask the problem of excessive sweating during sleep, but it should be noted that they do not help get rid of this pathological symptom.

First of all, in case of severe sweating, it is imperative to consult a doctor, because determining the cause of excessive sweating will help get rid of the problem.

Treatment with medications begins only after a complete examination of the patient; the choice of type of medication will depend on the type of underlying disease.

May be assigned:

antibacterial drugs;
antiviral agents;
hormonal drugs;
psychotropic drugs;
sleeping pills and antidepressants, but only if you have problems sleeping and falling asleep.

Treatment of hyperhidrosis with recipes from folk sources has received fairly good reviews, but in this case it is necessary to remember that such treatment must be combined with traditional treatment.

The most popular and effective are:

teas made from sage and oregano, which successfully soothe and relax;
yarrow decoction for administration;
decoctions from oak bark for rubbing.

As a result, it is necessary to focus on the fact that in almost all cases, excessive sweating at night is evidence of the presence of some pathological processes in the body that can be caused by endogenous factors.

If eliminating them does not have any positive effect, you must not waste time and seek help from a qualified specialist to determine the cause of sweating at night and carry out treatment.

We hope that the information presented about why excessive sweat may occur during sleep will be useful to you and will help you find the correct answer to the question: why do I sweat a lot when I sleep?

The attitude towards sweating is always negative, but this process is necessary for the normal functioning of the body. Sweat helps maintain body temperature and salt balance, and removes toxins. In essence, this is a way to independently cleanse and heal the body. The problem occurs when sweating becomes profuse.

What does sweating mean?

Through the process of moisture release, human skin can cool. Its upper layer contains a large number of capillaries. Blood moves quickly through them and brings heat, which leaves the body through sweat in large quantities. The blood cools down to almost 2 C, after which it moves into large vessels. Nocturnal hyperhidrosis is as important as sleep itself: at this time the body restores its strength for health.

Why does a person sweat in his sleep?

Night sweats in men can occur due to inflammatory processes in the body. Often the cause is a neurological disease, which is provoked by regular stress, troubles, and insomnia. Men often experience sweating at night when they have a cold. Uncontrolled intake of nitroglycerin, paracetamol, and other drugs forces the body to cleanse itself of harmful substances through sweat.

Causes of sweating at night in men

Night sweats in men can cause sarcoidosis: the armpits, legs and arms sweat, the chest, neck, forehead and entire head become covered with beads of sweat. Sarcoidosis affects several systems of the body at once, it manifests itself in the form of fatigue, poor appetite, and fever. The person becomes nervous and twitchy. A cough, fibrosis of the lung tissue, and the appearance of bluish spots on different parts of the body are possible. A characteristic sign of the disease is constant night sweats in men. In this case, only a specialist can determine the cause of hyperhidrosis and prescribe the correct treatment.

Body overheating

If a person wakes up on a pillow wet with sweat, the first thing one might suspect with such profuse night sweats is overheating during sleep. The cause of the attack is heat, dry air, a warm blanket. To continue sleeping peacefully, you have to take a shower and ventilate the room. If we talk about psychological problems, the cause can be severe stress. In such cases, overheating during sleep does not cause any particular concern: buy a comfortable bed, don’t be nervous before bed, don’t drink hot coffee, quit smoking. Sweating at night during sleep normalizes on its own

Night sweats after drinking alcohol

Alcohol entering the bloodstream disrupts brain activity. The brain is responsible for all body processes, including sweating. Body temperature rises and biochemical reactions accelerate. A person feels feverish and experiences night sweats after drinking alcohol. During a feast, a person may not sweat, but at night sweating still appears.

Alcoholism always means hyperhidrosis, problems with the liver, kidneys or other organs. Regular drinking of alcoholic beverages negatively affects the entire body and affects the quality of life. At first, everything looks innocent, but over time, a healthy adult person turns into a sick old man, his appearance completely changes. If an alcoholic does not stop drinking, then everything can end in tears.

Sweating after the flu

The human body reacts to the invasion of infectious agents by increasing body temperature. As a result of intoxication, another symptom appears - hyperhidrosis: the head, armpits, hands and feet sweat. This is how the body begins to actively fight the disease. Night sweats after ARVI occur against a background of high temperature, are accompanied by a chest cough, runny nose, apnea, and may begin to hurt and become dizzy.

After the body defeats the virus, the person will sweat for about two more weeks: this is due to astheno-vegetative syndrome. The patient should not rush to work; it is necessary to give the body time to fully recover. After pneumonia, sweating can be observed for about a month, and after sepsis or malaria even longer. Such patients should be treated inpatiently.

What diseases cause a person to sweat at night?

Night sweats in men can be caused by various serious diseases:

tuberculosis;
heart and vascular diseases;
alcoholism;
allergy;
oncological problems;
diabetes;
overweight;
hormonal imbalances;
kidney problems;
infectious diseases.

Causes of severe sweating of the whole body in men

Idiopathic local sweating is the name given to the release of sticky sweat not in some individual areas, but throughout the entire body. As a rule, it has a genetic predisposition. Excessive sweating during sleep in men can occur due to metabolic disorders: for example, obese people sweat more. Excessive sweating is also provoked by certain foods, and the body removes harmful substances through sweat.

Causes of cold sweats at night in men

Cold sweats at night can be caused by the following reasons:

Reduced blood pressure, and as a result, improper functioning of the cardiovascular system, blood loss.
Alcohol abuse. Alcohol has a negative effect on thermoregulation systems. Chills or cold sweats appear.
During migraines, a large amount of adrenaline is released into a man’s blood, which provokes severe sweating.
Unreasonable hyperhidrosis occurs after a man has suffered stress.
In adolescence, sweat can be caused by hormonal imbalance.

What to do if you are sweating heavily

Excessive sweating in men brings a lot of troubles, this problem needs to be solved immediately:

If sweat is not caused by diseases and the man is healthy, you can use special protective equipment - for example, choose a reliable antiperspirant.
Pharmacies also offer formagel, which should be used in courses: it suppresses the functions of the sweat glands and eliminates bad odor. One application is enough to forget about sweat for a week. Then the product is applied again.
Night sweats – the reasons vary for men. If they are not hidden in diseases, Teymurov’s paste will help eliminate the problem. The drug has an antiseptic effect and is applied to the armpits.
You can use boric acid - it also disinfects well and narrows the sweat glands.
No remedy can help if you wear clothes made of synthetic materials in hot weather. In summer, you should give preference to linen made from natural fabrics, such as cotton, silk or linen.
You should not neglect folk remedies for eliminating profuse sweat. Excessive sweating that occurs for no particular reason can be treated with herbal infusions. Decoctions of oak bark, chamomile, birch buds or horsetail will help improve your condition. To prepare this chamomile remedy, you need 6 tbsp. l. Brew crushed flowers with 2 liters of boiling water and let it brew for an hour. After that, put 2 tbsp in it. l. soda and wipe problem areas.
To get rid of excessive sweating of the armpits, legs and arms, the Drionik device can be used. The therapy is carried out through a weak current, which is applied to problem areas. In the States, this device has already passed a 20-year test and received many positive reviews from users. However, it is suitable for people with mild sweating. A course of electric shock treatment must be completed every three months.
Another effective method of treating hyperhidrosis is injection. The patient is injected under the skin in problem areas with a special drug. This could be, for example, Botox. The principle of operation of this treatment is simple. The drug blocks the neural connection between the brain and the sweat glands. As a result, after the injection you can not be afraid of sweating for about six months, however, such a procedure will not be cheap.
In extreme cases, doctors suggest a surgical method of destroying the sweat glands due to excessive sweating.

Night sweats usually go unnoticed by a sleeping person, so the patient’s complaint “I sweat a lot at night” alarms an experienced doctor, as it may signal the development of serious diseases.

Possible reasons for increased sweating at night are divided into external, which depend on sleep conditions and the environment, and internal, which depend on the general condition of the body.

External causes of heavy sweating during sleep

Before you start looking for a disease that causes profuse sweating, it is worth analyzing and objectively assessing the condition of the room and bedding that a person uses while sleeping.

Bed dress

Too warm blankets and mattress. When choosing bedding, have complete confidence in the natural origin of the materials from which they are made. Modern blankets and pillows are often stuffed with synthetic material, which does not allow enough air to pass through and causes the body to sweat, especially in the hot season. You should also be wary of thick terry synthetic sheets, which significantly affect a person’s body temperature.

Sleepwear

One of the reasons for increased sweating during night sleep may be incorrectly chosen nightwear. If your pajamas are made of silk or satin, your body will have difficulty breathing. It is better to opt for pajamas or a cotton shirt.

Environmental conditions

If the bedroom is very hot, a person is likely to sweat profusely during sleep. A comfortable temperature for a bedroom is considered to be no higher than 20 degrees. The room should be well ventilated, the air in the bedroom should circulate and be renewed.

Diet

A large dinner with alcoholic beverages may well provoke the appearance of severe night sweats. The presence of many spices and hot seasonings in the menu activates blood circulation and increases the intensity of sweating.

Taking medications

The list of side effects of many medications may include the ability to cause night sweats. If the medicine contains hydralazine, niacin, tamoxifen, nitroglycerin, then there is a possibility that these components were the culprits of such a reaction in the body.

Physiological reasons

If external factors have been successfully eliminated, and sweating has not decreased, you should look for the causes of the disease in internal diseases and seek advice from a doctor.

Sweating is a natural and important body function that helps maintain a constant body temperature. An increase or decrease in temperature by 2-3 degrees indicates an unhealthy state of a person. The same can be said about sweating. Severe sweating during sleep may be evidence of severe diseases.

In case of respiratory viral infection, sore throat, inflammatory processes in the sinuses and other diseases, severe night sweats act as a protective function of the body from overheating.

Lung diseases, including tuberculosis, can also cause excessive sweating at night. Therefore, when examining a patient who complains of sweating at night, a doctor should take an X-ray of the lungs.

In addition, excessive sweating at night can be caused by cancer, an imbalance in hormones, metabolic disorders, and diabetes.

Disturbances in the functioning of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, which are inherent in patients with hypertension, tachycardia and sleep apnea, can cause hyperhidrosis during night rest.

Stress and anxiety that await a person at every step during the day pour out in profuse sweat during night sleep.

Why do women sweat at night?

The causes of profuse night sweats in women are explained by physiological features and may be associated with hormonal changes in the body that occur during premenstrual period, during pregnancy and with the onset of menopause.

During these three periods in a woman’s life, the level of hormones in the blood fluctuates, which causes disturbances in night sleep, increased sweating, and nervousness. Usually, all these symptoms disappear without a trace as soon as the dangerous period ends and do not require medical intervention.

Why do men sweat at night?

One of the causes of night sweats in men is age-related androgen deficiency, or in other words, andropause. During adulthood, men's testosterone levels decrease, which leads to increased sweating. This is also facilitated by the stress that many people experience as the body ages.

In addition, night sweats in men are often caused by excessive drinking. Entering the body, alcohol increases blood circulation, dilates pores and blood vessels, which provokes intense work of the sweat glands.

How to get rid of night sweats

In order to reduce night sweats, cosmetic and medicinal products have been developed, and folk recipes have not been forgotten.

Here are some simple tips to help reduce sleep at night:

Folk remedies against sweating at night

To reduce night sweats, you can use ancient traditional medicine recipes. Infusions of medicinal herbs will help reduce sweating and ensure restful sleep throughout the night.

Viburnum bark can be used to make a sweat wipe. For this you need 1 tbsp. l. bark pour 1 tbsp. boiling water and cook for 10 minutes over low heat. The cooled and strained decoction should be wiped on the skin before going to bed.

Sunflower infusion

Pour crushed flowers and sunflower leaves with vodka in a ratio of 1:4 and leave for 24 hours. Take orally as a medicine, 20 drops 3 times a day.

Sage leaves 1 tbsp. l. connect with 2 tbsp. boiling water and leave for half an hour. Take half a glass with food 3 times a day.

Folk remedies can reduce night sweats only if there are no serious internal diseases. Therefore, it is first important to determine the causes of profuse sweating, and then choose treatment methods.

When is it time to see a doctor

The appearance of profuse sweating during a night's rest does not always indicate serious internal problems, and most often this pathology can be dealt with by ventilating the sleeping area, changing bedding, or establishing strict control over your diet.

every night
night sweats are caused by sudden, inexplicable anxiety;
the day was spent in extreme heat and the body overheated.

Thus, the causes of increased night sweats can be very different. At night this phenomenon is just as unpleasant as during the day. And even though few people see a person at night and he doesn’t have to be ashamed of his wet armpits, wet pajamas and a disgusting restless sleep in the morning will not improve his mood in any way. Therefore, if you cannot cope with the disease without outside help, you should not delay a visit to the doctor, who will determine the causes of increased sweating and prescribe the correct treatment.