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Most nights I go to bed feeling pretty chilly, but I know I’ll wake up in a few hours, kicking my feet out from under the blankets in a sweat and praying the fan is pointed in my direction. Anyone else?
Our core body temperature is naturally supposed to decrease at night to facilitate better sleep. However, mine seems to increase, resulting in annoying-but-not-medically-concerning night sweats. Some of you must be experiencing this too, since we received a handful of questions about this nocturnal “sweatsation!”
Here, we dig into some of the common causes of night sweats -- and, how to help combat them. Most instances of night sweats are not cause for worry, but if you’re consistently waking up with soaked sheets or have other health concerns, consider speaking with your doctor.
POSSIBLE CAUSES OF NIGHT SWEATS
HORMONES
Hormonal changes, especially the decreasing levels of estrogen during perimenopause and menopause, can lead to hot flashes during the day and night sweats during sleep. On the flipside of menopause - pregnancy or the postpartum period also cause fluctuations in hormone levels that lead to sweating. Other conditions that affect hormone levels, like diabetes or having an overactive thyroid, can also be culprits.
MEDICATIONS
Some medications can cause night sweats, including antidepressants, diabetes medications, steroids, painkillers, and high blood pressure drugs. Some immunosuppressive medication used to avoid rejection after a transplant may also cause night sweats. Surprisingly, acetaminophen or aspirin used to lower a fever can also cause sweating.
CERTAIN HEALTH CONDITIONS
Some health conditions affect your body’s ability to regulate temperature, including depression, anxiety, or other mood disorders; gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD); obesity; obstructive sleep apnea. Hyperhidrosis is a condition that causes excess sweating, day or night.
ALCOHOL, DRUGS, CAFFEINE, SPICY FOOD
All of these increase your core body temperature so avoid them as close to bedtime as possible. Except for drugs - I think you should avoid those at all times. 😅
ILLNESS OR INFECTION
Obviously if we are sick and running a fever, we’re going to experience sweating and we all know how much worse illnesses can be at night. Our immune systems are kicked into overdrive at night, igniting an inflammatory response to kill off whatever infection we have. This often leads to higher fevers and increased night sweats.
IS THERE ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO IMPROVE NIGHT SWEATS?
There are always things we can do!
- Turn down the thermostat at night, even if that means starting off a little colder, like I do. If it’s too cold, have blanket layers that can easily be added or discarded throughout the night.
- Use a fan. I like a fan year-round for air flow and white noise, but it becomes vital in the summer because I don’t have air conditioning.
- Sleep with socks on. Nonintuitively, wearing socks actually helps drop the core temperature of your body because warming your feet expands the blood vessels and allows heat to escape. Now, that’s what the science says…speaking from experience, however, I know that pointing the fan at my feet really helps cool me down and sleep better, which contradicts the warming theory. Try both and see which you prefer!
- Ask your pup to sleep on the floor. (Sad, I know.) Sleeping too close to another body - person or animal - will naturally increase your body temperature. Find your own space.
- Put an ice pack under your pillow and if you wake up hot, flip your pillow over and enjoy. (Place the ice pack in a baggie or underneath a towel to prevent condensation from getting on your pillowcase. A cold pillow is refreshing. A cold, wet pillow? No, thank you.)
- If you’re wondering if a certain medication is causing the night sweats, switch up the time of day you take it, if possible. Or talk with your doctor about alternatives.
- If you think your night sweats are due to menopause, talk with your doctor about hormone regulation. This is important for many reasons beyond sleep!
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