Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSleep EnvironmentAnxiety and NightmaresHormonesGERDHyperhidrosisSubstance UseSleep ApneaInfectionsAutoimmune DisordersSome CancersMedications and SupplementsOther Causes of Sweating While SleepingPreventionWhen to See a Provider
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Sleep Environment
Anxiety and Nightmares
Hormones
GERD
Hyperhidrosis
Substance Use
Sleep Apnea
Infections
Autoimmune Disorders
Some Cancers
Medications and Supplements
Other Causes of Sweating While Sleeping
Prevention
When to See a Provider
Sweating in your sleep can be from something common, like menopause, drinking alcohol, or just sleeping in a room that’s too warm. However, night sweats can also have more serious causes, like infections and cancer.
This article will go over the possible reasons why you’re sweating in your sleep. You’ll also learn when to see a provider about night sweats and how to cope with them.
Peter Dazeley / Getty Images
What Are Night Sweats?
One of the most common causes of night sweats is sleeping in anenvironmentthat’s too hot. It’s normal to sweat in your sleep if your bedroom is warm, you wear heavy pajamas, or you sleep under lots of blankets.
Your body goes through normal temperature changes while you sleep. Most people have a dip in their core body temperature around 4 a.m. During certain phases of sleep, your body temperature may go up, which can lead to sweating.
What’s the Best Temperature for Sleeping?
If you havenightmaresor general anxiety, you may have physical effects while you’re sleeping. Sweating can be an anxiety symptom, along with a fast heartbeat, rapid breathing, and shaking.
If you have bad dreams often, especially if you also havepost-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD), talk to your provider. Treatment may help stop your night sweats and any other symptoms you have.
Can PTSD Affect Your Sleep?
Like adults,night terrorscan also make kids sweat in their sleep. Night terrors cause a person to abruptly wake up feeling extremely afraid, even panicked. They often occur about two or three hours after falling asleep.
Children who have night terrors may also:
If children (especially toddlers) have breathing problems while they’re sleeping, it can make them sweaty and restless. They may even wake up red-faced and drenched in sweat.
Why Is My Child Sweating So Much?
Hormonal shifts throughout life can also cause sweating at night.
Menstrual Cycle
Some people get night sweats in the pre-period phase of their menstrual cycle as a symptom of PMS, while others experience it mid-cycle around when they ovulate (when their body temperature also increases slightly).
Dizziness and Sweating: What You Should Know
Pregnancy
Hormone shifts that happen during pregnancy can also cause night sweats, and they can hang around after you deliver.Physical changes in your body (like carrying more weight) can also make you feel hotter at night.
Hormonal Disorders
Hormonal disorders (endocrine disorders) can also cause night sweats if hormones that trigger flushing (like serotonin) increase.
One hormonal disorder that can cause night sweats as a symptom is an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism).Hyperthyroidismoccurs when your body makes too much thyroid hormone.
Night sweats can be a symptom of hyperthyroidism, along with increased appetite, tremors, restlessness, a visibly enlarged thyroid gland (goiter), anxiety, and frequent bowel movements.
Menopause
Perimenopausedescribes the period of transition after menstruation ends but before menopause is in full swing. Peoplegoing through menopausemay havehot flashes at nightthat can even wake them up from sleep.
Why Older People Wake Up Early
It’s less common, but night sweats can also happen if you havegastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). When you have GERD, stomach acid backs up into youresophagus.
Sweating in your sleep could be related to GERD if you also have other symptoms of the condition, such as:
Can GERD Make You Choke in Your Sleep?
Hyperhidrosis is a common condition that makes you sweat a lot. You may sweat all day and all night. Some people with the condition just sweat more in a few places on their body, like their hands. Other people sweat excessively all over their bodies.
Alcohol, marijuana, and other substances may cause sweating, which can happen at night.
Some people notice that they sweat in their sleep after they drink alcohol. Since alcohol widens your blood vessels, it can affect blood circulation and body temperature. You may feel a little “flushed” after having a drink or get quite sweaty, depending on how your body reacts to alcohol. People who drink often or heavily, particularly those who binge drink, might be more likely to have night sweats from alcohol.
People who have alcohol or other substance use disorders often have night sweats, especially if they are inwithdrawal.
Withsleep apnea, your breathing pauses during sleep. These pauses can wake you up or bring you into a lighter stage of sleep. Sleep apnea makes you struggle to breathe, which causes your body to exert itself and may even make you sweat.
Other symptoms of sleep apnea include:
Sometimes, your bed partner may tell you that you stop breathing periodically when you’re asleep, then snort and gasp.
Night sweats in older people can be related toobstructive sleep apnea. In this condition, you stop breathing multiple times while you’re sleeping. The risk of sleep apnea increases during menopause because of the loss of the hormonesestrogenandprogesterone.
Sleep apnea can increase the odds that you’ll fall asleep or beinattentive while drivingor working. It also increases your risk of heart attack and stroke.
The treatment for sleep apnea is usually acontinuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, which can help control your symptoms—including night sweats.
What Causes Cold Sweats?
The symptoms of some serious infections can include night sweats. Here are a few infections that can cause night sweats:
Are Night Sweats a Sign of HIV?
See your provider if you are sweating in your sleep and have other symptoms of an infection, such as:
If you’re having night sweats as a symptom of an infectious disease, treating the infection should help. For example, if you have a bacterial infection and are prescribed antibiotics, your night sweats may go away once you’ve finished treatment.
What Causes Dizziness and Sweating?
When you have an autoimmune disease, your immune system mistakes a normal part of your body for a dangerous pathogen. Some autoimmune conditions can cause excessive sweating, including night sweats. You might sweat in your sleep if you have:
Fevers are another common symptom of autoimmune disease, and running a temperature can make you sweaty. Other than fever, autoimmune diseases have a range of symptoms that include:
Heart Problems and Night SweatsNight sweats in females can sometimes be a sign of a heart condition—or even a heart attack.Women do not always have “classic” heart attack chest pain. Instead, they may have symptoms like pain in their back, neck, or jaw, along with nausea, fatigue, and sweating.
Heart Problems and Night Sweats
Night sweats in females can sometimes be a sign of a heart condition—or even a heart attack.Women do not always have “classic” heart attack chest pain. Instead, they may have symptoms like pain in their back, neck, or jaw, along with nausea, fatigue, and sweating.
Is Sweating a Symptom of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?
Some types of cancer, especiallyHodgkin’s lymphoma, can cause drenching night sweats. That said, sweating in your sleep is not the only sign of cancer. People also usually have other cancer symptoms, including:
If you’ve been having night sweats and these other symptoms, make an appointment with your provider.
Is Sweating in Your Sleep a Sign of Cancer?
Many prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications can cause night sweats as a side effect. A few examples of common medications that can cause sweating, which can happen at night:
If your provider rules out common and serious causes of night sweats, they may consider other conditions. Night sweats are sometimes associated with:
Can Diabetes Make You Sweat A Lot?
How to Cope With Sweating While Sleeping
If you’re sweating in your sleep, the first step is to figure out if it’s something you can fix on your own. For example, if your room or bedding is too hot, the solution might be to open a window or choose lightweight sheets.
However, if you’ve tried making changes to your sleep environment with no luck, talk to your provider. It’s also important to tell your provider if you’re having other symptoms in addition to night sweats. They can help figure out what’s causing it and recommend the right treatment.
There are a few things you can do to cope with sweating at night and possibly even prevent night sweats:
The Best Sleepwear for Night Sweats
When to See a Healthcare Provider
Sweating in your sleep once in a while is probably nothing to worry about. However, there are some situations when night sweats warrant a call to your provider, including when the night sweats are:
Consult with your provider about your symptoms and recommend the next steps. For example, they might want you to have tests that look at what’s happening in your brain and body while you’re asleep, or they may do blood tests to check for infections or markers of diseases.
What Happens During a Sleep Study?
Summary
If you’re sweating in your sleep often or if it’s making your sleep poor, talk to your provider. They can figure out what’s causing your night sweats and make sure the problem is addressed.
Can Eating Spicy Food Make You Sweat?
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