Night sweats

Night sweats are episodes of excessive sweating during sleep, often intense enough to soak your nightclothes or bedding, and not explained by a warm environment or heavy blankets^[1][2].

Night sweats can occur in anyone and are often linked to specific underlying causes:

• Hormonal changes: Most commonly reported in women during perimenopause and menopause, though men can experience them as well, particularly if there are hormonal imbalances (for example, low testosterone)^[3][4][5][2].
• Infections: Bacterial and viral infections (such as tuberculosis, flu, or COVID-19) can cause night sweats, sometimes accompanied by fever and other symptoms^[4][6][2].
• Medications: Antidepressants, steroids, fever reducers, some diabetes drugs, and certain medications used to treat high blood pressure or cancer therapy can trigger night sweats^[4][6][2].
• Chronic conditions and diseases: Night sweats can be a symptom of more serious illnesses, such as some cancers (notably lymphoma), hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid), diabetes (especially if blood sugar drops overnight), anxiety disorders, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and certain neurological conditions^[4][6][7].
• Other factors: Anxiety, stress, alcohol or drug use, and primary hyperhidrosis (a benign condition causing excessive sweating) may also lead to night sweats, as can simply having a warm room or too many blankets (not generally considered true night sweats)^[1][8][2].

Key Signs to See a Doctor:

• Night sweats that wake you up repeatedly, are not related to environmental factors, and are accompanied by symptoms like fever, unexplained weight loss, persistent cough, diarrhea, or new pain should be medically evaluated^[1][2].

Treatment depends on identifying and addressing the underlying cause. If the sweating is related to medication, a physician may suggest an alternative^[2].

Summary of main points:

• Night sweats are excessive sweating during sleep not due to heat or bedding.
• Common causes include menopause, infections, medication side effects, hormone issues, anxiety, and serious illnesses.
• Occasional mild night sweats are common, but persistent, severe, or symptomatic episodes warrant medical review^[4][2][6].

If you are experiencing frequent or severe night sweats, especially with other symptoms, consult a healthcare provider for evaluation^[1][2].

⁂

• https://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/night-sweats/basics/definition/sym-20050768    
• https://www.nhs.uk/symptoms/night-sweats/         
• https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/16562-night-sweats 
• https://www.sleepfoundation.org/night-sweats     
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_sweats 
• https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/night-sweats    
• https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2020/1001/p427.html 
• https://osteopathic.org/what-is-osteopathic-medicine/night-sweats/