6 Medical Causes Of Night Sweats
Sweating is the process by which your body regulates its temperature. It is also the case that the body regulates your levels of urea, essential amino acids and other substances that are residues from various processes. You typically sweat when you exercise or do something that requires a lot of physical effort. But many also suffer from night sweats. Here are 6 medical causes for night sweats.
While sweating is normal, it can sometimes interrupt your nights and become a problem that prevents you from sleeping.
It may be easy to overlook it at first, but if it happens again and again, it is time to rule out other medical conditions.
Many people can ignore the underlying causes. Therefore, here we want to share six factors that can be related to night sweats.
1. Menopause is one of the most common causes of night sweats
Menopause is the leading cause of night sweats in women. Abrupt hormonal changes, especially a decrease in estrogen levels, may be the primary cause.
Women who suffer from this problem may experience a feeling that they are being suffocated. This prevents them from being able to sleep and even change their heart rate.
- To cope with these symptoms, it may be necessary to take a supplement to regulate your hormonal activity.
- In general, it is a good idea to sleep in a cool environment with walls made of natural fibers. Also, make sure you wear comfortable clothing.
2. Certain medications
Treatments based on certain drugs can also cause this symptom as a side effect.
There are some studies that suggest that drugs used for anxiety and depression can generate periods of night sweats.
Other associated treatments include:
- Hormone therapy,
- Medicines that reduce blood sugar levels,
- Cortisone, a steroid hormone used to treat inflammation and reduce pain.
3. Tuberculosis
Most of the causes of night sweats are not serious or particularly difficult to treat. However, some of them can be caused by chronic diseases, such as tuberculosis. This is immediately a far more serious situation.
This disease compromises lung health and is almost always accompanied by periods of heavy sweating.
Your symptoms may occur with:
- Episodes of high fever
- Chest pain
- Cough with blood
- Difficulty breathing
4. Neurological problems can be one of several causes of night sweats
Anxiety and nerves can increase your body temperature. This forces your body to sweat to restore the temperature to the normal level. This is a completely natural response to stress and does not only occur at night.
However, when it happens again and again at night, it may be related to a disease state associated with your neurological system, such as Parkinson’s disease and others.
- The damage that these diseases cause to your nervous system can interrupt the signals that go to your sweat glands. This results in excessive and what seems like unnatural sweating.
Chronic hyperhidrosis
Hyperhidrosis is the medical term used to describe an excessive sweating tendency. It is a common disorder that has no medical cause other than genetics and therefore is considered chronic. For obvious reasons , patients suffering from hyperhidrosis experience night sweats.
- People with hyperhidrosis need a cooler environment to rest and sleep in, because what for most people will seem like a “normal temperature” is too hot for them.
- This does not pose a serious health problem. However, it can be uncomfortable and difficult to cope with at times.
6. Hyperthyroidism
Hyperthyroidism is a condition that occurs when your thyroid gland produces hormones far above what are considered normal levels. This naturally affects your metabolism and you may start to experience discomfort and other changes in your body.
- A strong feeling of fatigue during the day and an excessive sweating tendency at night can be signs that there is a problem.
- Hyperthyroidism is associated with an intolerance to heat. Thus, you will need to reduce the temperature of your bedroom when you need to rest or sleep.
- Other symptoms include changes in body weight, shaking of your hands and excessive hair loss.
Is sweat something that disturbs your sleep? It is an annoying problem and can cause insomnia if you do not get it treated. Although it is not always a sign of a health problem, it is best to talk to your doctor if your symptoms are too great and prolonged.