Women Night Sweats

Doctors often hear their patients complain of night sweats. Night sweats refer to excess sweating during the night. But if your bedroom is unusually hot or you are wearing too many bedclothes, you may sweat during sleep, and this is normal. True night sweats are severe hot flashes occurring at night that can drench your clothes and sheets and that are not related to an overheated environment.

People who suffer night sweats will typically wake in the night to find their bedclothes and bedding drenched, even if their bedroom temperature is cool. This abnormal sweating is annoying, but usually harmless. However, night sweats can sometimes be a sign of an underlying medical condition, so you should see your GP if they keep happening and you're worried.

The medical term for night sweats is nocturnal hyperhidrosis, which literally means "night-time excessive sweating".

In one study of 2267 patients visiting a primary care physician, 41% reported experiencing night sweats during the previous month, so the perception of excessive sweating at night is fairly common. It is important to note that flushing (a warmth and redness of the face or trunk) may also be hard to distinguish from true night sweats.

There are many different causes of night sweats. To determine what is causing night sweats in a particular patient, a doctor must obtain a detailed medical history and order tests to decide if an underlying medical condition is responsible for the night sweats.

Symptoms of night sweats

Depending upon the underlying cause of the night sweats, other symptoms may occur in association with the sweating.

For example:

• With certain infections and cancers, fever can develop along with night sweats, Shaking and chills can sometimes occur
  With cancers such as lymphoma, unexplained weight loss can occur.
• Night sweats due to the menopausal transition are typically accompanied by other symptoms of menopause such as vaginal dryness, daytime hot flashes, and mood changes.
• Night sweats that occur as a side effect of medications can be accompanied by other medication side effects, depending upon the specific drug.
• Conditions that result in increased sweating in general (as opposed to only night sweats) will result in increased sweating at other hours of the day.

The hot flashes that accompany the menopausal transition can occur at night and cause sweating. This is a very common cause of night sweats in perimenopausal women. It is important to remember that hot flashes and other symptoms of the perimenopause can precede the actual menopause (the cessation of menstrual periods) by several years.

Idiopathic hyperhidrosis

Idiopathic hyperhidrosis is a condition in which the body chronically produces too much sweat without any identifiable medical cause. Classically, tuberculosis is the infection most commonly associated with night sweats. However, bacterial infections, such as the following conditions can also be associated with night sweats:
endocarditis (inflammation of the heart valves), osteomyelitis (inflammation within the bones due to infection), abscesses (for example, boils, appendix, tonsils, perianal,peritonsillar, diverticulitis), and AIDS virus (HIV) infection.

Cancer

Night sweats are an early symptom of some cancers. The most common type of cancer associated with night sweats is lymphoma. However, people who have an undiagnosed cancer frequently have other symptoms as well, such as unexplained weight loss and fever.

Taking certain medications can lead to night sweats. In cases without other physical symptoms or signs of tumor or infection, medications are often determined to be the cause of night sweats.

Antidepressant medications are a common type of medication that can lead to night sweats. All types of antidepressants including tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and the newer agents,venlafaxine (Effexor) andbupropion (Wellbutrin) can cause night sweats as a side effect, with a range in incidence from 8% to 22% of persons taking antidepressant drugs. Other psychiatric drugs have also been associated with night sweats

Medicine taken to lower fever (antipyretics) such as aspirin and acetaminophen can sometimes lead to sweating.

Other types of drugs can cause flushing (redness of the skin, typically over the cheeks and neck), which, as mentioned above, may be confused with night sweats. Some of the many drugs that can cause flushing include:

niacin (Niacor, Niaspan, Slo-Niacin - taken in the higher doses used for lipid disorders)], tamoxifen (Nolvadex), hydralazine, nitroglycerine, and sildenafil (Viagra).
Many other drugs not mentioned above, including cortisone, prednisone, and prednisolone, may also be associated with flushing or night sweats.

Sometimes low blood glucose (hypoglycemia) levels can cause sweating. People who are taking insulin or oral anti-diabetic medications may experience hypoglycemia at night that is accompanied by sweating.
 

Hormone disorders

Sweating or flushing can be seen with several hormone disorders, including pheochromocytoma (a type of adrenal gland tumor that overproduces hormones known as catecholamines), carcinoid syndrome (overproduction of certain hormones by tumors of the lung or gastrointestinal system), and hyperthyroidism (excessive levels of thyroid hormones).

Uncommonly, neurologic conditions may cause increased sweating and possibly lead to night sweats including:

autonomic dysreflexia, post-traumatic syringomyelia, stroke and autonomic neuropathy.
 

Night sweats treatment

The treatment for night sweats depends upon the underlying cause.

In summary, night sweats are usually a harmless annoyance; however, they are sometimes a sign of an underlying medical condition. Persons with unexplained night sweats should seek medical care. It is important to note that flushing (a warmth and redness of the face or body) may be hard to distinguish from true night sweats.

There are many different causes of night sweats. To find the cause, a doctor must get a detailed medical history and order tests to decide if another medical condition is responsible for the night sweats. A summary of the known conditions that can cause night sweats are:

Menopause. The hot flashes that accompany menopause can occur at night and cause sweating. This is a very common cause of night sweats in women. Idiopathic hyperhidrosis. Idiopathic hyperhidrosis is a condition in which the body chronically produces too much sweat without any identifiable medical cause.

Infections. Tuberculosis is the infection most commonly associated with night sweats. But bacterial infections, such as endocarditis (inflammation of the heart valves), osteomyelitis (inflammation in the bones), and abscesses can cause night sweats. Night sweats are also a symptom of HIV infection.

Cancers. Night sweats are an early symptom of some cancers. The most common type of cancer associated with night sweats is lymphoma. However, people who have an undiagnosed cancer frequently have other symptoms as well, such as unexplained weight loss and fevers.
 

Medications. Taking certain medications can lead to night sweats. Antidepressant medications are a common type of drug that can lead to night sweats. From 8% to 22% of people taking antidepressant drugs have night sweats. Other psychiatric drugs have also been associated with night sweats. Medicines taken to lower fever, such as aspirin and acetaminophen, can sometimes lead to sweating. Many other drugs can cause night sweats or flushing.

Hypoglycemia. Low blood sugar can cause sweating. People who are taking insulin or oral diabetes medications may have hypoglycemia at night that is accompanied by sweating.
 

Hormone disorders. Sweating or flushing can be seen with several hormone disorders, including pheochromocytoma, carcinoid syndrome, and hyperthyroidism.

Neurologic conditions. Uncommonly, neurologic conditions including autonomic dysreflexia, posttraumatic syringomyelia, stroke, and autonomic neuropathy may cause increased sweating and may lead to night sweats.

Women Fitness advises that the above resource can be an insight into women night sweats but a doctor should be consulted in case one experience night sweats.