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Sleeping Problems (Home) > More Articles on Sleeping > Night Sweats

Night Sweats

Introduction

Night sweats simply means excessive sweating during sleep at night. This sweating is not related to high temperatures or warm bedrooms or sleeping quarters. It is also not a sleep disorder per se. Night sweating causes damp clothing or damp bed linen. Sometimes they are also characterized by a slight reddishness on the face or the trunk of the body.  Night Sweating occurs because of a large number of reasons. They, therefore, have different solutions.

Reasons for Night Sweats

There are many reasons for Night Sweats. These are enumerated in the succeeding paragraphs.

Menopause. The approach to the menopause years or the beginning or the onset of menopause in women causes hot flushes which leads to Night Sweats. Normally these are not continuous phenomena but only transitory phases. However, some women develop Idiopathic Hyperhidrosis wherein the body produces just too much heat for comfort. This condition needs medical intervention.

Hormone Disorders. Hormone disorders occur in both men and women and often lead to Night Sweats. These disorders are usually genetic but are also found to occur in patients who are undergoing cancer suppressive treatment.

	Random Sleeping Tip
Every individual has a specific time when their body gives them a signal that they need to sleep. This signal is what one has conditioned their body to give according to their routines. Once you have that signal being given from your body then you need not resist to that and must go to sleep at that time because there would be a specific time till that signal is going to be initiated and after that the sleep signal would just die out and you might not be able to sleep after that. So the signal needs to be given the due respect it needs.

Infectious Diseases. Some diseases like tuberculosis and HIV induced ailments cause unexplained Night Sweating.

Cancers. Certain types of cancers particularly of the lymph nodes upset their temperature regulatory functions and the patient suffers from Night Sweats. Night Sweats caused by such cancers are recurrent and do not easily subside.

Other Medical Conditions. Night Sweating also occurs in patients who regularly use anti depressant drugs, are patients of low blood sugar or have frequent bouts of hypoglycemia. Some patients with neurological conditions developed as a result of cerebral strokes too, show symptoms of Night Sweats. Diabetes in some patients also sometimes causes Night Sweats. Such conditions are also called Diabetes Insipidus. People who consume excessive alcohol or eat very spicy food are also found to experience Night Sweats.

Treatment

The root causes of Night Sweats are still not properly understood. In fact symptoms of some diseases are akin to Night Sweats. People, therefore, turn to alternative methods of therapeutic medicine for resolution of their conditions. Some of these alternate medical disciplines are:-

1. Acupressure.
2. Acupuncture.
3. Aroma Therapy.
4. Ayurveda.
5. Homeopathy.
6. Reiki.
7. Massage Therapy.
8. Tai Chi.
9. Yoga.

Patients who have multiple ailments a thorough sleep analysis by the neuron physician are warranted. The specialist can narrow down the problem areas and initiate corrective therapy. In most other cases a change in life style and improved cool and comfortable sleeping quarters makes a difference and obviates Night Sweats. Certain other things also tend to improve the condition of patients. An early and light supper devoid of stimulants like caffeine helps patients. Similarly a cold water bath and fresh sleeping suits prevent Night Sweats. Sometimes changes in food habits and eating less spicy meals benefit patients.

Conclusion

Night Sweats are a fairly common medical problem. Even though the nomenclature and the symptoms suggest its relation to sleep, Night Sweats are not a sleep disorder.

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