Night sweats can cause great discomfort, and they can certainly spoil a good night's sleep. It is common for us to sweat during the night, but such sweating is usually caused by high temperature in the bedroom or too much clothing. Night sweating is actually a medical condition, and it has nothing to do with the conditions in the bedroom. Medical experts describe it as hot flashes that happen during the night, causing people to sweat so profusely that their clothes and sheets become drenched. Some people may confuse night sweating with flushing, but they are actually two different kinds of conditions.
Reasons for this vary from one individual to another, and a physician has to perform a medical check-up and evaluate your medical history to find out what is the exact cause of night sweat in you. However, there are a number of common reasons why people suffer from this, and these include:
Menopause: The hot flashes that are experienced by women who are becoming menopausal can result in excessive sweating at night. This is due to the fluctuating levels of estrogen and the brain's inability to adapt to the changes. A perimenopausal woman may be awakened from her sleep drenched in sweat, with the heart pounding and the body feeling clammy and cold.
Infection: One of the types of infections that are commonly known to cause this is tuberculosis. Night sweats also happen to those who are suffering from bacterial infections, such as inflammation in the bones, inflamed valves of the heart, and abscesses. Another type of infection that is known to cause night sweats is HIV infection.
Idiopathic hyperhidrosis: This is a condition that makes the body produce excessive sweat, but the medical cause of the sweating is still unknown.
Medication: There are a number of medications that can cause night sweats, and one of these is antidepressants. It is known that 8% to 22% of people who consume antidepressants experience night sweats. Consumption of medications for fever, such as acetaminophen and aspirin, can result in excessive sweating at night as well. Other drugs that are known to cause night sweats are niacin, tamoxifen, hydralazine, nitroglycerine, sildenafil or viagra, prednisone, and prednisolone.
Hormone disorders: It is common for people with hormone disorders to suffer from night sweats. Carcinoid syndrome, pheochromocytoma, and hyperthyroidism are some of the hormone disorders that can cause a person to sweat at night.
Cancer: Those who are suffering from cancer may experience night sweating during the early stage of the disease. Lymphoma is a type of cancer that is known to cause night sweats.
Neurologic condition: Certain neurologic conditions may make the body sweat too much, and these conditions include post-traumatic syringomyelia, autonomic dysreflexia, autonomic neuropathy, and stroke.
Hypoglycemia: Night sweats can sometimes be caused by low blood glucose. Those who consume anti-diabetic medication or insulin may suffer from hypoglycemia during night time, and this may be accompanied by night sweating.
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