What Causes Night Sweats? Tips To Sleep Cool

Are you tired of waking up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat? Have you even had to change your pajamas or lay down a towel because you sweat profusely in your sleep? Then we are here to help. Even if your symptoms are not quite that sever, night sweats can be very uncomfortable and disruptive to your sleep. We are going to help you navigate what causes night sweats, along with a number of things you can do in order to help combat them. So keep reading to get all of the info and tips on fighting night sweats.

Common Causes of Night Sweats:

Drinking Alcohol

Often when drinking alcohol, we feel hot and sweat. While our bodies core temperature is actually lowering. Whenever you drink alcohol it becomes difficult for your body to regulate it’s temperature. Which often leads to hot flashes, followed by bouts of shivering. This combined with night sweats and one evening of drinking can lead to an uncomfortable and sleepless night.

Being Overweight

Carrying too much weight for your body can lead to a number of different sleep complications, including excessive night sweats. Obesity is a common cause for Hyperhidrosis, which is excessive sweating regardless of external temperature. When you are heavier, heat tends to effect your body faster and leads to more sweating in general. Which is why being overweight often leads to night sweats.

Overheating

Perhaps your sleeping environment is just too hot. During the summer if you don’t have AC, or the proper bedding, or mattress it can be easy to overheat especially at night. Typically our bodies try to keep our internal temperature lower while we sleep than while we are awake. Which is why we may feel perfectly comfortable with the room temperature while we sleep, yet wake up burning up and sweating.

Menopause

Hot flashes are a common side effect of pre-menopause. These hot flashes tend to happen no matter the comfort of the external temperature. Which can be frustrating, although there are a number of ways you can find relief without blasting the AC. The great news is that once you have gone through menopause these symptoms will subside.

Learn more about how to sleep better during menopause in our post: Menopause and Sleep: Sleeping with Hot Flashes

Illness & Fever

From the common cold to the flu and even a simple infection can cause you to have a fever. It is the fever that often leads to night sweats. Sweating is often a great sign when it comes to fevers, as it typically is a sign that you fever has broken and your body will soon go back down to a standard healthy temperature. You may find until this happens that you feel shivery and cold, even if you are slightly sweaty and running a temperature.

Pain

When you are experiencing pain, you may find that your body goes through hot flashes. This can also coincide with pain medications wearing off during the middle of a full nights rest. You may find that you are waking up in pain and experiencing hot flashes, leading to night sweats. While pain can increase at night without pain medications, when pain hits it can cause you to sweat no matter what time of day or night. Treating the source of your pain is going to be the best way to prevent this.

Medications & Withdrawals

Certain medications can cause sweating, and hot flashes. If this is something you are newly experiencing and you recently started taking a new medication, you may want to talk to your doctor. While night sweats can also be caused by withdrawals from medications. If your body becomes used to or potentially dependent on certain medications, you may experience hot flashes and night sweats as these are withdrawal symptoms.

Serious Health Conditions – Cancer, Lymphoma, Tuberculosis, etc.

While night sweats are very common even for the healthiest of us all. However, if these night sweats are new and intense without any other cause that you can think of. Then it might be a good idea to get a check up from your doctor. Night sweats can be a symptom of much larger health issues. In these cases, getting help and treatment for your overall health is far more important than treating your night sweats. Which will eventually help cure your night sweats all together.

How To Avoid Night Sweats:

Determine The Cause:

Once you are able to determine why you are experiencing nights sweats, the easier it is to combat them. If you are simply overheating because your mattress gets too hot at night, or your bedding is too warm. Then this is an easy fix.

While if the issue is that you are drinking nightly, which is causing your body to fight to regulate it’s temperature. Then limiting or eliminating alcohol may be the best solution for you and your night sweats.

Stop Drinking Alcohol:

This is especially important if you are over drinking. When you have alcohol in your system, it becomes very difficult for your body to regulate it’s temperature. Different bodies will also react  to alcohol differently.

You may find that with as little as one or two drinks will cause you to experience night sweats and cold sweats. While others may find it takes much more to feel this side effect from alcohol.

Learn more about the negative effects alcohol has on your sleep in our post:  Our Guide To Why Alcohol and Sleep Don’t Mix

Take Care of Your Health:

Getting sick is so fun for anyone. It is important to take care of your overall health and well being in general. This is also true when specifically looking at night sweats. Often night sweats are so often caused by some other fight the body is going through.

Whether it is a fever from the common cold or a more serious condition. The better you take care of your health, the better you will sleep and the less likely it will be for you to experience night sweats.

Click to view our top picks for duvets that will keep you cool! Top Cooling Comforters For Hot Sleepers

Invest In A Cool Sleeping Mattress:

Some mattresses definitely sleep warmer than others. Which means your mattress may in fact be causing you to overheat in your sleep. While everyone’s bodies tend to heat up as they sleep, many quality mattresses are able to disperse this heat in order to keep you sleeping comfortably.

Which is why finding a quality mattress that uses heat regulating materials can greatly increase the likelihood of you being able to avoid night sweats.

If you are searching for a cool sleeping mattress, we strongly suggest buying a hybrid mattress. While there are some all foam mattresses with cooling materials, hybrid mattresses have big open spaces of air created by their coil systems. All of this space for air is space for heat to disperse and leave the mattress all together. Airflow is vital for sleeping cool.

Click to find our top picks for cool sleeping mattresses! Top Cooling Mattress For Hot Sleepers

Get Breathable Bedding:

Different bedding materials can either let air and heat out, or trap heat in. Materials like cotton, linen, and wool are fantastic for regulating heat. While polyester and many other synthetic fibers tend to trap heat and sweat in. Think of it like Rocky working out in a plastic bag in order to force himself to sweat more.

While natural materials that breath and wick moisture away from the body help you keep you cool and dry. This is also helpful for anyone who struggles with waking up shivering because they are dripping in their own sweat from overheating earlier… Wool is going to be your best friend. Click the link below to learn more.

You May Also Like: Wool! Glorious Wool!

What Causes Night Sweats? – Final Thoughts:

Trying to sleep with night sweats can be exhausting and uncomfortable. It can also be a sign that something else is going on with your health and well being. Which is why we highly suggest checking in with your health with your doctor. Then making sure your lifestyle and medications are not adding to the situation as these are common causes of night sweats. Having breathable bedding and a quality cool sleeping mattress can help immensely to keep you cool and comfortable throughout the night. We hope all of these tips help keep you cool and dry all night long. Sleep well!

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