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Alternative Names: Sleep Hyperhidrosis or Nocturnal Hyperhydrosis.
Night sweats is a common perspiration disorder that occurs during sleep and stops upon waking. Night sweats involve not simply sweating a lot at night, but literally drenching the bed. A healthy person produces between 500 and 1,000cc of sweat each day. A person with a perspiration disorder will produce much more. Although the causes of night sweats are many, generally they are symptomatic of underlying disease.
Sweating is a natural body function, but if it becomes bad enough to wake you up night after night, wet and shivering, it has gone beyond "natural" and the cause should be determined.
Causes & Development
Causes include:- Menopause or Andropause. Menopause in women is the most common cause of night sweats. However, some men also suffer from night sweats during the male menopause, or andropause.
- Chemotherapy (leaches the body of estrogen, which brings on menopause)
- HIV, AIDS, tuberculosis, Hodgkin's Lymphoma and other fever-producing / immuno-suppressing disorders diseases
- Diabetes
- Hyperthyroidism
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). This can be serious - if you also suffer from severe snoring and excessive daytime sleepiness, it might be time for a sleep study.
- Alcohol, some drugs (both recreational and medical), spicy foods. Some prescription drugs, like Zoloft, can cause night sweats.
- Hypothalamic lesions
- Epilepsy
- Strokes
- Cerebral palsy
- Migraine
- Spinal cord infarction
- Head injury
- Familial dysautomia
- Anti-nausea medication used during pregnancy
- Antidepressant/anti-anxiety medication
- Birth control pills
Unfortunately, sometimes there doesn't seem to be a definitive cause.
Signs & Symptoms
People suffering from night sweats wake up in damp or soaked bedding, feeling either too hot or slightly cold.
Treatment & Prevention
The best way to treat night sweats is to eliminate the cause. It may be necessary to go through the list of possible causes and eliminate them one by one. If no cause seems to be forthcoming, then you may suffer from Primary Hyperhydrosis. This disorder can become severe enough to interfere with day-to-day life, and consists not only of night sweats, but of excessive sweating throughout the day. If severe enough, your doctor may suggest surgery for the removal of the sweat glands.
Possibly beneficial lifestyle changes include avoidance of alcohol and spicy foods. Talk to your doctor about any medications that you are taking to see if they could be the cause. Sleep in a cool room and, if weather permits, leave the window open, or try using a fan. Get up and take a shower or a sponge bath; change your bedding and put on fresh nightwear; have a cold drink such as water or fruit juice. A cold shower before bed might prevent an attack of night sweats.
According to Chinese medical theory, night sweats are associated with a yin essence (body essence). The diminished state is due to a depletion of body fluids and nutrients. Symptoms include flushed cheeks, warm palms and soles, a dry mouth, red lips, small quantities of dark urine, a red tongue with slight coating, a weak and rapid pulse, and low-grade fevers. Chinese medicine states that if there is a wasting away caused by a consumptive disease, then yin deficiency must be present. (For this reason, HIV disease is therefore often diagnosed as a yin deficiency.)
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Signs, symptoms & indicators of Night Sweats:
Risk factors for Night Sweats: | | | | | Environment / Toxicity |  Mercury Toxicity (Amalgam Illness) | This symptom may be one of many associated with mercury toxicity. |
 Silicone Breast Implant Problems |
Hormones |
Hyperthyroidism
Counter-indicators:
 Estrogens Low |
Immunity |
HIV/AIDS| | The most common clinical presentations in the high-risk groups or ARC patients includes night sweats. If HIV has progressed to an advanced stage, night sweats become a severe problem. |
Chronic Fatigue / Fibromyalgia Syndrome |
Infections |
 Tuberculosis| | Tuberculosis (TB) is the classic cause of night sweats. Early on the immune system typically controls the infection and few if any symptoms develop. Then, later in life, the infection may reactivate, causing a chronic pneumonia with fever, night sweats, weight loss and cough. Sometimes the infection involves the lungs minimally, if at all. If you have had night sweats for more than a month or two without any other symptoms, tuberculosis would be less likely but not impossible. |
Histoplasmosis| | Various fungal infections are associated with chronic night sweats. Histoplasmosis, an infection usually seen in the southeastern, mid-Atlantic and central United States, is one such illness. You are less likely to have histoplasmosis or another fungal infection if you have had night sweats for more than a few months with no other symptoms. |
Valley Fever (Coccidioidomycosis)
Mycobacterium Avium Complex (MAC) Disease| | Micobacterium avium infection can cause night sweats. A micobacterium avium complex (MAC) diagnostic test can be done to identify the infection or rule it out. MAC is common in women with HIV/AIDS and can be deadly if left untreated. |
Chronic / Hidden Infection| | A hidden infection, such as an abscess in the liver or spleen, can cause night sweats and fever without many other symptoms. |
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) |
Metabolic |
Hypoglycemia| | Nighttime hypoglycemia may be without symptoms or manifest itself as night sweats, unpleasant dreams or early morning headache. |
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Musculo-Skeletal |
Rheumatoid Arthritis| | Night sweats, depression and lethargy can accompany this disease. |
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Nutrients |
Vitamin A Toxicity |
Organ Health |
Kidney Stones (Urolithiasis)
Liver Detoxification / Support Requirement |
Respiratory |
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) |
Tumors, Malignant |
Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML)
Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Cancer, General| | Several malignancies can lead to night sweats. |
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Night Sweats suggests the following may be present:
Recommendations and treatments for Night Sweats: | | | | | Botanical |  Schizandra Berry| | Schzisandra in combination with Cornus, Dragon Bone, Ho-Shou-Wu, Polygala, Gall and Lycium bark may help reduce mild night sweats. |
White Peony Root| | If a person is healthy, mild night sweats can be treated with White Peony possibly combined with Zizyphus and Mume. |
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KEY | | Weak or unproven link | | | Strong or generally accepted link | | | Proven definite or direct link | | | Very strongly or absolutely counter-indicative | | | Likely to help |
GLOSSARY
AIDS
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. An immune system deficiency disorder that suddenly alters the body's ability to defend itself. The AIDS virus invades the T4 helper/inducer lymphocytes and multiplies, causing a breakdown in the body's immune system, eventually leading to overwhelming infection and/or cancer, with ultimate death.
Antidepressant (Antidepressants)
Literally, substances meant to oppose depressions or sadness, and generally heterocyclic types such as Elavil, MAO inhibitors like phenelzine, or lithium carbonate. This category of substances formerly included stuff like amphetamines and other stimulants. Botanical examples include Hypericum, Peganum and Oplopanax.
Apnea
Cessation of breathing.
Boil (Abscess, Abscesses, Boils, Carbuncle, Carbuncles, Cystic Acne, Furuncle, Furuncles, Hidradenitis Suppurativa, Pilonidal Cyst, Pilonidal Cysts)
A localized infection deep in the skin. A boil generally starts as a reddened, tender area. Over time, the area becomes firm and hard. Eventually, the center of the abscess softens and becomes filled with white cells that the body sends to fight the infection (pus). Finally, the pus forms a "head" and drains out through the skin. A furuncle or carbuncle is an abscess in the skin caused by the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus. It can have one or more openings onto the skin and may be associated with a fever or chills. Cystic acne is a type of abscess formed when oil ducts become clogged and infected. Cystic acne is most common in the teenage years. Hidradenitis suppurativa is an illness in which there are multiple abscesses that form under the arm pits and in the groin area. These areas are a result of local inflammation of the sweat glands. A pilonidal cyst is a special kind of abscess that occurs in the crease of the buttocks. These frequently form after long trips that involve sitting.
cc
Cubic Centimeter. 29.6cc is 1 fl. oz; 1000cc is 1 liter; 3788cc is 1 gallon.
Chemotherapy
A treatment of disease by any chemicals. Used most often to refer to the chemical treatments used to combat cancer cells. Chemotherapy is usually given in cycles: a treatment period followed by a recovery period, then another treatment period, and so on. Most anticancer drugs are given by injection into a blood vessel (IV); some are given by mouth. Chemotherapy is a systemic therapy, meaning that the drugs enter the bloodstream and travel throughout the body. Usually, a patient has chemotherapy as an outpatient (at the hospital, at the doctor's office, or at home). However, depending on which drugs are given and the patient's general health, a short hospital stay may be needed.
Chronic (Chronicity)
Usually referring to chronic illness: Illness extending over a long period of time.
Diabetes Mellitus (Diabetes, Diabetic, Diabetics)
A disease with increased blood glucose levels due to lack or ineffectiveness of insulin. Diabetes is found in two forms; insulin-dependent diabetes (juvenile-onset) and non-insulin-dependent (adult-onset). Symptoms include increased thirst; increased urination; weight loss in spite of increased appetite; fatigue; nausea; vomiting; frequent infections including bladder, vaginal, and skin; blurred vision; impotence in men; bad breath; cessation of menses; diminished skin fullness. Other symptoms include bleeding gums; ear noise/buzzing; diarrhea; depression; confusion.
Epilepsy
Chronic brain disorder associated with some seizures and, typically, alteration of consciousness.
Estrogen (Oestrogen)
One of the female sex hormones produced by the ovaries.
Gland (Glands)
The glandular system is one of the most important and complicated systems of the body. Gland tissue can be either an organ or general tissue that secretes chemicals and there are two types of gland: exocrine and endocrine. Those glands which secrete chemicals through tubules or ducts are called exocrine and include sweat, tear and salivary glands. Ductless glands - part of the endocrine system - secrete special chemicals (hormones) directly into the blood.
Hodgkin's Disease (Hodgkin's)
Cancer of the lymphatic system and lymph nodes.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
A retrovirus associated with onset of advanced immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
Hyperthyroidism (Hyperthyroid)
An abnormal condition of the thyroid gland resulting in excessive secretion of thyroid hormones characterized by an increased metabolism and weight loss.
Hypoglycemia
A condition characterized by an abnormally low blood glucose level. Severe hypoglycemia is rare and dangerous. It can be caused by medications such as insulin (diabetics are prone to hypoglycemia), severe physical exhaustion, and some illnesses.
Immune System (Immune Response, Immunity)
A complex that protects the body from disease organisms and other foreign bodies. The system includes the humoral immune response and the cell-mediated response. The immune system also protects the body from invasion by making local barriers and inflammation. The process may involve acquired immunity (the ability to learn and remember a specific infectious agent), or innate immunity (the genetically programmed system of responses that attack, digest, remove, and initiate inflammation and tissue healing).
Lesion (Lesions)
Any damage to tissue structure or function; an abnormal change in body tissue caused by disease or injury. A scar is a lesion, as is cancer, a stomach ulcer or a pimple.
Liver (Hepatic)
The largest and one of the most complex organs of the body, the liver is responsible for much of the metabolism of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. It is the site of much of the body's detoxification. It is connected very closely with digestion and the regulation of blood sugar, among many other functions. Found behind the ribs on the right side of the abdomen, it has many important functions such as removing harmful material from the blood, making enzymes and bile that help digest food, and converting food into substances needed for life and growth. Hepatic: Pertaining to the liver.
Lung (Lungs, Pulmonary)
Organ of the body, located in the chest cavity which is designed to bring oxygen from the air into the blood stream, while also expelling carbon dioxide and other waste gases out of the body. Pulmonary: Related to the lungs.
Lymphoma (Lymphomas)
Any tumor of the lymphatic tissues.
Menopause (Menopausal)
The cessation of menstruation (usually not official until 12 months have passed without periods), occurring at the average age of 52. As commonly used, the word denotes the time of a woman's life, usually between the ages of 45 and 54, when periods cease and any symptoms of low estrogen levels persist, including hot flashes, insomnia, anxiety, mood swings, loss of libido and vaginal dryness. When these early menopausal symptoms subside, a woman becomes postmenopausal.
Migraine (Migraine Headache, Migraine Headaches, Migraines)
Not just a headache, but a disorder affecting the whole body, characterized by clearly defined attacks lasting from about 4 to 72 hours, separated by headache-free periods; progresses through five distinct phases. Prodrome: experienced by about 50% of migraineurs and starting up to 24 hours before the headache - changes in mood, sensory perception, food craving, excessive yawning, or speech or memory problems. Aura: experienced by about 15% and starting within an hour before the headache - disruption of vision (flashing lights, shimmering zigzag lines, blind spot) or sensation (numbness or 'pins and needles' around the lips or hand), or difficulty speaking. Headache: usually pulsating and occurring on one side of the head, it may occur on both sides of the head and alternate from side to side. Muscles in the neck and scalp may be tender; there may be nausea and the desire not to eat, move, see or hear. Resolution: the headache disappears and the body returns to normal. Resolution may occur over several hours during sleep or rest; an intense emotional experience or vomiting may also end the headache. Postdrome: After the headache stops, the sufferer feels drained, fatigued and tired. Muscles ache, emotions are volatile and thinking is slow.
Pneumonia (Pneumonitis)
Inflammation, usually infectious, of the lungs. Unless the result of only moderate chemical or smoke irritation, it is a potentially life-threatening condition. There are so many defenses against an infection this deep in the body that the very presence of pneumonia signals a pathogen of great virulence or impaired or exhausted immunity, or all three. Pneumonitis: Inflammation of the lungs, from whatever cause. It may be concurrent with pneumonia or pleurisy.
Spleen (Splenectomy)
The largest organ of the lymphatic system in the body, located between the stomach and the diaphragm (the muscle below the lungs which provides the motion for breathing). It destroys old red blood cells, produces lymphocytes and plasma cells, and stores blood. It also has other as yet unknown functions. A splenectomy is the surgical removal of the spleen.
Tuberculosis
Also known as TB, Consumption or "The White Plague", tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, usually affecting the lungs but possibly also the brain, kidneys and bones. Patients may at first be symptom-free or experience a flu-like illness. In the secondary stage, there might be a slight fever, night sweats, weight loss, fatigue and various other symptoms, depending on the part of the body affected. Tuberculosis of the lung is usually associated with a dry cough that eventually leads to a productive cough with blood-stained sputum. There might also be chest pain and shortness of breath.
Last updated: Apr 27, 2008
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