The Many Causes of Night Sweats
Waking up drenched in sweat can be unpleasant, but there is often an easily identifiable cause, like a bad dream, too warm a temperature setting, or too heavy a blanket. But sometimes hyperhidrosis, or excessive sweating, continues to occur despite the lack of these factors.
Night sweats can have many different causes, but if all other factors have been ruled out, it is highly likely that sweating at night can be attributed to a hormonal issue. In fact, a study published in the Journal of Family Practice found that night sweats are actually very common, with 41 percent of study participants experiencing severe night sweats within the last month. In reality, that percentage is likely even higher, as excessive sweating at night is often not reported to doctors.
Reasons for Night Sweats
While the causes of night sweats in women varies from the causes of night sweats in men, hormonal issues are often to blame in both sexes. Getting to the root cause of the problem is one of the best ways to stop night sweats. However, especially with hormonal causes, determining hyperhidrosis causes can be complex. Very rarely, the body chronically produces too much sweat without any identifiable medical cause, a condition known as idiopathic hyperhidrosis.
The primary symptom of night sweats is, just as the name sounds, excessive sweating at night. Night sweats can significantly dampen the bed and clothing, disrupt sleep, and cause feelings of being either too hot or too cold upon waking.
Night Sweats in Women
The primary cause of night sweats in women is the hormonal changes associated with menopause or perimenopause. While night sweats are very similar to a hot flash, menopausal night sweats are more severe, causing the sufferer’s clothing and bed sheets to become soaked with sweat.
While menopause is often one of the primary causes of night sweats in women, other hormonal imbalances may also be to blame. In either case, night sweats are often best addressed with bioidentical hormone therapy to correct the underlying imbalance.
Night Sweats in Men
As in women, when men suffer from night sweats, it is usually linked to a hormonal issue. In many cases, a malfunctioning hypothalamus (the temperature control center in the brain) is to blame. False signals are created in the brain due to a hormonal imbalance, which leads the body to overcompensate and sweat.
Related causes of night sweats also include low testosterone levels, common in andropausal men. This imbalance commonly contributes to the incorrect signals to the hypothalamus. High cortisol (stress) hormones, poor diet, and lack of physical activity may also cause night sweats in men.
The BodyLogicMD Difference
If you find yourself waking up soaked in sweat night after night, bioidentical hormone therapy may help to get you back sleeping through the night. BodyLogicMD’s network of highly trained physicians have received advanced training in testing and monitoring hormone levels. They can determine your needs and develop a personalized treatment plan for sustained hormonal stability to help you sleep soundly through the night and get you back on the path to wellness. Contact a BodyLogicMD physician today.