Are Night Sweats Ruining Your Sleep?

You climb into your bed to relax your mind and allow your body to recover from the day. Sleep is a vital part of life, and without proper amounts of sleep, you cannot survive. Yet, many people face times where their sleep is regularly disrupted, causing their sleep to be interrupted and day-to-day life to suffer. Night sweats are commonly attributed to sabotaging a good night’s sleep. Most women can blame their hormones for these disruptions, and if night sweats consistently plague you, then it is time to talk to your doctor.

Hormones play a critical role in a woman’s life. They control weight gain/loss, the body’s ability to control its temperature, emotions and moods, the menstrual cycle, and the body’s ability to conceive. Fluctuations in hormones happen throughout a woman’s life with peak fluctuations at puberty, pregnancy, post-partum, perimenopause, and menopause. Out of all of these stages, menopause is known for causing the most persistent night sweats as menopausal women generally experience hot flashes during the day and night sweats during sleep.

However, if you are experiencing routine night sweats and you are not going through menopause, it is important that you bring this situation to your physician’s attention. Night sweats can be caused by other issues that do not pertain to hormone fluctuations. Serious causes of night sweats can be hyperhidrosis, an infection in the body, underlying lymphoma, eating spicy foods, or as a side-effect to certain medications that you may be taking. Finding out the causes of your night sweats can rule out any severe conditions while helping you find relief from constant sleep interruptions.

Women who are plagued by night sweats caused by hormones may have the option of taking hormone replacement therapy to ease their symptoms. Talk to your OB/GYN about your options. Other at-home options include turning down the thermostat at night, sleeping on a cooling pillow, or sleeping under or next to a fan.

For more information regarding treatment for night sweats, please contact Marietta OB/GYN Affiliates.