Crohn’s Disease and Night Sweats: Causes and Treatment
Digestive HealthCrohn's Disease

Crohn’s Disease and Night Sweats: Why They Happen and How to Manage Them

Crohn’s Disease and Night Sweats: Why They Happen and How to Manage Them
By
Published on November 13, 2025
by
Crohn’s disease can cause system-wide inflammation and lead to symptoms throughout your body, including night sweats.

“Night sweats can have many causes, but often they are related to infections or other causes of inflammation,” says Adam Pont, MD, a gastroenterologist in private practice in New York City. “[Night sweats] are fairly common in Crohn’s, and in many cases, the specific cause may not be found.”

Besides arising from systemic inflammation, night sweats in Crohn’s may result from a collection of pus called an abscess that’s usually caused by an infection, or even from cancer, says Abby Lochmann-Bailkey, MD, a gastroenterologist with SSM Health in Madison, Wisconsin.

 But once your healthcare provider rules out other causes for your sweaty nights, you can manage Crohn’s disease-related night sweats with the tips below.

Why You May Have Night Sweats With Crohn’s Disease

Night sweats with Crohn’s typically happen because of inflammation or infection, says Supriya Rao, MD, a gastroenterologist in private practice in Lowell, Massachusetts. Cytokines, which are chemical messengers that help regulate your immune system’s responses, can induce inflammation in Crohn’s when a trigger increases their activity.

As cytokines like IL-6 and TNF-α increase, they reset the body’s natural thermostat in an important region of the brain called the hypothalamus, says Dr. Rao. “[This process] creates low-grade fevers that tend to peak at night, leading to drenching sweats.”

Night sweats can also be caused by systemic infections as well as abscesses, especially if you take immunosuppressive medications for Crohn’s, says Dr. Pont.

For example, if you take biologic medications, you may have a higher risk of infections like C. diff or tuberculosis, says Rao. “Night sweats can also signal complications such as … medication effects or steroid withdrawal.”

Besides inflammation and infection, excessive sweating at night may point to developing cancer, says Dr. Lochmann-Bailkey. “A very rare but worrisome cause of night sweats that could be related to Crohn’s disease would be lymphoma, especially hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma due to use of azathioprine [(Imuran)] and anti-TNF medications.”

If you go through perimenopause and menopause with Crohn’s disease, your night sweats could get more intense. That’s because this transition causes dropping hormones and prompts this symptom on its own, says Rao.

 “If sweats are new, severe, or paired with fever, weight loss, or worsening pain, they warrant immediate evaluation.”

How to Manage Night Sweats if You Have Crohn’s Disease

If other causes have been ruled out, but you still get night sweats due to Crohn’s inflammation, you can manage the discomfort with these tips.

Limit Evening Triggers

Your environment and habits can have a big effect on Crohn’s, and certain triggers can make night sweats worse.

 “Avoid ‘risky substances’ at night, which means no alcohol, nicotine, spicy foods, or ultra-processed heavy meals late at night,” says Rao.
Alcohol and spicy foods in particular can widen your blood vessels in the short term, which can increase sweating during sleep, Rao says. And alcohol, nicotine, and processed foods can all contribute to sweat-inducing inflammation.

Exercise Early in the Day

Physical fitness may decrease Crohn’s disease activity, and less Crohn’s inflammation may mean less nighttime sweating.

 But timing matters. “Exercise regularly, but try to avoid eating or exercising late at night,” says Lochmann-Bailkey.
Experts say adults need at least 150 minutes (about 2 ½ hours) of moderate-intensity exercise each week. You can break this down into sessions of 30 minutes a day, five days a week — or you can break it down into smaller sessions within a day. Experts also recommend doing muscle-strengthening activities — like weight lifting or resistance training (isometric exercises, Pilates) — two days a week; just avoid doing those strength-training sessions two days in a row.

During a flare, be sure to get enough rest. But once the flare eases, try to get back to regular activity. Be sure to hydrate and choose exercise locations that allow for bathroom breaks.

Optimize Your Bedroom for Sleep

To lower your chances of sweating through your pajamas, design your sleep space to help you stay cool. For example, you can try using a fan at night, says Lochmann-Bailkey.

“Cool your bedroom, wear breathable layers, and use moisture-wicking bedding,” says Rao. “These adjustments can reduce heat retention and prevent you from waking while the underlying cause is being treated.”

Ask for a Medication Review

If you keep getting night sweats, have your healthcare provider review your medications. “Steroids, antidepressants, opioids, and withdrawal from [steroids] can cause sweating. And biologics and immunomodulators can raise infection risk — [infections can] also present with night sweats.”

Some other Crohn’s treatments known to cause night sweats include:

  • adalimumab (Humira)
  • infliximab (Remicade)
  • leflunomide (Arava)
  • mycophenolate mofetil (CellCept)
  • tacrolimus (Prograf)

You may not need to change medications — only the time you take them. “Consider adjusting the timing of medications, especially steroids such as prednisone,” says Lochmann-Bailkey. “[For example], it may be best to take it in the morning, as it can disrupt sleep and could contribute to night sweats.”

Pont suggests taking acetaminophen before bedtime if the night sweats are being triggered by fevers and your provider gives you the go-ahead. “However, you should check with your gastroenterologist before regularly taking acetaminophen or any other over-the-counter medications,” he says.

Keep a Symptom and Temperature Log

Frequent night sweats with Crohn’s can offer important information about your condition, and tracking your symptoms can help you and your provider adjust treatment as needed. “Track your bedtime temperature, stool frequency, pain, and timing of your sweats,” says Rao. “The more information you can give your doctor, the better.”

Pont agrees, and says that your provider may want to run tests to make sure you don’t have an infection and confirm that your medication regimen is working. You can keep a written journal to track symptoms, or use a smartphone app.

Rao recommends calling your doctor if you:

  • Wake up drenched in sweat.
  • Get fevers over 100.4 degrees F.
  • Notice new pain in one specific area.

The Takeaway

  • Crohn’s disease can cause inflammation throughout your body, which may lead to excessive sweating at night.
  • Night sweats with Crohn’s may also be caused by infections, medications, perimenopause and menopause, or, in rare cases, cancer.
  • You can take the following steps to help manage Crohn’s night sweats: Limit your triggers, get regular exercise, optimize your sleep space, track your symptoms, and ask your doctor for help.

Resources We Trust

EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Signs and Symptoms of Crohn’s Disease. Crohn's & Colitis Foundation.
  2. Night Sweats. Mayo Clinic. January 20, 2024.
  3. Neurath MF. Strategies for Targeting Cytokines in Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Nature Reviews Immunology. March 14, 2024.
  4. Krapić M et al. Immunological Mechanisms of Sickness Behavior in Viral Infection. Viruses. November 8, 2021.
  5. Ananthakrishnan AN et al. Infection-Related Hospitalizations Are Associated With Increased Mortality in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis. March 1, 2013.
  6. Abscess. Cleveland Clinic. April 30, 2022.
  7. Cannon L et al. Secondary Immunodeficiencies and Infectious Considerations of Biologic Immunomodulatory Therapies. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. June 2023.
  8. Night Sweats. Cleveland Clinic. September 6, 2022.
  9. Hot Flashes and Sweating. American Cancer Society. October 27, 2025.
  10. Chang M et al. A Rare Presentation of a Devastating Disease: Hepatosplenic T-Cell Lymphoma in Crohn's Disease Without Thiopurine Exposure. ACG Case Reports Journal. May 2025.
  11. Rozich JJ et al. Effect of Lifestyle Factors on Outcomes in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. The American Journal of Gastroenterology. June 2020.
  12. Tasnim S et al. Effect of Alcohol on Blood Pressure. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. July 1, 2020.
  13. Szallasi A. The Vanilloid (Capsaicin) Receptor TRPV1 in Blood Pressure Regulation: A Novel Therapeutic Target in Hypertension? International Journal of Molecular Sciences. May 15, 2023.
  14. Ramos GP et al. Alcohol Use in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Gastroenterology and Hepatology. May 2021.
  15. Zhang W et al. Nicotine in Inflammatory Diseases: Anti-Inflammatory and Pro-Inflammatory Effects. Frontiers in Immunology. February 17, 2022.
  16. Anti Inflammatory Diet. Johns Hopkins Medicine.
  17. Neal WN et al. Physical Activity in Adults With Crohn’s Disease: A Scoping Review. Crohn’s & Colitis 360. April 2022.
  18. Adult Activity: An Overview. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. December 20, 2023.
  19. Exercise. Crohn's & Colitis Foundation.
  20. Collercandy N et al. When to Investigate for Secondary Hyperhidrosis: Data From a Retrospective Cohort of All Causes of Recurrent Sweating. Annals of Medicine. July 29, 2022.
Meet Our Experts
See Our Editorial PolicyMeet Our Health Expert Network
Waseem-Ahmed-bio

Waseem Ahmed, MD

Medical Reviewer

Waseem Ahmed, MD, is an assistant professor of medicine in the Karsh Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and serves as Director, Advanced Inflammatory Bowel Disease Fellowship and Education within the F. Widjaja Inflammatory Bowel Disease Institute.

He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and attended medical school at Indiana University. He then completed an internal medicine residency at New York University, followed by a fellowship in gastroenterology and hepatology at Indiana University, and an advanced fellowship in inflammatory bowel disease at the Jill Roberts Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medicine. Prior to his current role, Dr. Ahmed served as an assistant professor of medicine within the Crohn’s and Colitis Center at the University of Colorado from 2021-2024.

Dr. Ahmed is passionate about providing innovative, comprehensive, and compassionate care for all patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). His research interests include IBD medical education for patients, providers, and trainees; clinical trials; acute severe ulcerative colitis; and the use of combined advanced targeted therapy in high-risk IBD.

He enjoys spending time with his wife and dog, is an avid follower of professional tennis, and enjoys fine dining.

See full bio

Abby McCoy, RN

Author

Abby McCoy is an experienced registered nurse who has worked with adults and pediatric patients encompassing trauma, orthopedics, home care, transplant, and case management. She is a married mother of four and loves the circus — that is her home! She has family all over the world, and loves to travel as much as possible.

McCoy has written for publications like Remedy Health Media, Sleepopolis, and Expectful. She is passionate about health education and loves using her experience and knowledge in her writing.

See full bio
See Our Editorial PolicyMeet Our Health Expert Network