Are Night Sweats Waking You Up? Here’s Why They Happen and What to Do

You expect to sweat when you’re at the gym, in a sauna, or on the beach. But sweating while you’re fast asleep? That’s a different story.

Fortunately, you can put night sweats to bed in a few ways or at least prevent them from ruining your shut-eye altogether. Here’s what you need to know to manage your internal thermostat and reclaim your sleep.

• Hormonal Changes A decline in estrogen levels during menopause, pregnancy, or the menstrual cycle can throw the body’s temperature system out of sync, leading to night sweats. While this is a common cause, it’s not the only one, and plenty of women who have fluctuating estrogen levels don’t get night sweats.
• Stress Elevated stress levels can lead to an elevated heart rate, which can contribute to overheating during any time of day or night.
• Environmental Factors Overheating due to a bedroom that’s too warm, as well as heavy bedding and clothing, can make symptoms of night sweats worse.
• Lifestyle Factors Alcohol, caffeine, spicy foods, illness, infection, anxiety, depression, and side effects from certain medications like steroids, antidepressants, aspirin, and blood pressure medications can trigger night sweats.

Measures to try may include the following:

• Optimize your bedroom environment. Keep your room at a cool temperature — between 60 and 67 degrees F is ideal.

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   Place a cooling gel mattress pad on your bed and an ice pack under your pillow. When you need to rest your head on something cool, flip the pillow over and position yourself on the cool fabric.
• Choose appropriate bedding. Thin cotton sheets may help keep temperatures cooler and absorb some sweat.

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   Plus, make your bed with layers of bedding, so you can easily remove one or two if you start to overheat.
• Stay active. Daily exercise like walking, dancing, cycling, or swimming can help you get higher-quality sleep at night.
• Evaluate your clothing choices. Wear natural fibers like cotton or linen, which soak up moisture, and choose loose fits that allow for airflow. Swap long-sleeved PJ's for short-sleeved ones, and pants for shorts. The goal is to avoid overdressing, even if you’re slightly chilly before bed.
• Watch what you eat and drink. Skip alcohol, caffeine, spicy foods, cigarettes, and hot beverages with caffeine before you go to bed, as these can all trigger hot flashes.
• Rethink your sleeping arrangement. Sometimes your partner’s body heat may be enough to trigger a hot flash. If that’s the case, you may have to position a fan so that it blows directly on you or even relocate to another room.

Still, here are a few tips to try that might help you feel better if night sweats are making your nighttime a nightmare:

• Sip a glass of ice water. This can help you cool off. If you need to, keep a flask of ice water on your bedside table so it's within easy reach.
• Lower the temperature. Turn down the thermostat, open a window, or turn on a fan.
• Consider supplements. Some research suggests that black cohosh may help reduce symptoms of menopause, including hot flashes and night sweats, but more studies are needed to determine its effectiveness.

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  If you want to give it a try, first talk to your doctor. Some supplements can cause harmful side effects or interactions with your existing medications.
• Try relaxation techniques. Meditation and deep breathing can be helpful for some people coping with mild hot flashes. Even if these techniques don’t help with sweating, they may be able to help you get back to sleep.

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• Change your clothes. Soaked in sweat? Wet clothing equals cold clothing, so change into a fresh, dry pair of pajamas for comfort.

Nonhormonal vasomotor symptom treatment is also available, including fezolinetant (Veozah), elinzanetant (Lynkuet), antidepressants such as paroxetine (Brisdelle), gabapentin (Neurontin, Gralise, and Horizant), and clonidine (Catapres, Catapres TTS). Your doctor can help you determine which might be best for you.

Whatever you do, don’t give up. Several avenues are available to ward off at least some night sweats and reduce their severity.

Talk to your doctor if night sweats occur regularly, frequently interrupt your sleep, or are accompanied by symptoms like fever and weight loss.

• Night sweats are hot flashes that occur at night and can be triggered by hormonal changes, high cortisol levels, and lifestyle factors such as eating spicy foods, consuming caffeine or alcohol, and sleeping in a bedroom that’s too warm.
• To prevent night sweats, consider keeping your bedroom at a cool temperature (between 60 and 67 degrees F); using a cooling mattress pad and cold packs under your pillow; choosing light, breathable fabrics for bedding and pajamas; and skipping alcohol, caffeine, and spicy foods before bed.
• If you wake up in the middle of the night covered in sweat, cool down by changing your clothes, adjusting the room temperature, and sipping ice water.
• If you experience night sweats regularly, or if they are accompanied by such symptoms as fever and weight loss, talk to your doctor, who can help you find ways to relieve them.