Excessive Sweating at Night

Excessive sweating at night or hyperhidrosis is seen mostly in early adulthood. Excessive sweating while sleeping might wake up a person, due to the discomfort of the wet sleepwear, bed sheet or pillow. Some suffer from this disorder throughout their life, and some experience it during a certain period in their life. Let us look at the causes of it.

Causes

There are many causes of excessive sweating. The most common are, menopause and infections. However, night sweats might also be an early sign of cancer, so it is important that you determine the cause and seek the appropriate treatment.

Menopause: One experiences hot flashes as one of the menopause symptoms. Thus, menopause is a common cause for this condition in middle aged women.

Infections: Infections are another common cause of excessive sweating during the nighttime. The infection can be caused due to bacteria or virus. The diseases and disorders associated with these infections are endocarditis, osteomyelitis, UTI, HIV/AIDS, influenza, fever, etc.

Medication: Many times, certain medications lead to this disorder. The most common medicines which cause this disorder are antidepressants. Profuse sweating at night is a side effect of depression medications, which is experienced by more than 20% people. Other medicines like sildenafil, hydralazine, acetaminophen, aspirin, prednisone, etc. can also be causes of night sweat breakouts.

Hypoglycemia: Sometimes low levels of glucose in blood, causes sweating. Diabetic patients who are on insulin or diabetic medicines and who have temporary hypoglycemia, might also experience this condition at night.

Hormonal Disorders: A healthy body has balanced hormones level. When the hormones in the body are disturbed, a person might experience sweating during night.

Cancers: This condition can be an early sign of cancer. The most common cancer related to this disorder is lymphoma. A person might also experience fever and weight loss with this condition.

Neurologic Conditions: Neurologic conditions like autonomic neuropathy, stroke, autonomic dysreflexia, stroke, and post-traumatic syringomyelia, might also give a person night sweats.

Idiopathic Hyperhidrosis: In this medical condition, the body starts suddenly producing excessive sweating, without any specific cause.

Treatment

For relief of mild sweating, a person can change the side of the pillow or remove the blankets. If the sweating is moderate, the person can just wash the face and other body areas. If there is excessive sweating at night, the person might need to take a shower, change the clothing, and change the bed sheets.

The treatment for excessive sweating involves a proper diagnosis, wherein the doctor observes the symptoms and chalks out a treatment plan. Depending on the cause, the treatment for night sweats is done. The doctor might suggest you to avoid eating certain foods, when curing this disorder. The treatment generally advises antiperspirants, iontophoresis therapy and injections of botox, and in severe cases a surgery.

Contact a medical professional if you are experiencing these additional symptoms:

• Fever, weight loss, shortness of breath, chest pain or rapid pounding of the heart
• If the night sweating starts after or before chest pain or pressure
• If you have been suffering from this condition for long, and can't understand the cause.

It is important that you seek treatment for this condition. Because, this condition can be a sign of a bigger underlying health disorder like cancer. So, seek a qualified doctor and get the cause of the condition exactly diagnosed and treated.