What Everyone Should Know About Night Sweats

Night sweats aren't just for menopausal women. Periodic episodes of perspiration during the night, or night sweats as it is more commonly referred to, can occur during a person's sleep time. Night sweats may be intense and a person may wake up with drenching perspiration. This article explores and explains some of the causes and what can be done.

While night sweats are a common occurrence during menopause, they can also occur during the course of a debilitating illness or disease. While changes in body temperature - including a fever - may cause night sweats, they can also occur in individuals who have endured prolonged bed rest. It is thought that spending a prolonged period of time sleeping or laying in one position may predispose a person to experience night sweats.

Pregnant women are also more inclined to experience bouts of night sweats, with the increased body temperature and activity. Pregnant women who are confined to bed rest may be especially susceptible.

Other causes for night sweats are idiopathic hyperhidrosis (a condition where the body produces too much sweat without any identifiable medical cause), cancer (night sweats is an early symptom of some forms of cancer), HIV and the AIDS virus, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), hormone disorders, neurological disorders and some medications can also cause night sweats.

Doctors generally characterize true night sweats as a drenching perspiration that soaks the night clothes and bedding of the person affected. An individual who is experiencing night sweats and cannot identify an infection or illness or other common cause should see a doctor to help determine if there is a more serious condition causing the episodes. Doctors may perform detailed medical examinations, including lab tests and other means of screening to try to ascertain what is causing the night sweats.

Treatment will depend on the identified cause and may include a change in medication or treatment for a serious illness or condition.

If the condition is not serious, some helpful "home remedies" for episodes of night sweats may include air conditioning or a fan in the room, loose, porous or absorbent night clothes, cotton sheets and bedding, and cool sponges or compresses.

Night sweats can affect individuals in any age group, and excluding menopausal women, affect men and women alike. If you cannot determine an obvious cause and are concerned about night sweats, you should see a physician for a consultation.