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You’ve finished a workout, so you’re hot and drenched in sweat, but soon you start to feel fresh again. Later, it’s a sweltering summer evening and you’re having trouble sleeping, so you throw off the covers.
Sweating is a normal part of the body’s cooling system, helping to dissipate heat and maintain optimal body temperature. But waking up regularly during the night drenched from excessive sweating is not.
Night sweats are repeated episodes excessive or intense sweating at night. They are an unpleasant part of many people’s lives.
Many conditions and factors can trigger night sweats by altering the body’s tightly regulated temperature set point, at which the body attempts to maintain its ambient temperature. core temperature. Some triggers are harmless (a warm room) or even linked to positive changes in our lifestyle (exercise). Others have an underlying cause such as menopause, infection, illness or medication.
About 80 percent of women experience hot flashes or night sweats after menopause.(Pexels: Ron Lach)
Temperature control and sweating
The hypothalamus, located in the brain, is part of the Endocrine system and the body temperature control center. It contains temperature sensors which receive information from nerve cells (thermoreceptors) located in the center (in the organs) and on the periphery of the skin.
Thermoreceptors detect changes in body temperature and send signals back to the hypothalamus. These signals will either activate sweating to cool the body, or shivering to warm the body.
Hormones and night sweats
Anyone, regardless of age or gender, can experience night sweats. But women experience night sweats more often than men, largely because menopause and the hormonal changes associated with it are more common. a major cause.
About 80 percent of women suffer hot flashes (also called hot flashes) or night sweats after menopause (when menstruation has stopped for 12 months) and during perimenopause (the time preceding it).
Although hot flashes and night sweats produce a feeling of overheating, they are different experiences associated with menopause.
Hot flashes occur during the day, are transient episodes of flushing, and can lead to sweating. Night sweats occur at night and involve an intense period of sweat. Changing estrogen levels is thought to impact levels of norepinephrine and serotonin, two neurotransmitters that influence temperature regulation in the hypothalamus.
Hormones also influence night sweats in men, particularly those who have low testosterone levels, called hypogonadism. About 38 percent of men aged 45 or older have low testosterone levels levels but it can affect men at any age.
Infections, diseases and medications
When we are fighting an infection, our body temperature gets up. This can stimulate sweating to cool and shrink the body temperature.
Minor infections like the common cold can cause night sweats. They are also a symptom of serious infections such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and diseases such as Hodgkin And non-Hodgkin lymphoma. However, night sweats are rarely the only symptom present.
Medications such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), corticosteroids, thyroid replacement hormones, and methadone can cause night sweats. These medications affect certain parts of the brain and neurotransmitters that control and stimulate sweating.
Regular alcohol use (especially alcohol dependence) and recreational drug use can also increase the risk night sweats.
Stress, snoring and strenuous exercise
Night sweats are commonly reported by people with anxiety.
Psychological stress activates the body’s fight-or-flight system, releasing neurotransmitters that increase heart rate, breathing and blood pressure. This causes the body to heat up, at which point it begins to sweat to cool the body. Night sweats can also increase anxiety, causing you to sweat more, which leads to less sleep and more anxiety.
If anxiety is causing night sweats and this is causing distress, it is best to get up, move around, and engage in physical activity. calming routinepreferably in a dark or dimly lit room.
People may experience night sweats after high-intensity workouts.
Night sweats have also been linked to sleep disorders like obstructive sleep apnea, where the airways are repeatedly blocked during sleep and there is loud snoring. About a third of people regularly suffer from obstructive sleep apnea have night sweats. The exact cause is undetermined, but research shows it is linked to low blood oxygen levels (hypoxemia) and or high blood pressure.
People may experience night sweats after high-intensity workouts. Vigorous exercise can stimulate the thyroid, increased basal metabolic rate and body temperature up to 14 hours after exercise. So, night sweats can occur even after a vigorous morning workout.
Night sweats can indicate overtraining and/or a lack of fuel. If you don’t consume enough calories to support the increase in training, blood sugar may drop and you may feel hypoglycemiawhich can cause night sweats.
When to ask for help and five things to try
There is many health conditions and medications that can cause night sweats and disrupt sleep.
If night sweats are regular, distressing, disrupt sleep, or accompanied by symptoms such as fatigue or weight loss (not related to lifestyle or diet changes), talk to a doctor for help. determine the cause. They may suggest alternative medications to those you are taking or recommend tests or investigations.
In the meantime, you can try the following ideas:
1.sleep in a cool room and use a fan if necessary
2.Don’t overdress for bed. Wear breathable cotton or linen pajamas
3.choose lightweight bedding that you can toss. Avoid synthetic fibers and flannel bedding
4.consider a cooling mattress or pillow and avoid those (like foam ones) that can restrict airflow
5.Avoid spicy foods, caffeine, or alcohol before bed.
Siobhan Banks is a research professor and Linda Grosser is a postdoctoral researcher, both at the University of South Australia. This piece first appeared on The conversation.