8 causes of night sweats

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Night sweats, also known as sleep hyperhidrosis. Night sweats affect about 3% of the population and can be a sign of a serious illness. While the majority of causes of night sweats are not life-threatening, consultation with a specialist is needed to determine the underlying cause. In this article, we will provide information on 8 common causes of night sweats.

1. What is night sweats?

Night sweats or night sweats, also known as sleep hyperhidrosis syndrome, causes sleepwear, blankets, pillows, and bed sheets to get wet, the cause is not related to the temperature problem in the bedroom. too hot. As mentioned at the beginning, about 3% of the population worldwide suffers from night sweats.
Sweating is the body's natural way of cooling. The hypothalamus of the brain is responsible for regulating the body's temperature. In extremely hot weather, the hypothalamus stimulates more than two million sweat glands to secrete sweat to lower body temperature before the high temperature adversely affects the functioning of the organs.
When sweat is excreted, they help to release a large amount of heat to cool the body. Weather temperature or the process of exercising, sports are not the only causes of this condition. Several other factors including health problems can also cause sweat glands to be overactive and cause a person to sweat more at night.
Some causes of night sweats syndrome can be prevented if you follow a few ways:
Limit the use of stimulants such as alcohol, beer, tobacco and caffeine, especially right before going to bed.

Keep the bedroom at a suitable temperature, cool and comfortable. Do not exercise, eat very spicy foods or drink very hot drinks before bedtime. Early detection and treatment of acquired diseases in general and infectious diseases in particular. In the event that night sweats occur abnormally and do not show an improvement even after applying the above methods, you should go to the nearest medical facility for a proper examination and diagnosis. Find out what is causing your night sweats.

2. 8 causes of night sweats

There are different causes of night sweats. To find the cause, doctors will take a detailed medical history or order some tests to diagnose exactly what is responsible for your night sweats. Some of the proven factors that can cause night sweats include:

2.1. Menopause

This is a very common cause of night sweats in women. Hot flashes during menopause can occur even during sleep, causing the body to sweat a lot at this time. Young women who have had both ovaries removed or undergone chemotherapy for cancer that stopped menstruating may also develop night sweats. Besides, depression or excessive anxiety during menopause as well as depression or drinking a lot of alcohol every day is also one of the causes of this syndrome.

2.2. Unusual night sweats

Idiopathic night sweats is a condition in which the sweat glands in the body are abnormally overactive without any cause or health problem.

2.3. Infection

Infection can cause the patient to sweat a lot, especially at night. Certain infections such as bacterial endocarditis (infection of the inner lining of the heart and heart valves) and osteomyelitis (bone infection) can cause this condition. Other, rarer infections also sometimes lead to night sweats.
Fever, pain, swollen lymph nodes and aching joints are common symptoms experienced by patients with HIV/AIDS and they can lead to night sweats. It is estimated that 1 out of every 10 people infected with HIV/AIDS has this condition. Some of the AIDS-related opportunistic infections, such as mycobacterium avium and cytomegalovirus, can also cause people to sweat more at night.
In addition, many studies have shown that more than half of people with TB have night sweats. Tuberculosis bacteria grow in the lungs causing the patient to cough for a long time, cough up blood, fever, fatigue, loss of appetite....

2.4. Cancer

Night sweats are an early symptom of several cancers, but most commonly lymphoma, which starts in the body's immune system such as the lymph nodes, spleen, bone marrow, and thymus. ... About a 25% of people with Hodgkin lymphoma have a fever and night sweats. They also feel fatigue, itching, and pain in the area where the tumor has grown. However, people with cancer that are not detected early and diagnosed in time may also develop other symptoms, such as fever and unexplained weight loss.

2.5. Medicine

Many medications are used to treat other conditions that can cause night sweats, of which antidepressants are the most common. It is estimated that 8-22% of people who use antidepressants experience night sweats. In addition, other psychiatric drugs can also lead to this condition.
Some fever reducers such as acetaminophen , aspirin and ibuprofen also cause night sweats but are usually not serious. In addition, hormone replacement therapy and steroids such as cortisone or prednisone are also suspected to cause night sweats.
Some medications for glaucoma and dry mouth also stimulate the patient's sweat glands to work harder, especially at night.

2.6. Hypoglycemia

Seen blood sugar can cause sweating. People who are taking insulin for diabetes or other diabetes medications may experience low blood sugar accompanied by heavy night sweats.

2.7. Hormonal disorder

Sweating or occasional flushes may be seen in patients with hormonal disorders including pheochromocytoma, carcinoid syndrome, and hyperthyroidism. Pheochromocytoma or pheochromocytoma is a relatively rare tumor in the adrenal gland that is not cancerous. Pheochromocytoma causes the body to produce too many hormones, which increases blood pressure and causes night sweats, headaches, and a rapid pulse. Most people with adrenal myeloma are between the ages of 20 and 50. High-risk groups for pheochromocytoma are those with high blood pressure or certain genetic disorders.

2.8. Some diseases related to the nervous system

Although not a leading cause, nervous system conditions including dyslexia, post-traumatic syringomyelia, stroke, and autonomic neuropathy can cause sweat glands to increase overactive and causes night sweats.
Night sweats can be uncomfortable and disrupt the sleep of people with this condition. In most cases, night sweats are not life-threatening, but sometimes they can be an early sign of some serious health problem that needs to be treated. Your doctor can help diagnose the cause of night sweats and suggest some solutions to prevent or treat the condition. Depending on the cause, your doctor may recommend lifestyle changes, medications, or other treatments to prevent this condition.
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References: medicalnewstoday.com, webmd.com