When our body temperature increases due to the ambient temperature or physical activity, our sweat glands secrete fluid, ie sweat, to keep this temperature in balance. Sweating, which is quite normal even for a healthy person, can cause anxiety when it manifests itself as night sweats. Because night sweats can occur due to physical factors, as well as a harbinger of some diseases.
There are some types of night sweats. So not everyone experiences this condition equally or is equally uncomfortable. It is generally considered to be a condition that only bothers the person and therefore no treatment is applied. However, when it is severe, there is a suspicion that it may be caused by a disease. Let’s take a closer look at night sweats, what causes it, how it goes, and let’s see the details of this disturbing condition.
First of all, what is night sweats?
Sweat is a kind of natural coolant produced by our sweat glands to compensate when our body temperature rises. Excessive sweating, called hyperhidrosis, is a condition that occurs in abnormal conditions. Night sweats, on the other hand, are different because it is a condition in which we sweat while we lie down and sleep without any physical activity.
Everyone has different types of night sweats:
There are three different types of night sweats: mild, moderate and severe. To put it in the simplest way; Night sweats where the clothes and bedspreads are not wet are considered mild, night sweats where only the clothes are wet are considered moderate, and night sweats where both the laundry and the bedspreads are wet are considered severe. In severe night sweats, the person may wake up from his sleep and feel the need to take a shower in the morning.
So are night sweats dangerous?
It is not true to say that it is definitely dangerous for night sweats, even if it is mild, moderate or severe. Even excessive sweating is not a disease, it is considered a condition that disturbs the person. Of course, there may be some underlying disease sources, but most of the time, the cause of night sweats is external factors such as the clothes worn while sleeping, the cover used, the room temperature.
What causes night sweats? Here are some of the diseases that can cause this condition:
- Hormonal diseases and hormone therapy
- Diabetes
- Hodgkin’s disease
- Reflux
- Diseases that disrupt sleep patterns
- Prescription and over-the-counter drugs
- Other serious diseases
Hormonal diseases and hormone therapy:
There is a direct relationship between sweating and hormones. In fact, this is the most important reason for the increase in sweating during adolescence. Problems in hormones or hormone therapy applied accordingly can cause night sweats. Night sweats increase in women during menopause. It is known that a disease called ovarian failure, which directly affects the hormone balance, causes night sweats.
Diabetes:
Diabetes mellitus is one of the diseases directly related to night sweats. It is normal to experience night sweats in cases where the insulin dose applied before going to bed is excessive, when meals are skipped, when excessive exercise is done during the day, when blood sugar drops during sleep at night and hypoglycemia is experienced.
Hodgkin’s disease:
Hodgkin’s disease, also known as Hodgkin lymphoma, is a type of cancer that starts in cells in the immune system, and one of its most important symptoms is severe night sweats. It is known that in some of the non-Hodgkin lymphoma diseases, patients complain of severe night sweats.
Reflux:
Gastroesophageal reflux, popularly known only as reflux, is one of the most common digestive system diseases and can be seen in people of all ages, even in babies. It is defined as the upward flow of acid in the stomach contents. It can increase night sweats as it creates stress in the person.
Diseases that disrupt sleep patterns:
One of the most common causes of night sweats is diseases that disrupt sleep patterns. Because when the sleep pattern is disrupted, the body’s temperature regulation mechanism is also disrupted and as a result, different types of night sweats may be experienced. Especially sleep apnea is one of the most important sleep disorders known to cause night sweats.
Prescription and over-the-counter drugs:
Whether it’s a prescription drug prescribed by your doctor or a simple over-the-counter drug that you buy from a pharmacy; many of these can have the side effect of night sweats. You can see these details in the seemingly impossible to read prospectus that comes out of the box. Drugs known to cause severe night sweats include antidepressants, antipsychotics, cholinergic drugs, insulin, and hormone drugs.
Other serious diseases:
Many different diseases and disorders such as endocrine diseases, hyperthyroidism, endocrine tissue tumors, HIV, tuberculosis, brucella, fungal infections, infective endocarditis, infectious mononucleosis, subcutaneous abscess can also cause night sweats.
Let’s come to the most important issue, how do night sweats go away?
If you do not have a diagnosed disease yet and your night sweats are not too severe, first try to improve physical conditions. Lower the temperature of the room you sleep in and ventilate before sleeping. Choose bedspreads and pajamas made of sweat-proof fabric. Do not use very thick duvets and blankets. Do not eat before sleep. Use the trial and error method to determine which situations cause night sweats.
Which doctor should I go to for night sweats?
Although all physical conditions are adjusted to prevent night sweats, if this situation still persists, you should go to the most health institution and be examined by a specialist physician. You can go to the family doctor in family health centers or an internal medicine specialist for the first examination.
After telling your doctor about your situation, he may ask you for some tests. According to the results of these tests, your disease, if any, is detected and an appropriate treatment process is started. If you have a medication that you use regularly, tell your doctor about it. Medication can be changed or an additional medication can be given accordingly.
We answered questions such as what is night sweats that can wake people up from sleep, why, and how it goes. What we describe is for informational purposes only. Do not forget that you should get the most accurate and specific information about night sweats from a specialist physician, as in all health issues.
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