Oh, those glorious night sweats …. “I would wake up 2 or 3 times a night, roasting, my pajamas and even my sheets soaked, heart racing, panicking that I was having a heart attack. I’m a very neat person, so to wake up swimming in sweat completely grossed me out.
“I would wake up 2 or 3 times a night…”
“And five minutes later, I was freezing. I was changing pajamas, even my sheets, in the middle of the night, so you can guess how well my partner and I were sleeping. I finally started sleeping in the guest room because it was so embarrassing.”
Night sweats and/or hot flashes affect 75 to 80 percent of women in menopause and perimenopause, and they can go on for years. Because night flashes are so prevalent and because the disruption of sleep they cause can have so many additional negative impacts, we've broken down the ways you can find some relief.
Oh, that flustered hypothalamus. Estrogen, the “master regulator” as neuroscientist Dr. Lisa Mosconi refers to it, is responsible for the onset of night sweats and hot flashes both.
The hypothalamus regulates our body temperature. This part of the brain has lots of estrogen receptors and hums along happily as long as the estrogen keeps coming.
But when estrogen declines in perimenopause and menopause (and less permanently, at other times of our lives), this brain structure gets confused, not sure if the body it’s regulating is freezing or overheating, and body temperature can roller coaster as the brain tries to figure it out.
The major difference between hot flashes and night sweats is really when they occur: hot flashes during the day, and night sweats at night. Night sweats (and sometimes hot flashes) can also be characterized by excessive sweating, nausea, and headaches in menopause.
There’s no cure for the vasomotor symptoms of perimenopause and menopause, though there are ways to manage the sleep-destroying heat.
When they’re the typical peri/menopause variety, no, night sweats aren’t dangerous. However, because they can interrupt sleep, night sweats have add-on effects that can really disrupt your life, including irritability, fatigue, brain fog, and an uptick in depression or anxiety.
However, night sweats can also be caused by thyroid issues, bacterial infections, low blood sugar, certain cancers, anxiety, and some medications. So if your night sweats come with unexplained weight loss, fever, or coughing, or come back after menopause symptoms have been gone for months or years, please consult a doctor.
Don’t sleep in the guest room. With the right combination of attitude, lifestyle adjustments, helpful products, and medications if necessary, you can get relief from the nightmare of night sweats. Speak with a Gennev doctor who can help you manage your hot flashes and night sweats with proven therapies.
How have you handled night sweats? Do you have some great bamboo bedding, the perfect herbal tea, the right yoga practice? Share on Facebook or in Midlife & Menopause Solutions, our closed Facebook group!
The information on the Gennev site is never meant to replace the care of a qualified medical professional. Hormonal shifts throughout menopause can prompt a lot of changes in your body, and simply assuming something is “just menopause” can leave you vulnerable to other possible causes. Always consult with your physician or schedule an appointment with one of Gennev's telemedicine doctors before beginning any new treatment or therapy.
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