Sweat during sleep causes. Internal causes of perspiration during sleep. Side effect of taking medication

  • 07.09.2018

Cold sweat at night is the body's response to malfunctions. internal systems... The process is not uncommon, affecting representatives of either sex. Ice sweat is frightening, especially if it disrupts a person's sleep.

Cold sweat in a dream covers arms, legs, sometimes breaks through the whole body. You should not start looking for the causes of the phenomenon on your own. Delay in the required treatment system may result.

The release of moisture by the body is a natural and vital process on which the normal body system is built. Moisture prevents the body from overheating and is involved in thermoregulation. Perspiration accompanies deviations in the human condition.

Cold sweats at night are proof of anxiety, deviations from a healthy state. Sweating and its role are not fully understood. It is impossible to answer the question of why unpleasant discharge on the body appears.


The reasons for the appearance of perspiration make it possible to create a characteristic of the clinical picture and symptoms of an unpleasant phenomenon:

  • Infectious pathologies of different composition... Viral species: influenza, HIV, mononucleosis. Bacterial forms: tuberculosis, Koch's bacillus. When a person is thrown into a cold sweat, shivering and chills are added. Hands and feet become cold.
  • Migraine. A severe headache triggers the release of adrenaline into the bloodstream. The patient wakes up drenched in sweat and with cold skin.
  • Withdrawal Syndrome. Cold perspiration accompanies the disease of both sexes, most often during a night's sleep.
  • Idiopathic hyperhidrosis. The reasons for this plan are given by doctors. They explain why sweat can appear. This group includes unknown reasons: stress, illness, problems in personal relationships, at work. Mental disorders cause sweat most often.
  • Diseases of the heart and blood vessels.
  • Lowered blood pressure.
  • Profuse bleeding.

Hormonal explanations for a medical problem:

  • Adrenaline is a hormone that activates the sweat glands. It causes a decrease in the size and volume of blood vessels. As a result of hormonal disruption, the hands become cold, the skin becomes moist.
  • Another hormone is insulin. Insulin deficiency is more likely to accompany diabetes. Cold perspiration is a symptom of the disease.

Most of the reasons are very serious. The most common ones are stress and work problems, which can be corrected without the help of doctors.

Establishing diagnosis


There are many diseases that can be detected. A specialist will be able to make a diagnosis. He will not treat sweating, but a disease.

  • Cellular anemia, immune abnormalities. In a cold sweat throws every night. Rest at night is almost impossible.
  • Overheat. After prolonged exposure to bright sun or heat. Emergency help a specialist will help relieve symptoms.
  • Dystonia. The doctor will select a diet, recommend walking and healthy sleep... The whole complex is aimed at strengthening the heart muscle.
  • Oncology. Sweating is accompanied by fever and weight loss. Dramatic weight loss cannot be left without a medical examination.

Hyperhidrosis can accompany several diseases of a different clinical nature. Infectious processes increase the pathogenicity of bacteria, the body temperature rises and moisture begins to release more abundantly. Another disease is hyperthyroidism. The thyroid gland produces an increased amount of hormones, moisture leaves the body. Diabetes mellitus causes moisture in the body due to impaired carbohydrate metabolism. Malignant pathologies of the circulatory system are one of the dangerous situations, it can lead to the formation of malignant cells and oncological processes.

Preventive measures



The right decision, after determining the cause, the prevention of the disease will become:

  • Airing the sleeping area. The air during sleep, clean and cool, will create optimal conditions.
  • Water procedures. A contrast shower, a warm bath will calm the body. It is good if the water is added essential oils and medicinal herbs that have a relaxing effect.
  • Sleepwear. Spacious models and comfortable shapes will create relaxation comfort. Cotton and linen fabrics are advised to choose.
  • Refusal to overeat. Exclude the increased amount of fatty foods, spices. The nutritionist will advise you to add vegetables and fruits to your diet.
  • Elimination of alcohol. Ethyl alcohol affects normal thermoregulation. Chills and sweating appear.

A timely visit to a doctor will help identify the presence of pathology. The doctor will begin treatment and eliminate unpleasant symptoms.

Medical methods of influencing the excretion of moisture

Sweating is a problem that ruins your life and your daily routine. There are many methods of exposure, all of them eliminate symptoms, conditions of occurrence and manifestation. You will need to see a doctor. He will prescribe tests, conduct an examination, x-rays. Therapy depends on the stage and degree of development of the pathology, the frequency of manifestation. A dermatologist starts treatment. If the pathology does not prove his specialization, he will refer him to another narrow specialist. More often these problems are solved by an endocrinologist, another doctor is a psychologist, the next is a narcologist.

The most common methods are:

  • taking medications:
  • outdoor remedies;
  • Botox injections;
  • surgical intervention.

Intense and frequent cold sweat is observed in adolescents. Here the treatment will be started by a pediatrician - a pediatrician. The complex will relieve psychological symptoms and skin disorders.

In addition to medicinal methods of therapy, treatment is based on optimizing nutrition, reducing physical activity, and adhering to the daily regimen. For men, injections are one of the rare methods. Surgeons will perform an endoscopy operation, it will interrupt the nerve impulses. Such actions are performed by a thoracic surgeon in a hospital.

If it's hot outside or you've just left the gym, you won't be surprised if you sweat more than usual. But have you ever wondered if it's okay to sweat while you sleep? In our article we will tell you why this happens and how to deal with it.

Sweating is a natural mechanism in our body, the function of which is to cool the body in a timely manner, for example, during extreme heat or exercise.

Of course, on a stuffy summer day or after a workout in the gym, no one will be surprised by increased sweating, but sweating while sleeping is a completely different matter, because it can not only cause a lot of inconvenience, but also cause anxiety and anxiety.

Our article will help you answer many questions on this topic: you will find out the causes and symptoms of perspiration during sleep and understand whether it is harmful to your body or not. So is it okay to sweat while you sleep?

Why do I sweat while sleeping?

Sweating during sleep is a very unpleasant property. Indeed, who among us will enjoy waking up in the middle of the night in a pool of sweat! To figure out why you sweat while sleeping, you need to take into account all the possible reasons.

The first and most important aspect that you should pay attention to is the conditions in which you sleep, in particular the temperature of the room. However, heat is not the only external factor that causes sweating during sleep: air humidity can also play an extremely important role. In addition, night sweats can be caused by an overly warm blanket or pajamas, an uncomfortable or old mattress, or ambient noise in the room where you sleep.

If you often sweat at night, then in addition to monitoring the conditions and comfort of the body while sleeping, you should also pay attention to your overall health. Have you recently switched to a new diet? Do you often feel tired and overwhelmed?

Night fever can be one of the flu symptoms: in this case, sweating is a normal reaction of the body to infection. This means that increased sweating during sleep can be caused by a fever, which in turn is a symptom of a cold or flu. However, if sweating continues for more than two or three nights, then you should seriously think about your health: perhaps this is a sign of some more dangerous disease.

One of the most common reasons sweating during sleep is the onset of menopause, which is associated with significant hormonal changes in a woman's body. A sharp decrease in the production of estrogens ("female" hormones) can cause disruption of the hypothalamus, which is responsible for temperature control human body, as a result of which women often experience an unreasonable increase in temperature.

However, it cannot be said that hormonal imbalance can cause sweating during sleep only in the case of women, because a man's body is also not protected from hormonal disorders.

Some of them, suffering from a lack of testosterone or taking medications that block the production of the "male hormone", may be subject to exactly the same problem. Many men may find it difficult to accept this fact, but androgen deficiencies can indeed lead to increased sweating during sleep.

What else can make me sweat?

Many medications can raise the heart rate and dilate the blood vessels, which can lead to increased sweating. The most common medications are antipyretics or fever medications. As soon as we notice flu symptoms in ourselves, we immediately take aspirin, etc., without thinking at all that it can provoke a fever. Antidepressants are also referred to as medications that can cause excessive sweating.

Infectious diseases such as tuberculosis or AIDS can also cause sweating during sleep. Fever, which usually goes hand in hand with sweating, is common in people with HIV. Hodgkin's disease, an infection of the lymph nodes, is also referred to as an infectious disease, which sometimes manifests itself in fever and sweating at night.

Consumption alcoholic beverages before bed is another reason a person may sweat while sleeping... Sure, a glass of wine at night will help improve sleep, but recent medical research has shown that those who drink alcohol before bed are most likely to experience night sweats and headaches.

Besides, sweating during sleep can be caused by eating spicy foods. Despite the fact that you may not notice any changes in your meal, your body may experience an increase in body temperature during the digestion of spicy foods. According to doctors, caffeine can also aggravate those who are already suffering from excessive sweating.

Patients with hyperhidrosis also most often suffer from frequent and profuse sweating both during the day and at night. If none of the above causes of sweating work for you, get tested for hyperhidrosis. To do this, you will need to come for a consultation with a doctor and pass the necessary tests.

Natural remedies for night sweats

First of all, you should get a thermostat - a device for maintaining a constant body temperature. Despite the fact that doctors recommend maintaining a certain body temperature, remember that everyone is different, and try to find a temperature that will ideally suit your body. If you sleep with your partner who prefers a higher or lower temperature, try different bedding materials.

Try to remove from yourself everything that can cause stress and anxiety because the disorder nervous system can provoke active sweating both during the day and at night. If you have a wedding tomorrow or have a job interview, don't be surprised if you sweat harder than usual. But if the perspiration during sleep continues for several weeks, you should start worrying about your health.

Men who suffer from so-called andropause, or male age-related menopause, can drink black cohosh tea. Black cohosh is a medicinal plant from South America which is used in folk medicine for the treatment of many diseases. Meadow clover is another medicinal herb that has been shown to help reduce sweating during sleep, although medical research has shown that clover is far less effective than black cohosh.

It will be interesting for you:

Both men and women who are familiar with the problem of increased sweating can take medication based on sage and motherwort root because they have properties that can help fight night sweats. Sage tea is used to relax, relieve tension and stress, and motherwort, a plant similar to mint, is considered the best remedy for the nervous system and blood circulation, and also helps to reduce sweating during sleep. published by

Many people are uncomfortable with sweating at night while sleeping, or hyperhidrosis. It is widely believed that the issue is resolved by replacing the blanket or opening the window.

However, sweating is most often not a separate disease, but a symptom, and real reason can be much more serious.

External causes of sweating

In most cases, the answer to the question of why a person sweats a lot during sleep lies in not correct organization recreation:

  • Beautiful and lightweight synthetic blankets are comfortable only at first glance... Sleeping under them is to deprive yourself of the ventilation necessary during sleep: a person's body temperature gradually rises, which leads to excessive sweating. Such a thermoregulation curve contradicts the natural one, which changes in waves during sleep. Blankets and linen made from natural materials do not interfere with natural thermoregulation. It is worth abandoning synthetics, and in the absence of more serious diseases, sweating will disappear;
  • The same can be said for sleeping clothes. Pajamas or nightgowns should be made from natural and lightweight fabrics which freely absorb moisture, do not accumulate static electricity and do not overheat the body during sleep. It is even more useful to sleep without clothes, so the body relaxes as much as possible and does not overheat;
  • The microclimate in the bedroom can also affect the manifestation of sweating. The best temperature for sleeping is 18-24 С... At temperatures above 24 ° C, heatstroke is likely, one of the manifestations of which is sweating. At temperatures below 18 ° C, the weakening of the protective functions of the body, colds, which are accompanied by strong perspiration, are possible. In a room with high humidity (more than 50%), the function of heat exchange is disrupted, and in hot and dry air, sweating increases and dehydration quickly sets in;
  • It is believed that a little alcohol at night can help you relax and fall asleep faster. But at the same time, it is silent about the fact that the quality of sleep is getting worse. The REM sleep phase is shortened, the NREM sleep phase becomes less deep. Sweating during sleep increases as alcohol makes the kidneys and sweat glands work harder. In addition, a person has to get up several times a night to drink water and go to the toilet.
  • Late dinner has a similar effect: a full stomach presses on the diaphragm, making it difficult for air to flow, and frequent breathing leads to an increase in body temperature and increased sweating. Night sweats include coffee, legumes, chocolate, ginger, pork, margarine, mate, spices, salt, soda, and energy drinks.

These causes of night sweats during sleep are easy to deal with. Change synthetic underwear, blankets and clothes for natural ones, set a suitable temperature and humidity regime, do not overeat at night and do not abuse alcohol.

A person sweats a lot during sleep due to illness.

  • Sweating is often associated with insomnia.... An obsessive thought, or emotions of fear and anxiety, or simply anxiety about not being able to fall asleep quickly and staying awake enough at work is a stressor that prevents a person from relaxing and falling asleep, and anxiety leads to high blood pressure and body temperature. what causes sweat;
  • Drop in blood sugar may also be manifested by increased sweating. Sometimes hypoglycemic drugs can give such a reaction. This is a very dangerous symptom, since hypoglycemia during sleep, when there is no way to control your condition, can lead to death;
  • Taking antidepressants is not at all harmless.... A very common side effect of their use is night sweats. It often accompanies the use of corticosteroids, potent drugs- for example, tamoxifen - and antipyretic drugs: aspirin, paracetamol;
  • Sweating and infectious diseases are most closely related... With fever, malaria, influenza, acute respiratory infections, nocturnal hyperhidrosis is a normal reaction of the body. But if night sweats persist for several months, it could be a sign of tuberculosis, cancer, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Often it is this symptom that makes the patient see a doctor and undergo an examination;
  • Neurological diseases, especially VSD (vegetative-vascular dystonia), are almost always associated with night sweats. It can be local (only the face, armpits, back or limbs sweat a lot) or generalized, when the whole body is covered with perspiration. Primary VSD occurs in adolescents during puberty, secondary - with neurological problems in adults;
  • Night sweats are a companion to obesity... With this disease, the hormonal background is disrupted and the sweat glands work in an abnormal mode. And not only them: obese people have diseases of the heart, blood vessels, musculoskeletal system, diabetes, infertility, varicose veins, gout, hernia of the diaphragm, cancer. Excessive sweating is only an indicator of an overload of the body;
  • Night sweats are often associated with stomach problems called gastroesophageal reflux, when a defect in the valve in the stomach can throw contents back up the esophagus. In addition to acute painful sensations in the esophagus, this disease is manifested by night sweats in the face and neck;
  • Idiopathic hyperhidrosis when it is impossible to establish the physiological cause of sweating at night;
  • Night sweats can also be caused by dysfunction of the thyroid gland (thyrotoxicosis or hyperthyroidism), while it is important to distinguish whether there is a pathology of the thyroid gland (primary), pituitary gland (secondary) or hypothalamus (tertiary).

Night sweats in women

In addition to the cases described above, nocturnal hyperhidrosis in women can be of a hormonal nature and have a close relationship with the menstrual cycle and reproductive organs.

  • Fluctuations in the hormonal background in women before menstruation imbalance the thermoregulation of the body. The body temperature rises, along with this sweating appears, mainly at night. Such hyperhidrosis is temporary, and it requires treatment only in cases where the patient has disorders of the nervous or endocrine system;
  • Sweating during pregnancy especially pronounced in the first trimester, when the endocrine system builds a common circulatory system of the mother and child, and closer to childbirth. Physical stress on the body of the expectant mother leads to increased hyperhidrosis at night. Many women complain of night sweats during lactation, but most forget about this symptom soon after giving birth;
  • During menopause a woman suffers especially from night sweats ("hot flashes") associated with the extinction of the production of estrogen in her body and mood swings. With a timely visit to a doctor, the situation can be successfully corrected with medication.

Night sweats in children

  • Night sweats in children can be caused by incorrect temperature regime... In the children's night, the air temperature should not be more than 20 ° C, and it is not necessary to wrap up the little one in excess;
  • Synthetic clothing or underwear of the child. This is absolutely unacceptable, synthetics should be replaced with natural materials so that the baby's thermoregulation system is formed correctly;
  • A virus or a cold, but they are usually hard to miss. In this case, hyperhidrosis at night in a child is a symptom of the disease, and the main treatment is aimed at eliminating the infection;
  • There are also cases of hereditary hyperhidrosis, which can manifest itself in children from the very first days of life;
  • One of the most unpleasant prerequisites for night sweats in children is rickets. If, in addition to hyperhidrosis, the slightest signs of deformation of the skull, ribs, limbs of the baby are visible, you should immediately consult a doctor.

How to solve the problem of night sweats

The first step is to contact a therapist and report your condition. You may have to donate blood and urine for analysis in order to exclude the most difficult cases, as well as visit other specialists: a dermatologist, gastroenterologist, phthisiatrician, andrologist or gynecologist, endocrinologist, cardiologist, neurologist, oncologist, somnologist and psychotherapist, undergo an ultrasound scan.

But whatever the diagnosis and prescriptions of doctors, general recommendations universal for everyone: healthy nerves, proper nutrition, limitation bad habits and negative emotions, moderate physical exercise, instead of a TV before going to bed - a walk on fresh air, instead of tea, and even more so coffee - herbal infusion, the use of relaxation techniques, natural materials in the bedroom, airing and wet cleaning.

Sweat production is a natural physiological process by which the human body regulates body temperature. But sometimes the real problem there is increased sweating during a night's sleep, when not only the underwear becomes wet, but the entire bed. In this case it comes about nocturnal hyperhidrosis - a disorder characterized by too active work of the sweat glands. Why is this happening, and what can people do in this case?

Causes of nocturnal hyperhidrosis

Why does a person sweat a lot at night? The reasons may vary. They can be conditionally divided into two groups:

  • household factors;
  • medical reasons.

Household factors

Before sounding the alarm and looking for pathological causes of nocturnal hyperhidrosis, it is necessary to assess the conditions of your sleep. Quite often the answer to the question: "Why?" is quite obvious.

Excessively warm bedding

Very often, a person sweats a lot due to a blanket that is too warm. Today, manufacturers often use synthetic winterizer as fillers. This synthetic material, of course, perfectly retains heat, but also contributes to overheating of the body. This is what ultimately becomes the cause of strong perspiration at night in a dream.

A wet bed can be the result of an incorrectly selected set bed linen... When buying, it is worth stopping the choice on natural fabrics, since synthetics are also capable of influencing the processes of perspiration.

Pajamas

The culprit of hyperhidrosis may be the fabric of pajamas in which a person sleeps at night. You should not chase fashion and choose silk models. It is better to give preference to good old cotton fabrics, in which the body "breathes" in a dream, and the sweat is absorbed by the material.


Air temperature in the bedroom

Waking up in sweat can also come from being too hot in your bedroom. Temperature norm, at which it is comfortable to sleep at night - about + 18 ... + 20. If these indicators are very much exceeded, then at night the person is thrown into sweat. And this is a normal reaction of a healthy body.

Food and alcohol

The root causes of waking up sweating at night can be incredibly simple. If spicy or spicy dishes, alcohol were served for dinner, then such food can activate the blood circulation processes. The result is increased sweating, which is a forced reaction of the body. After all, it is necessary in short time cool a sufficiently large volume of blood.

Medical reasons

The motives for why he sweats at night may not be so harmless. Several groups are worth highlighting here.


Various infections

Very often, a person sweats a lot during sleep when he suffers from classic colds accompanied by an increase in body temperature - flu, colds, acute respiratory infections or ARVI. And here, increased sweating is a natural reaction.

But if nocturnal hyperhidrosis lasts more than a month, then this may indicate more serious problems... In particular, he can talk about the development of such pathologies as:

  • tuberculosis;
  • endocarditis;
  • diseases of the lymphatic system;
  • fungal infections.

But in this case, there must be other symptoms indicating the existing disease:

  • enlarged lymph nodes;
  • weakness;
  • head and muscle pain etc.


Diabetes

If you have night sweats, it is recommended to have your blood sugar checked as this could be a symptom of hypoglycemia. A similar condition can develop if the dosage of insulin was incorrectly selected, or a person, for example, ate at the wrong time. And the sharp drop in sugar that occurs at night is manifested by hyperhidrosis.

Gastroesophageal reflux

Gastroesophageal reflux is a pathology in which a hiatal hernia is diagnosed. This leads to the fact that the contents of the stomach can enter the respiratory tract. And for such short-term stressful conditions the body reacts with increased sweating.

Oncology

Cancer can also be the cause of nocturnal hyperhidrosis. Most often, a strong night sweat accompanies:

  • non-Hodgkin lymphomas;
  • Hodgkin's disease;
  • lymphogranulomatosis;
  • metastatic lesions of the spinal cord.


Side effect of taking medication

Nighttime hyperhidrosis can be triggered by taking drugs of the following categories:

  • drugs that reduce blood pressure indicators;
  • antipyretics;
  • fetosians;
  • antidepressants.

Diseases of the cardiovascular system

The reasons in this case are:

  • persistent hypertension;
  • heart failure;
  • vegetative-vascular dystonia.

For these pathologies, hot flashes, constant fatigue, and general weakness are also typical.

Endocrine system abnormalities and hormonal disruptions

Hormonal disturbances can also provoke increased sweating at night. In particular, it is the neck that can sweat very much here. And in this case, you can suspect problems with the thyroid gland. The neck can also sweat a lot at night and with lambliasis of the gallbladder. But in any case, people with such problems need specialist advice and diagnostics.

Women may perspire in their sleep in the following cases:

  • during pregnancy;
  • at the onset of menopause;
  • for a couple - three days before "menstruation".

All three situations are characterized by hormonal changes that have occurred.

How is night sweats treated?

When first contacting a specialist, a person is assigned a diagnostic test. It:

  • laboratory tests of blood and urine;
  • blood biochemistry;
  • X-rays of light;
  • cardiological examination.


Diagnostics makes it possible to identify the somatic factors of nocturnal hyperhidrosis. At the same time, such diseases as tuberculosis and oncology are excluded.

If during the examination true reasons it was not possible to identify pathology, then consultation of other specialists and more detailed testing of the body will be required.

The treatment regimen is prescribed depending on what diseases (accompanied by awakening in sweat) were identified. And therapeutic measures will be aimed at eliminating the pathology itself that causes nocturnal hyperhidrosis.

In the case when it is impossible to diagnose the causes, then the use of agents that eliminate sweating may be recommended. These will be medical antiperspirants, but the use of such deodorants is not always justified. Do not forget that large parts of the body sweat during sleep - back, chest.

You can use Botox injections, which block the work of the sweat glands, and sweat is not produced in such volumes, or by electrophoresis procedures.

In the event that conservative methods do not give results, then surgical treatment can be prescribed. In particular, thoracoscopic or percutaneous sympathectomy.

Sympathectomy is an operation that stops the nerves that control the sweat glands from working. After such an intervention, less sweat is produced. The procedure is effective, but it has some contraindications and side effects.

Summary

Night sweats without any objective reasons- always an alarming sign and reason for seeking qualified advice. This is especially important if a strong night sweat bothers you for more than a month.