Night sweats can be very common among men and women and are probably not something to be overly worried about. Both men and women usually go through these at several times in their lifetime. Night sweats happen when the body produces extra sweat that may soak your clothing and often times, even your bedding. A person can awaken feeling very hot or possibly even have the chills. There are a lot of people that sweat at night, but real night sweats do not have anything to do with the environment you are in and can happen even when your room is not excessively hot.
What causes night sweats? In older women, a fairly common cause is menopause. Many women have hot flashes during this stage of life and some can even have night sweats several years before they reach the menopausal stage. In women, night sweats are often just a hormonal change, but in men, night sweats may be a sign of a more serious complication, such as diabetes. Low sugar in your blood or an overactive thyroid gland can cause these horrible sweats.
Night sweats can also be a sign of infection, such as tuberculosis or another infection involving bacteria. These sweats can also be caused by your bones or heart being inflamed, and in some cases may even be a sign of AIDS.
Reports have shown that cancer or other types of lymphoma can cause these hot flashes. Sometimes, even medications can cause a person to experience these sweats. Antidepressants are the most popular medications that may cause hot flashes, but over the counter pain medications such as aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) or Tylenol (and other brands of acetaminophen) might be the culprits as well.
Of course, some night sweats in males are caused by idiopathic hyperhidrosis. This might appear to be a complicated disease, but it is really when your body produces excess sweat for no known reason.
With the right treatment, night sweats will usually disappear. If you are worried, be sure to talk to your doctor so they can figure out if there is a more complicated medical condition that may need immediate attention. Getting a great night’s rest will help you have happier and healthier days.