Menopause Night Sweats
Night Sweats Defined
As the name suggests, night sweats are defined by sudden bouts of overheating during sleep. The medical name for this condition is “sleep hyperhidrosis.”
Symptoms of Menopause Night Sweats
- Flushing
- Excessive perspiring
- Irregular heartbeats (arrhythmia)
- Rapid heart rate (tachycardia)
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Chills
- Panic attacks
- Bizarre or disturbing dreams
- Insomnia
- Exhaustion
- Difficulty concentrating
Risks of Night Sweats
Menopause night sweats are more than just an uncomfortable symptom of hormonal changes. Because they interrupt normal sleep cycles, night sweats can lead to other, more serious conditions. Lack of energy, difficulty concentrating, irritability and depression are common symptoms of menopause that can be exacerbated by disrupted sleep. In addition to the discomfort they cause, night sweats can also affect other aspects of your life – such as mood, immunity and health – by interfering with normal sleep cycles.
What Causes Night Sweats?
As with most symptoms of menopause, night sweats are primarily due to hormonal fluctuation. The hypothalamus is a part of the endocrine system located in the brain. Among other functions, the hypothalamus regulates body temperature. As estrogen levels decline, the hypothalamus is affected and sends signals to the vascular system that result in hot flashes and night sweats.
There are also many triggers that can set off night sweats. Environmental factors, such as warm weather or an overheated bedroom, are obvious causes. Hot or spicy foods, alcohol, caffeine and smoking are also likely to trigger night sweats. Psychological factors such as stress and anxiety contribute as well.
Menopause Night Sweats Treatments
Avoiding common triggers is a good place to start when dealing with night sweats. Avoid stressful situations or environmental factors such as taking a hot shower right before bed. Products such as wicking nightclothes and cooling pillows may offer some relief. Taking slow deep breaths can sometimes help calm you.
However, prevention is a much better approach than simply dealing with the symptom once it has woken you from your sleep. Regulating erratic hormone levels can relieve not only night sweats, but other symptoms of menopause as well.
Amberen has been shown in clinical trials to relieve night sweats by promoting hormonal balance. And after more than 4 years on the US market, hundreds of thousands of women in America can attest to Amberen’s effectiveness as an all-natural remedy for night sweats. Amberen features a molecular structure that can deliver energy to the cells of the hypothalamus, which in turn sends hormonal signals to the pituitary gland and the ovaries. When communication among these glands is enhanced, the body is better able to regulate hormone production and ease the common symptoms of menopause, including night sweats.
Night Sweats FAQs
Q: How many women experience night sweats during menopause?
A: Approximately three out of every four white or Hispanic women experience night sweats during menopause. That figure is slightly higher for African-American women and slightly lower for Asian women.
To continue reading FAQ’s about night sweats, click here.
Overview of Night Sweats
Night sweats are the nighttime relative of hot flashes. Even though they may seem extremely dangerous, they do not normally represent a serious underlying condition. Night sweats are one of the most common side effects of menopause. This life phase usually starts when a woman enters her late 40s or early 50s. Scientific research has discovered nearly three quarters of women that are experiencing menopause will have night sweats. As a woman approaches this time in her life, she may be filled with questions about the symptoms that will come, especially night sweats. Knowing what to expect, why the symptoms actually happen, and how to get past them is half the battle to help women prepare for and manage this period of transition.
The medical term for night sweats is sleep hyperhidrosis. They are periods during the night when a woman sweats. This perspiration may either be mild or severe. Night sweats are alike to hot flashes since they affect women in menopause during waking hours. Many times, night sweats are so severe that they disrupt a woman’s slumber. In turn, this can affect even more aspects of life. Normal symptoms of night sweats include irregular heartbeat, headaches, sudden heat, nausea, flushing skin, and chills. Menopausal women who experience night sweats may feel minor or major symptoms from them, both frequently and infrequently, during normal sleep time.
Most women in their 40s and 50s get night sweats. They often start prior to the end of their menstrual cycle. Research has found that close to 19% of women between the ages of 40-55 whom still got their regular periods, had night sweats. Many females began to develop some symptoms three to ten years before menopause. This time in life is referred to as perimenopause. Studies show that women are affected at different times. Age, ethnicity, and other factors may influence the likelihood that a woman will develop night sweats through menopause.
The symptoms of night sweats have drastic affects on sleep habits, which make it impossible to get a good night of sleep. Women who experience night sweats usually experience:
- Sleep Disorders
- Exhaustion During Hours Of The Day
- Insomnia
- Trouble With Concentration
- Higher Stress Levels
- Irritability
–Age
Age can have a great impact on night sweats. An expansive study had discovered that younger women are more likely to get night sweats versus older women. Other research uncovered that only 10% of women above the age of 64, experience night sweats.
–Race
Studies Prove that the amount of night sweats vary by particular racial groups. One large study discovered that three quarters of Caucasian women get night sweats. Another study concluded that African American women were at a higher risk to get night sweats than Hispanic or Caucasian women. Asian women were the least likely group to experience night sweats.
Causes of Night Sweats
Most women who suffer from night sweats want to find the reason of why they occur during menopause. No one has ever pin pointed the exact cause of night sweats, yet most experts believe that hormone imbalance is to blame.
Hormonal Causes
In menopause, estrogen hormone levels fluctuate and begin to steadily and permanently fall. This change in estrogen affects the brain’s hypothalamus gland which is responsible for regulating body temperature. Therefore, the hypothalamus begins a set of physiological reactions, which result in night sweats or hot flashes.
Other Causes
In menopause, crazy hormones are the most usual causes of night sweats. However, uncommon medical causes like anxiety, diabetes, sleep apnea, cancer, thyroid condition, or neurological disorders may be to blame.
Triggers of Night Sweats
Some factors may make night sweats more severe or happen are often. Staying away from these triggers may help many women in menopause get rid of hot flashes or night sweats.
Triggers In The Environment
- Too much bedding
- Sleeping Too Close To Someone Else
- Warm Room Temperature
- Hot Weather
- Hot Showers, Spas, Or Saunas
Emotional Triggers
- Anxiety
- Stress
- Bad Dreams
Behavioral Triggers
- Taking Diet Pills
- Drugs
- Smoking
- Drinking Alcohol Or Caffeinated Beverages
- Eating Spicy Foods
Night Sweat Treatments
Night sweat treatments start with certain alternatives in a woman’s lifestyle. This may reduce the severity or frequency of night sweats. This may involve staying away from things that trigger them and taking steps to lessen stress, exercise more, and eat better. For example, tryptophan is an amino acid that encourages sleep and is found in most dairy products, eggs, and nuts. These lifestyle adjustments may help to alleviate night sweats and improve sleep. They cannot correct hormonal imbalance, the true base of the problem. There are alternative medicinal treatments that are available to effectively and safely rebalance hormones. Many professionals recommend that women mix life changes with natural therapies to relieve night sweats. In severe cases, women may need to take greater action. They may require further pharmaceutical aids or even surgical procedures. They are a last effort meant to be used only if nothing else works.