7 Things Your Night Sweats Are Trying To Tell You

                
By Markham Heid, Prevention

Everyone wakes up once in a while feeling a little overheated. But that's not what a doctor would call "night sweats." True night sweats are "extreme perspiration"—think soaked sheets or damp pajamas, says Rob Danoff, DO, director of family medicine at Philadelphia's Aria Health System.

If that sounds like the kind of sweating you're dealing with, Danoff says your symptoms are likely caused by an underlying medical condition or illness.

"Menopause or perimenopause, because of the hormonal changes involved, are the first conditions that come to mind," he says.

One study in the Annals of Human Biology found 36% of menopausal women report experiencing night sweats. Alcohol may make those night sweats worse. Another research paper in the journal Menopause linked moderate or heavy alcohol consumption—defined as one drink or more per day—to higher rates of night sweats among menopausal women.

So if you're approaching or experiencing menopause, that's one obvious culprit. But it's not the only cause of persistent night sweats. (Want to beat that menopause fatigue and re-energize? Follow Prevention's new Younger In 8 Weeks plan to feel younger and lose up to 25 pounds in 2 months.)

Here are some other things your night sweats could be trying to tell you:

                   

Your risk for heart disease may be elevated.

Middle-aged women who “often” experience night sweats may be at greater risk for cardiovascular disease, per a 2014 study in the International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The study found this increased risk for CVD even after its authors adjusted their data to account for menopause status, age, and lifestyle factors. Heavier women, women with high blood pressure, and women with diabetes are all more likely than others to experience night sweats. Those associated conditions could explain the uptick in cardiovascular disease risk, the study authors say.

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You may be fighting off an infection.

"If your body is fighting off an illness or infection, that can cause night sweats," Danoff says. These night sweats can persist for days or even weeks after other symptoms have faded. So if you recently had a fever or some other bug, that could be the cause of your bedroom sweat sessions.

              

               

You may have a genetic mutation.

In another recent Menopause study, experts linked increased rates of "vasomotor symptoms"—night sweats, but also hot flashes—to a specific genetic variation in women. This gene variation is linked to a part of a woman's brain that controls certain hormones, and may have some ties to infertility and delayed or absent puberty, says Carolyn Crandall, MD, first author of the study and a professor of medicine at UCLA. (Here are 6 weird things you can thank your hormones for.) She says it's too early to connect the gene variation with any specific health issues or risks, but more research is coming.

                  

      

Your thyroid may be out of whack.

Night sweats are a common symptom for those dealing with an overactive thyroid, also known as hypothyroidism, Danoff says. Other hormone-related conditions—including adrenal failure—can also cause night sweats, he adds.

MORE: 100 Simple Strategies To Sleep Better Every Night

   

              

Your immune system is malfunctioning.

Autoimmune disorders are conditions in which your immune system mistakenly identifies something normal or benign as a danger to your health. There are many of these conditions, and some—lupus, to name one—can cause night sweats, Danoff says. Rheumatoid arthritis and Celiac disease are two others. (Every woman should know about these 7 autoimmune diseases.) 

              

               

Your medication is messing with you.

"Night sweats are a common side-effect of many medications," Danoff says. He puts antidepressants at the top of that list. "Some hormone treatments, especially those related to cancer treatments, can also cause night sweats," he says. So can diabetes drugs, which can trigger night sweats if a person's blood sugar drops too low, he explains.

               

            

You may have cancer concerns.

Several types of cancer can cause night sweats. "If we're concerned about lymphoma, both Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's, night sweats are something we may pay attention to," Danoff says. If, along with your night sweats, you're experiencing symptoms like weight loss, fatigue, and enlarged lymph nodes, lymphoma may be something your doctor will look for.