What are Common Causes of Hot Night Sweats?

The most common causes of hot night sweats typically include menopause, various types of infections, and certain medicines. Pinpointing the exact cause of hot night sweats may not be possible without the help of a doctor, and a person who experiences them regularly should seek medical attention to rule out any serious problems. Night sweats are not dangerous to experience, but they are often considered uncomfortable and may disrupt sleep for most people who get them. In many cases, night sweats won't go away until the medical problem causing them is dealt with.

Some people believe they are having night sweats when they are not. This might happen when a person keeps his bedroom too hot at night, which might result in excessive sweating. Even though people often sweat profusely when they get too hot at night, this is not usually comparable to the amount of sweating a person might experience with hot night sweats. Someone who has a hot night sweat may wake up in the middle of the night to find that she has sweated so much that her pajamas and bedding are completely soaked in the sweat.

Menopausal women frequently experience night sweats as a result of changes in hormone levels. They might also experience them during the day, but when this occurs it is usually called a hot flash. A woman who experiences hot night sweats and is around the age that menopause normally begins should probably see her doctor about treatment. In some cases, hormone replacement therapy can greatly lessen the frequency of night sweats relating to menopause. Sometimes the night sweats will become less frequent or stop altogether once a woman is through menopause.

Night sweats might occur when a person has some type of infection, because sweating is one of the ways in which the body attempts to rid itself of toxins. A person who has been sick with some type of infection may wake up to find that he has sweated profusely during the night. There are also some medicines that cause people to have night sweats, such as antidepressants and various pain relievers. Hot night sweats are additionally a common symptom experienced by people who have hypoglycemia, which causes the blood sugar levels to drop to dangerously low levels.

Hot night sweats are usually the result of something minor, but they can occasionally be a sign of a life-threatening problem. One of the first symptoms of cancer a person might experience are night sweats. People with HIV and AIDS also frequently begin experiencing night sweats before they discover they have the infection. For this reason, hot night sweats should not be ignored. The earlier that problems like cancer and HIV or AIDS can be diagnosed, the better the chances for treatment may be.