‘Facts About Night Sweats’ You go to bed feeling good, maybe even a bit chilly, but pretty soon you wake up sweating profusely, blazing hot, and flinging off your covers and pajamas.
You might need to change your clothes and linens because you are so saturated.
Facts About Night Sweats: What Are Menopausal Night Sweats?
Hello, one of the more uncomfortable side symptoms of menopause: nocturnal sweats. Vasomotor symptoms (VMS), such as night sweats, are sudden, acute feelings of heat that occur when blood vessels expand to promote blood flow and subsequently contract. Your heartbeat may quicken, you perspire, and your skin may turn red. They might last a short while or longer, and they frequently have a panic attack-like feeling. You might experience a slight chill thereafter.
Did You Know?
Some Women Can Experience Night Sweats for More Than 10 Years
Although they might begin years before your last period, hot flashes and night sweats are thought to affect about 75 percent of menopausal women. “Hot flashes and night sweats often last seven to nine years on average, and about one-third of women experience hot flashes for ten years or longer.
According to Stephanie Faubion, MD, the medical director of the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) and a NAMS Certified Menopause Practitioner, “I have had ladies in their seventies in my office who still have them.”
Facts About Night Sweats: Night Sweats and Hot Flashes May Not Be the Same Things
A new study revealed during the North American Menopause Society’s (NAMS) 2022 Annual Meeting revealed that night sweats were more stressful than hot flashes alone, whether they occurred during the day or at night.
Additionally, women who experienced more hot flashes at night than during the day were more likely to develop sadness. Additionally, night sweats persist much longer and result in far more perspiration.
Some Women Are More Predisposed to Night Sweats
According to research in Women’s Midlife Health, Black women experience night sweats more frequently and intensively than White women. “It might not be inherited. It could be societal, as well as more challenging life circumstances including racism and financial stress. That still needs to be resolved in full,” claims Dr. Faubion.
One more study found that “similar genetic variations that contribute to predicting reproductive aging are connected with frequency and intensity of hot flashes” (Menopause, 2021). However, compared to women in the United States, women who live in China and Japan report having hot flashes that are less frequent and milder in intensity.
According to research, this may be because they consume more soy in their diets or because of other sociocultural variables.(PDF).
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No One Knows the Exact Trigger for Menopausal Sweating
Although the precise mechanism isn’t fully understood, dropping estrogen levels are the cause of night sweats, according to Faubion. We believe it to be similar to a malfunctioning thermostat in the hypothalamus, which regulates body temperature, in the brain.
According to the hypothesis, your follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) surges when your ovaries stop releasing estrogen, activating brain neurons that regulate your body’s temperature setpoint. Menopausal insomnia is the result, regardless of the cause.
Night Sweats Aren’t Always Caused by Menopause
According to Cleveland Clinic, other illnesses, including GERD, HIV, diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, lupus, certain malignancies, and tuberculosis, can also result in nocturnal sweats.
Inhibitors of the aromatase enzyme, tamoxifen, opioids, steroids, antidepressants, medications for high blood pressure, diabetes, and more can all cause night sweats as a side effect. Consult a doctor if you have night sweats so they can determine the exact cause.
Slow Breathing Can Help Ease the Frequency and Intensity of Episodes
Try breathing for 15 minutes twice day at six to eight breaths per minute when hot flashes first appear.
This can assist healthy peri- and postmenopausal women reduce the frequency and intensity of this troublesome menopausal symptom, according to NAMS (PDF).
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Not All Treatments for Night Sweats Are HormonalÂ
Hormone treatment is the best method for treating bothersome night sweats (HT). But not all women are capable of or want to accept it. A selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) called Brisdelle (paroxetine) is the only nonhormonal drug on the market that has received U.S. approval.
FDA-approved use in treating hot flashes, although other non-hormonal medications, like antidepressants, can also help manage menopausal symptoms. Be sure to check back for more as they emerge. Inquire with your doctor about any new choices.
You Don’t Have to Sweat It Out!
Faubion implores women to hunt for remedies for menopausal sleep issues and night sweats. “There are effective and safe treatments available, but they are rarely used.
