Menopause And Night Sweats

Symptoms of menopause and night sweats occurring together
can be very frustrating.

Menopause night sweats are basically hot flashes that occur during
the night and accompanied by excessive  drenching sweat.

Therefore the underlying causes, triggers and treatments are
the same for menopause hot flashes.

I would consider below other causes of night sweats that
must not be confused with hotflashes at night

Other Causes To Watch Out For

Not all night sweats in a woman after menopause is due to
menopause. It is important you visit your doctor if you experience other symptoms like weight loss.

Other causes of night sweats, besides menopause include Over bundling Being in an overheated room  or with multiple bedclothes can be easily neglected as causes of night sweats Infections Some bacterial, viral and  fungal infections  may cause night sweats. Key examples include  TB, HIV, abscesses  and heart valve infections( endocarditis) Endocrine disorders Excessive sweating, both during the day and night may occur

with endocrine diseases like  hyperthyroidism, ovarian failure, carcinoid
syndrome and following orchidectomy( Removal of the testes)

Hypoglycemia

Night time hypoglycemia especially in diabetic patients can
cause nighttime sweating with other signs of low blood sugar like hunger,
tremors, headache and even confusion.

Cancers

Many cancers usually cause night time sweating, especially
blood cancers like lymphoma and leukemia.  

Medications

Medications implicated include antipyretics( Aspirin, Tylenol),
BP medications, antipsychotics and substances like alcohol and heroin

Inflammatory and autoimmune diseases

Examples include sarcoidosis, vasculitis and  rheumatologic diseases like Lupus

Neurologic  diseases

Including autonomic system abnormalities and stroke

Others

More uncommon causes include obstructive sleep apnea,
anxiety, Heartburns and even pregnancy

Any Health Risks?

Menopause night sweats in themselves have no direct negative
health impact. However, their frequent interruption of sleep my lead to stress,
anxiety, difficulty concentrating during the day and other symptoms of sleep
deprivation.

Causes And Triggers

The underlying cause 
of menopause night sweats as noted above is the same as that of hot
flashes. They also share common triggers.

Specific concerns for night sweats include

•     The timing of the
  triggers may affect the severity of nighttime symptom. Watch things that occur
  after 5pm.
•     Stress before
  going to bed is a good trigger in many women that worsen symptoms.

Treatments

Avoiding any known triggers will may help reduce the frequency and severity of night sweats

Treatment options are basically similar to those for hot flashes

Specific strategies for night sweats include

1. After 5pm, watch your food and mood!
2. Keep your sleep environment cool and windy if possible with a fan at all times throughout the night.
3. Sleepwear. Give attention to have very light sleepwear with buttons in front if possible.
4. Bedding. Get something you can easily change if soaked.
5. Remember to always talk to your doctor if it seems to become unbearable. There is medical therapy that could be tried.

References

Viera AJ, Bond MM, Yates SW. Diagnosing night sweats.  Am Fam Physician. 2003 Mar 1;67(5):1019-24.

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