5 Most Common Menopause Night Sweats Questions
5 Most Common Menopause Night Sweats Questions
Night sweats and hot flushes are the two most common symptoms of perimenopause and menopause, even though not every woman will experience them.
There can be a variety of causes for night sweats, one of them being that daily stress and busyness can rev up and overwind your nervous system.
Add to this not being able to sleep properly at night.
You wake up suddenly, in the middle of the night, with your heart thumping, drenched in sweat, then you get cold because sweating cools you down, you go back to sleep and the pattern repeats itself over and over again.
Therefore, dealing with stress during the day is very important for combating night-time sweats.
Poor sleep will affect your nervous system the next day because you are waking up tired, stressing your nervous system before you even start the day.
5 Most Common Menopause Night Sweats Questions
1. Are night sweats the same as hot flushes?
They can stem from the same causes, but the symptoms themselves and the reaction in the body are very different.
If you have a hot flush during the day, you can normally feel it starting and are more aware of the whole process.
However, night sweats usually occur when you are already asleep.
The first indication you get that it has happened, is when you wake up soaking wet.
Therefore, night sweats are more to do with sweating and perspiring, rather than just getting heat coming up through the body.
2. Can dehydration cause night sweats?
The answer is definitely yes.
If you’re waking up several times during the night and are sweating profusely, you are more prone to becoming dehydrated quickly.
If you end up being dehydrated all day, it will put tremendous pressure on your nervous system.
And one of the symptoms of a really stressed nervous system is excess perspiration.
So, if you get dehydrated during the day and then have night sweats you will be dehydrated the next day, and so it goes on and on.
Unless you break that cycle, the night sweats are likely to continue.
3. Why are my night sweats getting worse?
Firstly, your hormones can play a big part in worsening night sweats as they don’t necessarily fall evenly as you go through the menopause
Your hormones suddenly changing can be enough to trigger the night sweats
Secondly, it can be due to your lifestyle:
It’s a good idea, to keep a diary because, very often, there is an external cause that’s triggering it
Ask yourself the following:
- Have you changed your diet in any way?
- Are you skipping meals?
- Have you been really busy?
- Are you extra stressed?
If you are very stressed, it makes it more likely that your nervous system will over-fire during the night, giving you more or worse night sweats.
4. How can I prevent menopausal night sweats?
- The number one remedy for hot flushes and night sweats is, sage
- Limit caffeine and alcohol intake
- Don’t smoke
- Don’t exercise close to bedtime
- Don’t eat spicy foods or drink hot beverages before going to bed
- Keep your bedroom temperature at max 18 degrees
Sources
mayoclinic.org – symptoms night sweats
health.clevelandclinic.org – frustrated by night sweats
5. What can help to reduce night sweats?
- Avoid alcohol, caffeine and nicotine before going to bed
All of these can stress your nervous system making you more prone to negative aspects of weird dreams - Do not eat too late, because this puts more pressure on your digestive system which in turn puts pressure on your liver
If you are waking up between 1:00 AM and 3:00 AM it means that your liver might be stressed - Try not to exercise too late as it will rev up your nervous system
- Take a magnesium supplement
It will help with your moods and also help you to relax
Sources
hopkinsmedicine.org – how does menopause affect my sleep
