Understanding Night Sweats During Menopause

You and Jake Gyllenhaal are just riding off into the sunset when…YUCK! You wake up drenched in sweat. Your heart is pounding, and your brain is abuzz with stress and anxiety. Welcome to the wonderful world of night sweats, one of the most common pit stops along menopause road. Night sweats can begin at any time in the perimenopause process, which is the multi-year process leading up to menopause. Most women experience their first night sweats in their 40s or early 50s.

What causes your body to turn into a water faucet in the middle of the night, and, more importantly, how can you turn off the tap?

Causes of Night Sweats

Despite the fact that a large portion of women experience night sweats as part of their journey into menopause, we still don’t have an entirely clear grasp of what is going on in your body. We know that during perimenopause your estrogen levels fluctuate. Estrogen is a powerful hormone that affects systems throughout your body, including a small region of your brain, called the hypothalamus. Think of your hypothalamus as your body’s natural thermostat. When your estrogen levels go a bit wonky, your hypothalamus can get confused.

While you and Jake Gyllenhaal are traipsing through flowery meadows in your dreams, your hypothalamus may think your body is severely overheating. It releases cascades of sweat, and you wake up wondering if someone dumped you in Niagara Falls.
The severity of night sweats varies from woman to woman and may change overtime as a woman gets closer to menopause. In severe cases, night sweats can dramatically disturb your sleep and leave you exhausted and irritable in the morning.

What to Do About Night Sweats

Night sweats are never pleasant, and you have options when it comes to dealing with them:
Just Breath – When you first wake up from a night sweat, you may feel disoriented, panicked, and highly uncomfortable. Take a few moments to pull in some deep breathes to help calm yourself down. Count your breaths and try and clear your mind.

Take a Shower – If you are having trouble getting back to sleep, help sooth your mind with a quick warm shower. It’s a good way to get the sweat off.

Switch Beds – It might not feel good to snuggle back into your soggy sheets. If you’re sleeping alone, just roll over to the other side of the bed. If you have a partner who would very much like to stay put, then consider grabbing the couch downstairs or sneaking into the guest room so you don’t have to worry about changing sheets in the middle of the night, (which your partner probably wouldn’t appreciate).

Keep a Food Diary – Certain foods and drinks are suspected of increasing the likelihood of night sweats, including caffeine, alcohol, and spicy foods. If you notice that certain foods keep popping up in your journal before a night sweat episode, consider cutting them out or avoiding them in the evening.

See an OB-GYN – If night sweats or any other menopause symptom is negatively affecting your quality of life, then make an appointment with an OB-GYN who specializes in treating menopause symptoms. The doctor will carefully evaluate your unique situation and may suggest hormone replacement therapy (HRT) if you are a good candidate.

I tell my patients all the time that even though menopause symptoms like night sweats are completely normal, that doesn’t mean you just have to ignore them! Many women don’t like to talk about their symptoms. Let’s pull back the curtain, embrace this normal and natural progression through life, and work towards lessening unpleasant symptoms.

Night sweats are only one common symptom of menopause. Learn more about hot flashes and perimenopause.