Menopause and night sweats

Night sweats during menopause are also known as “sleep hyperhidrosis” which refers to profuse or mild sweating at night. Menopausal night sweats are similar to menopause hot flashes that are experienced by women going through menopause, during the day time. Sometimes night sweats can be so extreme that they may even disrupt the sleep of the woman which in turn negatively impacts other aspects of her routine life.

Menopause symptoms are typically observed as chills, flushing, sudden and intense heat, nausea, headaches and even irregular heartbeat. Menopause, hot flashes, night sweats all tend to go hand in hand in women who are in their 40’s or 50’s on account of a complex interaction which results in fluctuating levels of estrogen. As a result, the hypothalamus which is that part of the brain that controls body temperature tends to get confused by these changes and if it senses a sudden rise in the body temperature it tries to cool the body down by triggering the sweat glands.

Hence, menopausal women suffering from night sweats and hot flashes often wake up chilly and drenched with sweat. Older men who are going through andropause are also known to suffer from night sweats. Some natural remedies for night sweats and menopause involve eating soy products such as tofu, Tempeh, soy milk, soy powder, miso and even whole soybeans as they tend to provide relief from menopause symptoms and help treatment of the condition. It has been observed that menopausal women who practice yoga, meditation and exercise do not experience severe menopausal symptoms. Additionally, being overweight and inactive tends to increase the frequency of night sweats and hot flashes during menopause; hence women are recommended to take up a healthy lifestyle and lose weight.

Women experiencing menopause and night sweats usually observe a pattern in the frequency of the night sweats and hot flashes such as eating something spicy, smoking or even drinking alcohol after which the night sweats occur. Once the triggering factor is ascertained women can then avoid such food or activities. Women going through menopause should also keep themselves comfortable and cool as far as possible by always having the fan or air conditioning turned on. Similarly, they can also wear wicking pajamas which are made of a material that tends to draw sweat away from the skin and in turn reduces clamminess and sleep disruption. Consumption of the plant called cohosh is also known to help replace the estrogen levels in the body and thereby reduce the occurrence of night sweats.