Night sweats are extreme sweating at night in which your sleep clothes and bedding become soaking wet even though you are not in excessively hot conditions. Night sweats, also called sleep hyperhydrosis, are a common problem for many people. The condition can be uncomfortable and annoying but is not usually a sign of any serious problem. Night sweats can be caused by having too many blankets on your bed, having your home too warm, and even some medicines. In a small number of cases night sweats can be caused by something more serious such as a hormonal imbalance. Night sweats are also a common occurrence for women going through menopause.
Instructions
1. Check yourself. Night sweats could be caused by something you are doing such as wearing hot clothing. Smoking can make you more susceptible to night sweats, as can being overweight.
2. Check your medicines. Night sweats can be a side effect of some medications such as antidepressants and antipyrectics, which are used to lower body temperature. Other medicines that can cause night sweats include ones used to lower blood sugar levels or regulate your body's hormone levels.
3. See a doctor. Night sweats affect many people at some point in their lifetime, but if they occur on a regular basis, interrupt your sleep or cause other symptoms such as fever, it is best to see a doctor.
4. Check other problems. Your doctor can go beyond the basic physical exam. Other conditions that cause night sweats include HIV/AIDS, stroke, tuberculosis, leukemia, Hodgkin's lymphoma, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Night sweats can be caused by damage to your autonomic nerves, an overactive thyroid, a bacterial infection called brucellosis, a rare adrenal gland tumor called pheochromocytoma, and endocarditis, which is an infection in the lining of your heart. Other possible causes to be ruled out include a bone infection called osteomyelitis, a bone marrow disorder called myelofibrosis, carcinoid syndrome, which comes from a cancerous tumor, pyogenic abscess, which is a pus-filled cavity caused by infection, and syringomyelia, which is a fluid-filled cyst on the spinal cord.
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