Keep waking up with soaking wet sheets? Here’s what causes night sweats, and what you need to do to stop them

woman laying in bed hands over face

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Strong Women


Keep waking up with soaking wet sheets? Here’s what causes night sweats, and what you need to do to stop them

By Abbi Henderson

2 years ago

4 min read

There’s nothing fun about waking in a pool of your own perspiration. Here, an expert explains why night sweats happen, and how to get them to stop.


It’s not unusual to sweat while you sleep – if your bedding or pyjamas cause you to overheat or the room is particularly hot, it’s normal to perspire and wake up the next morning feeling a bit clammy. What’s not normal, however, is experiencing night sweats.

Night sweats are episodes of excessive sweating that occur during sleep. Rather than feeling a little damp, night sweats tend to be so profuse that they can soak through your nightwear. The sheets beneath you feel wet, as does your skin – despite the room being at a comfortable temperature.

One-off instances of night sweats can occur due to innocuous or temporary factors, such as being unwell with a fever. If you regularly experience night sweats, however, it’s worth investigating the root cause.

What causes night sweats?

Night sweats can be caused by a variety of underlying factors, according to Dr Helen Evans-Howells, a GP and allergy specialist, ranging from benign to more serious medical conditions.

Hormonal changes are perhaps the most common cause of night sweats,” Dr Evans-Howells says. “These can be in association with the menopause, but can also occur before each menstruation or for a period of time in the postpartum period.

Woman with night sweats

Credit: Getty

“Some individuals struggle with idiopathic hyperhidrosis, which is a condition that causes excessive sweating for no reason. As well as sweating during the day, people may be affected by this at night.” Night sweats can also be a common side effect of some medications, such as antidepressants or hormone therapy drugs.

Sometimes, the causes of night sweats aren’t always easily identifiable.

Can high levels of physical activity contribute to night sweats?

Metabolism plays a role in regulating the body’s temperature, and disruptions to the metabolism can trigger night sweats, Dr Evans-Howells says. “While regular exercise is important and helps maintain a healthy weight, intense exercise before bedtime can raise the body temperature and potentially cause night sweats.

“Hormones, such as the thyroid hormones, play a crucial role in regulating body metabolism and body temperature. Disorders of the thyroid gland such as hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid) can increase the metabolism rate and lead to excess sweating and night sweats, as well as other symptoms like hair and skin changes, a tremor, weight loss and diarrhoea.”

Intense exercise before bedtime can raise the body temperature

Having low blood sugar or a metabolic condition that affects blood sugar levels, such as diabetes, can cause the body to release stress hormones which can lead to shaking and excess sweating, including night sweats.

“Stress and anxiety can commonly impact the body’s metabolism,” Dr Evans-Howells says. “Stress will commonly trigger our fight-or-flight responses, which often causes physical symptoms such as a raised heart rate, palpitations, diarrhoea and sweating.”

If you regularly experience night sweats, it’s worth checking in on your stress levels and mental wellbeing to see if that could be an influencing factor. 

How can you stop night sweats?

Get a proper diagnosis

It’s important to get checked out by your GP if you frequently experience night sweats. On occasion, night sweats can be caused by infections or some forms of cancers, like blood cancers. “Anyone with unexplained weight loss in association with night sweats should arrange an urgent GP appointment,” Dr Evans-Howells advises. “If you have night sweats in association with any other symptoms, such as diarrhoea, palpitations, change to periods, fatigue (to name a few), you should also always have an assessment with a GP to exclude serious, treatable causes and to gain advice on how to manage if everything turns out to be ‘normal’.”

Your GP will gather information from you, and may recommend further examination or, in some cases, blood tests. They should also offer insight into how to manage your symptoms, if they aren’t associated with illness.

Change your bedding

Switching to lightweight bedding and nightwear made from natural fibres is a great place to start, as they’re breathable and hypoallergenic, as is exploring the best mattresses and toppers for you (memory foam can cause some people to overheat during the night). It may also be worth sleeping with a fan if you find it tricky to maintain a cool temperature in your bedroom.

Assess your mental health

If night sweats are triggered by stress or anxiety, it’s important to nurture your mental wellbeing. Experiment with wind-down routines before bed and incorporate stress-management techniques into your day. Seeing a therapist could also be helpful in reducing feelings of stress and anxiety.

Tweak any pre-bed habits

“Reducing caffeine, alcohol and spicy foods, especially close to bedtime, can also be beneficial,” Dr Evans-Howells says. “Finally, if night sweats are particularly problematic, there are medications that can be prescribed which can help reduce these.”


Image: Getty

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