BLOG: Night Sweats

By Alexis Scott

Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat? Are you unable to have a peaceful night of slumber because of constant feelings of being overheated? You may be experiencing night sweats.

The SleepFoundation defines night sweats, much like the name implies, as episodes of uncontrolled perspiration during sleep. People who suffer from night sweats can either be interrupted in the midst of sleep from excessive sweating or wake up drenched in the morning and in desperate need of changing their bedding.

Night sweats are in fact different from overheating at night due to heavy blankets of a high room temperature; instead, it is completely unwarranted and unprovoked bouts of perspiration. A similar condition is hot flashes. The main difference is that hot flashes can occur day and or night.

What Causes Night Sweats?

Many people suffer from night sweats, but what is the cause? Unfortunately, there is not one cause for night sweats, but many.

Clearvue Health reports two main causes of night sweats found from a research study of 2,000 people: menopause and gastric reflux. 44% of study participants reported that their night sweats correlated with their onset of gastric reflux while 26% reported their night sweats began when they reached menopause.

Some additional causes of night sweats include medications, infection and or hormone problems. Specific medications including antidepressants, opioids, and Viagra have all been shown to cause night sweats. Even over the counter medications like aspirin and other medications actually meant to lower fevers can cause night sweats. Cancer treatments, along with hair loss and exhaustion causes many people to sweat heavily in comparison to their previously calm nights of rest.

Infections and other serious conditions have also been attached to the root of night sweats. Lymphoma, an immune cell cancer can cause drenching perspiration for victims already suffering from other painful symptoms. Tuberculosis, a bacterial lung infection causes coughing, fever, weight loss and uncomfortable sweating.

There are some lifestyle behaviors that can cause night sweats, including the use of heavy blankets, high room temperatures, caffeine intake and the use of alcohol and or drugs.

How Do You Treat Night Sweats?

There are many different ways to treat night sweats because of the wide variety of causes. If your night sweats are caused by lifestyle choices, then the simple solution is to lower the temperature in the bedroom, use lighter bedding, and limit your alcohol, caffeine and drug use. Additional environmental changes one can make to alleviate the sleep discomfort is to drink cold water, wear lighter clothing in general, maintaining a healthy weight or try using relaxation techniques.

However, if your night sweats are not caused by your environment then there a few more drastic measures that you can take. Medications have been linked to night sweats, therefore it may be wise to consult with your doctor to see alternative medications. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has also shown promise in treating night sweats. CBT is has been successful for women in menopause by reducing their frequency and improving overall mood.

A rather unexplored solution to treating night sweats is switching the type of pillow that people use to sleep. Luckily, Contour Living, Inc. Has developed the Cloud Cool Air Pillow to rectify the situation.

The Cloud Cool Air Pillow

The Cloud Cool Air Pillow by Contour Products, Inc. Provides an easy answer to helping those who suffer from night sweats. College student, Brooke Davis commented on her experience after switching to the Cloud Cool air: “I would always get so hot during the night, no matter what clothes I was wearing and no matter how cold my room was I started using this new pillow and I could finally wake up in the morning without needing to change my sheets.”

The pillow is uniquely designed with a three layer ventilation system that allows customers to remain both cool and dry through the night. The pillow’s air mesh layer is 99% air and is structured with thousands of resilient fibers that act as springs keeping the air channels open no matter the pressure. Soft mesh also prevents heat and humidity build up, thus keeping away unwanted moisture.

Additionally, the core has a premium contoured, visco elastic memory foam that provides orthopedic support. Not only will you wake up dry and cool, but also with no neck pain. The Cloud Cool Air Pillow comes in two different heights to ensure the proper neck and head alignment.