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Ever get up in the middle of the night, with your sheets soaked with sweat and you do not know what has caused this excessive suffering? You are most probably suffering from night sweats. Before we understand the causes of night sweats, lets understand what night sweats are.

What are night sweats?

Night sweats or hyperhydrosis is a condition that occurs in the middle of the night or at any time you are sleeping. People suffering from night sweats wake up from deep sleep feeling extremely cold or hot, clammy and sweating excessively. Night sweats can be annoying as they disrupt sleep and often lead to insomnia and stress. You know you are suffering from night sweats when you soak your sheets with sweat and your body temperature is extreme, but do not try to self diagnose, it is always best to consult with a doctor.

Night sweats are not something to worry about, they are not harmful but they are an indication of another condition you could be suffering from. Most women who experience night sweats are suffering from menopause. And men suffering from hormonal changes like Andropause which is male menopause also experience night sweats.

Causes of Night Sweats

There are different reasons for night sweats, but to determine the solution for your night sweats you need to know the exact cause of night sweats. This will be possible only through extensive tests and doctor visits, but here are some of the most common causes of night sweats:

• Menopause - women going through menopause experience hot flashes and night sweats. Premenopausal women also suffer from night sweats.
• Idiopathic Hyperhydrosis - this is a condition where the body sweats excessively without there being any known medical condition.
• Infections - people suffering from infections are prone to night sweats. The most common infection leading to night sweats is tuberculosis. But bacterial infections are also a cause for night sweats, these infections could be endocarditic, osteomyelitis and some times HIV infection or the AIDS virus.
• Cancers - night sweats are one of the first symptoms of cancers especially lymphoma.
• Medications - a combination of certain medications and certain conditions like tumor or infections can lead to night sweats. Antidepressants are the most common cause of night sweats. Other drugs that cause night sweats are niacin, tamoxifen, hydralazine, nitroglycerine, sildenafil which is Viagra. Other drugs are cortisone medications like prednisone and prednisolone that can cause night sweats.
• Hypoglycemia - hypoglycemia is a condition where people suffer from low blood glucose levels. To control the insulin and glucose levels in the body, people who are hypoglycemic need to take insulin shots or oral medication that can cause night sweats.
• Hormone disorders - those suffering from hormonal disorders such as pheochromococytoma, cancinoid syndrome or hyperthyroidism are prone to flushes and night sweats.
• Neurological conditions - those suffering from neurological conditions like autonomic dysreflexia, post traumatic, syringomyelia, stroke and neuropathy are prone to night sweats, and they can also be caused by the medications taken to control these conditions.

Night sweats aren’t a condition that should worry you, but you need to find out its cause so as to avoid any complications that may arise later on.