Night sweats

What are night sweats?

Night sweats refer to excessive sweating during sleep. They involve drenching sweats that require changing clothes or bedsheets, unlike minor sweating at night which is normal.

What causes night sweats?

There are several potential causes of night sweats to be aware of:

• Menopause - Hormonal changes and dropping estrogen levels during menopause or perimenopause often trigger hot flashes and night sweats in women. If you're going through "the change", talk to your doctor about relief options. Balance Health Clinic has great bioidentical hormone therapy programs tailored to relieve menopause symptoms like night sweats.


• Medications - Certain medications like antidepressants or diabetes drugs can cause sweating as a side effect.


• Hypoglycemia - Low blood sugar levels at night can trigger excessive sweating.


• Infections - Fevers and infections like TB can also lead to drenching night sweats.


• Cancers - Night sweats are an early symptom of lymphomas and leukemias in some cases. See your doctor if you have persistent night sweats without an obvious cause.


• Idiopathic - Sometimes the cause of night sweats is unknown even after evaluation. These are termed "idiopathic night sweats".

How are night sweats diagnosed?

See your doctor if you have repeated episodes of severe night sweats. Your physician will review your medical history and medications, perform a physical exam, and order blood tests to check for infection, diabetes or hormone imbalance. Sometimes doctors order imaging or bone marrow tests to rule out cancers depending on risk factors and sweating severity. Diagnosing the cause is key to treating night sweats.

I hope this overview on night sweats was helpful! Let me know if you have any other questions. Balance Health Clinic also offers customized treatment plans for night sweats during menopause or perimenopause, including bioidentical hormones. Check out their site at for more information!