Why do I wake up drenched in sweat at night?
Sort the room from the body first: heavy duvets, warm rooms and evening alcohol produce most damp nights. True night sweats soak nightwear and sheets despite a cool room.
The common medical drivers: menopause and perimenopause, low blood sugar dips in treated diabetics, some antidepressants and other medicines, alcohol, anxiety dreams, sleep apnea, and infections.
Drenching sweats that persist beyond a few weeks, or travel with fever, weight loss or swollen glands, earn blood tests and a proper review rather than another mattress protector. Keep a two week log; patterns diagnose.
Source: NHS, night sweats
See a doctor promptly if
- Sweats that soak nightclothes or sheets most nights for more than two weeks
- Night sweats with unintentional weight loss or persistent fever
- Night sweats with a cough lasting over two weeks, or with new lumps in the neck, armpit or groin
Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS · How we review
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