With the warmer weather, a lot of us are waking up in the middle of the night hot, and sweating-especially if we’re lacking an air conditioner! But if you’ve got cancer, you may be experiencing true night sweats-severe hot-flash type sweating that drenches sleepwear and sheets, may be accompanied by a flushing sensation or chills, and isn’t related to an overheated environment.
“My husband has a Non-Hodgkins Lympoma,” says caregiver mickigirl, “and he has had 3 chemos so far. He is still getting the night sweats though, and we thought they’d be gone by now.”
“I am just curious if anyone knows what exactly is it about cancer that causes night sweats?” says fighter Terri. “I have had them on & off for many years & kinda thought it was due to pre menopause or something. Now that I have been diagnosed with cancer, I feel it might be because of cancer, not exactly sure.”
If you’re suffering from night sweats as a side effect of cancer or cancer treatment, you’re not crazy. Medically termed “nocturnal hyperhydrosis,” night sweats can be caused by Hodgkin’s disease or other forms of cancer. “Night sweats are an early symptom of some cancers,” says webmd.com. “The most common type…is lymphoma.” Breast-cancer drugs like tamoxifen, as well as certain types of chemotherapy (if they drain the body of estrogen) can bring on menopausal symptoms like night sweats as well.
Scientists aren’t sure what causes night sweats, but speculate that cancer cells release certain hormones during sleep that trigger the reaction. Medications can also interfere with the body’s natural temperature regulation.
“My sister is going through chemo,” says caregiver livinlouder, “and although the nausea was not as profound this time thanks to the meds, her night sweats are terrible. She has to change several times during the night, and the mattress and bed clothes are soaked.”
If you’re suffering this side effect, what to do? First of all, if you haven’t been diagnosed with cancer, check with your doctor about your symptoms. Night sweats can indicate cancer, but can also be a sign of many other health problems, including menopause, hypoglycemia, HIV, hormone disorders, infections, neurological conditions, and more. If it’s possible you’re experiencing menopausal symptoms as a side effect of cancer treatment, your doctor may have medications to help.
Change your sleepwear to something made of a moisture-wicking material, like Cooljamaz sleep wear or Wickers underwear. You may want to consider sage tea before bedtime (find the recipe on this link). A 2005 study found that sage and alfalfa reduced hot flushes by 60% compared to a placebo. Acupuncturist John Richard Roberts suggests you avoid caffeine or alcohol for about 3 hours before bed, cut down on spicy foods, keep your bedroom cool (consider a fan near the bed), drink water if and when you do wake up, and incorporate a relaxing routine at night that includes meditation and deep breathing or yoga (not vigorous exercise). Speaking of acupuncture, former Prevention alternative-medicine editor Sara Altshul recommends it for relief, based on research showing its ability to reduce hot flashes.
Finally, an interesting product you may want to try-the Bedfan. It’s a little gadget that sits at the foot of your bed and provides a breeze between your sheets and along your body.
Do you have any ideas on relieving night sweats? Please share them with us.
Photo courtesy of fruitbat20 via Flickr.com.
Nothing is worse than waking up dripping wet. I have experience with a great product and I wanted to share it with those interested. It’s called Perspiration Block. It’s an herbal supplement made of Sage, Nettle, Melissa, and Horsetail. I’ve been using it for the past couple of months and it has relieved my night time sweating. I’m not making any claims, but it’s worth looking at. http://www.perspirationblock.com
Hi, CJ. Thanks for writing in. You’re right, of course. Several different illnesses can cause night sweats, but here on this blog, we focus on serving our cancer community, as well as those with all types of compromised skin. We don’t pretend to be a total medical care site.
We respectfully disagree with your statement that we mislead people into thinking the only way to have night sweats is if the room is hot. On the contrary, we said that in the middle of the summer many people wake up hot and sweating, particularly if they don’t have an air conditioner, but IF they have cancer, they MAY be experiencing true night sweats. Our goal here is to help people with cancer who are experiencing this side effect to realize that it is a normal side effect, and to give them ways to deal with it.
As to the comment about scientists, it’s true that they aren’t sure what causes night sweats, and it’s true that they theorize that hormones may be to blame. Yes, scientists speculate many things, but these are the current scientific theories related to night sweats experienced by those with cancer.
Your main criticism seems to be that we post only the speculation that applies to our blog topic. I agree with you—we did focus in on scientific theories related to night sweats experienced during cancer. We simply don’t have the room in one post to cover every possible reason why someone may be experiencing night sweats, or every single scientific theory behind the phenomenon. Cinco Vidas is focused on serving those with cancer and those with compromised skin. Please see other main medical health sites—like the Mayo Clinic, for example—for additional information on other types of night sweats. Best wishes!
The first line should state that night sweats are caused by a number of different illnesses. It’s misleading to some people because they may google night sweats and think that only cancer and chemo therapy could be causes. The way the first paragraph makes it sound, it’s as if the only other way to have night sweats is if the room is hot. So people probably read this blog and freak out and immediately leave to check to see what other causes of night sweats could be, so you probably have a very high bounce rate. Every paragraph in this article is misleading:
“Scientists aren’t sure what causes night sweats, but speculate that cancer cells release certain hormones during sleep that trigger the reaction. Medications can also interfere with the body’s natural temperature regulation.”
Not true, Scientists speculate many thing. You just post the one speculation that applies to your blog’s topic. It’s unfair to people searching the internet and trying not to get too freaked out about things. You are morally obligated to make it clear that there are a number of reasons for night sweats, many of which are not serious causes. I don’t expect you to approve this comment or refrain from deleting it, but this message isn’t for your readers, it’s for you. Time to get more moral and consider the feelings of others.