From the Guidelines
Night sweats are characterized by excessive sweating during sleep that soaks through nightclothes and bedding, even in a cool room, and to determine if you're experiencing them, consider the severity and accompanying symptoms like fever, weight loss, or fatigue. To decide if you're having night sweats, consider the following factors:
- Severity: Night sweats typically drench your clothes and sheets, requiring you to change them 1.
- Room temperature: If you're sweating heavily despite a comfortable environment, this suggests night sweats.
- Timing: Night sweats occur during sleep and aren't related to an overheated bedroom.
- Accompanying symptoms: Fever, weight loss, or fatigue may indicate an underlying medical condition. Night sweats differ from normal nighttime sweating, which is usually mild and often explained by environmental factors like heavy bedding or warm pajamas. Some key points to consider when assessing night sweats include:
- Assessing menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness, as outlined in the guidelines for assessing and managing menopausal symptoms after breast cancer 1.
- Establishing what the patient wants from intervention and treating the underlying cause of night sweats. If you're regularly waking up with drenched clothing and sheets, especially with other concerning symptoms, it's advisable to consult a healthcare provider as night sweats can be a symptom of various conditions including infections, hormonal disorders, certain medications, or menopause 1.
From the Research
Determining Night Sweats
To determine if they are experiencing night sweats, patients should consider the following factors:
- A thorough medical history and physical examination to identify potential underlying causes 2, 3
- Laboratory and radiographic studies, such as a complete blood count, tuberculosis testing, thyroid-stimulating hormone levels, HIV testing, and chest radiography, to rule out serious conditions 2, 3
- The presence of other symptoms, such as fever, weight loss, or fatigue, which could indicate a more serious underlying condition 2, 4
Common Causes of Night Sweats
Some common causes of night sweats include:
- Menopause 4, 3
- Mood disorders 3
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease 2, 3
- Hyperthyroidism 2, 3
- Obesity 3
- Certain medications, such as antihypertensives and antipyretics 2
Diagnostic Evaluation
If a patient reports persistent night sweats, their physician may use a systematic and cost-conscious approach to evaluate the cause, including: