You know those nights when you’re all tucked into bed, drifting off peacefully, then suddenly you wake up drenched in sweat?
It’s not even because of a bad dream or a suspicious noise. It’s not a hot night either, yet you find yourself sweating while sleeping — like you’ve run a marathon.
Ladies, meet your new uninvited bedfellow — menopause night sweats.
Yes, many women in midlife can relate to this! Night sweats do more than just interrupt your peaceful rest. They also sap the energy you’ve banked for the next day — leaving you feeling drained before the morning even starts!
But don’t fret… At least, not before you try making some lifestyle and diet changes!
There are natural ways to deal with menopause night sweats, including:
- Eating clean and going organic
- Choosing whole foods
- Checking food labels
- Hydrating properly
- Going slow on stimulants and processed drinks
- Using hormone-boosting herbs
- Staying active
- Managing stress
- Trying alternative therapies
- Supplementing with high-quality options
- Developing a positive mindset
Together, let’s uncover the potential causes of night sweats and let me share more tips on how to turn down the heat!
Table of Contents
Why Do I Experience Sweating While Sleeping?
Night sweats are episodes of mild to severe sweating that can soak your clothes and bedding. This is why I call night sweats the nocturnal twin of hot flashes!
Experts say about 85% of menopausal women experience sweating while sleeping. But why does this symptom happen?
Here are the common causes of menopause night sweats:
- Poor Diet: A diet rich in refined sugars and bad carbs spikes insulin and glucose levels. Sudden fluctuations in these metabolic hormones can, in turn, interfere with your body’s ability to regulate temperature! The spikes may also lead to a stress response, which potentially causes you to wake up sweaty.
Also, too much consumption of stimulants (like coffee, alcohol, spices and certain medications) is known to increase heart rate, blood pressure and temperature. These reactions stimulate the fight-or flight-response — which can lead to excessive sweating as the body tries to cool itself down!
- Nutrient Deficiencies: Vitamin B12, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin B, magnesium and potassium all help in temperature and hormone regulation.
Lacking these vitamins and minerals may lead to sweating while sleeping and cause sleep difficulties.
- Sedentary Lifestyle: Sitting in front of the computer all day or lacking enough daily movement can indirectly lead to night sweats. How so?
Well, a sedentary lifestyle is known to result in many things like hormonal imbalances, being overweight, stress, mood problems, anxiety and difficulty sleeping. These factors can all trigger menopause night sweats!
Physical activity is also needed for better blood circulation. Good cardiovascular health is essential in regulating body temperature! When your heart and blood vessels are not functioning optimally, your body may struggle with temperature regulation — leading to episodes of overheating.
- Toxin Overload: Here’s one nobody talks about enough. Our body has a natural detox system with the liver and kidneys as the top managers. When these organs are overwhelmed by toxins (from environmental pollutants, processed foods, home products and personal care items), they work harder to eliminate harmful substances. Night sweats can occur as part of this “clear out mission”!
That is why some women may experience increased sweating while sleeping. Although the body is in a state of rest, it is still working to repair and detoxify.
- Stress and Anxiety: Oh, this one. As if midlife didn’t already hand us enough…Stress and anxiety are commonly experienced in midlife, but they can affect more than just your emotional well-being. When you’re anxious or stressed, your body releases the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. Part of this stress response is the activation of the sweat glands — which elevates body temperature and triggers sweating to cool down!
Mood problems and chronic stress can also impact the function of the hypothalamus, which can result in night sweats.
- Overactive Thyroid: Thyroid problems are common in menopause because estrogen and progesterone (which are both fluctuating during midlife) directly affect thyroid function.
If you have an overactive thyroid or “hyperthyroidism”, you might notice a lot of sweating. This is because excessive thyroid hormones tend to speed up metabolism — and sweat is one of the by-products of metabolism.
Estrogen and progesterone are the key female hormones that influence how we feel throughout life. As we enter midlife, however, these two hormones start fluctuating. Get to know what factors affect hormonal fluctuations in midlife and learn great tips to achieve hormonal balance!
How Menopause Night Sweats Affect Midlife Women
Sweating while sleeping is a common experience for many women. But it’s more than just a “sweating problem” — it’s the start of a series of events!
You see, night sweats soak you, wake you up and affect sleep quality. You’re lucky if you don’t find it challenging to fall back asleep. But if you do, menopause nights sweats can truly make you feel tired and sleepy the next day! If this happens as a repeated cycle, you also become prone to fatigue and health issues.
Night sweats can cause emotional and mental mishaps, too. The sleepless nights can induce brain fog the next day, stress, anxiety, low sex drive and low motivation.
Indeed, menopause is full of surprises. Personally, I thought mood swings, anxiety and hot flashes were the end of my symptoms, but then night sweats came along. Today, I still experience sweating while sleeping from time to time, but I have a SECRET TIP that works wonders:
When I wake up all hot and sweaty, I pull my sheets away. I tell myself that it will only last for a minute or two. I don’t look at the time — THIS is my simple-but-magical trick. If I keep looking at the time, I notice that it only stresses me out and makes it harder to go back to sleep!
But with a proper diet, a healthier lifestyle, a positive mindset and a sleep-promoting environment, you can manage night sweats and continue living your best!
YES, it is possible to live midlife without experiencing night sweats and other discomforts. But you have to prioritize your health and well-being to achieve that!
Let’s dive into natural ways to manage these sleep thieves, shall we?
11 Natural Ways to Stop Sweating While Sleeping — and Wake Up Feeling Better!
From easy diet hacks to lifestyle tweaks, I’ve gathered effective strategies to keep you sweat-free all night long! Time to turn those soaked nights into a thing of the past and wake up feeling fresh and fab!
I know, I know — you’ve heard this before. But in menopause, what you eat shows up in your sleep faster than you’d think.
Here are natural ways to stop menopause night sweats:
- Eat clean, go organic!
As much as possible, choose natural and organic foods to avoid fake estrogens, also known as xenoestrogens. Highly processed foods are also known to be full of preservatives, toxins and pesticides — which can all disrupt hormonal balance and slow down bodily functions!
- Choose whole foods!
Instead of drinking apple juice, why not have the apple? Go green and eat real veggies and fruits!
Have more seafoods, fish rich in healthy fats and shellfish.
Fill your plate with more superfoods, nuts, seeds and berries.
Better yet, enjoy a big bowl of salad every day or a glass of healthy smoothie.
You’ll get more nutrients from these foods!
- Check food labels [Reading Food Labels — The Easiest Way to Lose Weight – My Menopause Journey]!
Among the things we have to spot and avoid from the ingredients list are high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), trans- and saturated fats, refined carbohydrates and monosodium glutamate (MSG).
NOTE: There are 60+ identified names for sugar. Be watchful of its aliases! 👇
Sugar and Menopause: 14 Reasons Why Women Should Avoid Sugar!
- Hydrate properly!
Lemon water, green tea, black tea and chamomile tea are my top go-to for detoxification and hydration!
- Go slow on stimulants and processed drinks!
Enjoy one or two cups of coffee, preferably in the morning. Alcohol is a real trigger for night sweats, so drink it only on rare occasions. Try to stay away from sugary drinks completely because they can wreak havoc on your entire system!
Need healthier alternatives for coffee? I got you! 👇
Coffee and Healthy Alternatives for Women Over 40
- Use adaptogenic and phytoestrogenic herbs!
Here are some herbs that may help with menopause night sweats:
→ Red Clover
→ Dong Quai
→ Sage
→ Ginseng
Enjoy their natural wonders!
- Stay active!
Exercise doesn’t have to be rigorous and complicated — especially when you have night sweats, hot flashes, high stress levels and adrenal fatigue! Overtraining will only strain your body even more and worsen symptoms.
Go for a walk, do simple stretches, take the stairs. Every movement counts!
If you’re used to exercising, strength training and shorter high-intensity exercises are great exercises too for overall midlife health!
- Manage stress!
Do mind-body activities like Yoga, Qigong, Pilates, Tai chi and meditation. They can all help you reduce stress and promote mindfulness!
Slow down, let go of things that aren’t good for your emotional well-being and find any activity that fosters inner peace!
- Try alternative therapies!
Aromatherapy, acupuncture and massages are excellent for relieving tension and stress! They relax your muscles and calm down your nerves. Pamper yourself — you deserve it!
- Supplement with high-quality options!
Getting nutrients from natural food sources will always be our top choice. But if you have to back up your system, a high-quality multivitamin with magnesium is always a good choice!
Want more supplement recommendations for midlife health? You’ll find them in my article! 👇
Vitamins and Minerals for Menopause
- Develop a positive mindset!
This one used to make me roll my eyes too. But stick with me.
Life can feel like an uphill battle sometimes. That’s why developing a positive mindset is so important, especially when we enter midlife!
When you’re embracing positivity, everything seems to fall into place, doesn’t it?
That’s because you release more feel-good hormones, such as serotonin, GABA, dopamine and endorphins! In the process of soothing you, these hormones calm the mind and relieve internal stress that might be causing your night sweats!
Quick Relief Tips for Menopause Night Sweats
Looking into your diet, activities and overall lifestyle are your best initial steps for relieving menopause night sweats. Once you have established a balanced routine, you can also do simple tweaks in your home and environment!
Try these quick relief tips for menopause night sweats:
- Keep the room cool. The National Sleep Foundation says 60°F to 67°F (15.5°C to 19.4°C) is the optimal bedroom temperature for a restful sleep!
- Take a refreshing shower an hour or two before bedtime. It soothes the mind and lowers your body temperature!
- Do something relaxing before going to bed. Meditate, do some journaling, try deep breathing or make use of essential oils!
- Drink up. Drink 1-2 glasses of lukewarm water before bed. Why lukewarm? Many of us love to drink cold water, but it can actually make the body work (to warm the water and match your temperature)!
- Wear lightweight clothes made of 100% cotton. Breathable, natural fibers are best because they release heat better!
- Choose a cooling mattress. Innerspring, hybrid and memory foam are known to dissipate heat really well!
- Use all-natural fibers. Linens, pillows and bed covers feel better when they are all-natural and have a medium thread count of 300 to 400!
- Use a bedside fan for that extra pump of air! You can also use a cooling fan for your bed. It efficiently wicks body heat and moisture! Not to mention the convenience as you can control it through your phone!
Still waking up hot some nights? Me too, honestly. But it gets better — especially once you start listening to what your body’s trying to tell you.
Drop your best cooling trick in the comments below. I read every single one.
References:
drmache.com/some-night-sweats-arent-due-to-menopause/
my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/16562-night-sweats-and-womens-health
osteopathic.org/what-is-osteopathic-medicine/night-sweats/
nia.nih.gov/health/hot-flashes-what-can-i-do
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3085137/
sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160713152157.htm
menopause.org.au/hp/information-sheets/734-complementary-and-herbal-therapies-for-hot-flushes
ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(07)00298-0/fulltext
Gita is the founder of My Menopause Journey. Since 2014, she has been supporting midlife women by sharing hard-earned learnings from her own experience. To advance her knowledge, Gita puts a lot of her time and effort into understanding the broad spectrum of women’s health. She immerses in extensive research about the physical, mental and emotional aspects of menopause. Gita believes in the life-changing power of healthy, holistic living — this is where she anchors her message to all women. Learn more about her marvelous mission in About us - My Menopause Journey.
