Why do I wake up drenched in sweat?

[astrid]

Lately, about four mornings out of five I wake up when the alarm goes off, drenched in sweat, with the bedclothes so damp I can't make the bed-- I leave it all turned back so it will air out! ICK!

 

Our bedroom is cold, actually, and I'm always cold when I go to bed. We sleep in cotton sheets, with a down comforter in a duvet cover over us. I wear a cotton T-shirt type night gown.

 

I'm not sick, no fever, nothing. And I don't wake up feeling overheated at night. I just wake up naturally in the morning or with the alarm and am drenched.

 

I'm only 40, so I doubt it's perimenopause, though I can't be sure because I've had a prolactinoma (pituitary gland tumor) for years so I haven't menstruated in all that time. I suppose that could have something to do with it, though it's a recent development. I don't have any sort of hot flashes during the day.

 

Anyone else have this happen to them?

 

 

astrid

[believe in miracles]

I have the same problem with our down comforter. It is way to warm! I now just wear regular pj bottoms with a t-shirt and only a sheet over me so that I don't sweat.

[Starr]

It sounds like a hot flash to me. Not fun.

[Lovin Learnin]

It could be hormonal, but when my husband did this he was tested for and diagnosed with sleep apnea. Ask your husband if you snore badly or periodically stop breathing.

[mom2jjka]

Night sweats can be hormonal, or they can also be a symptom of more serious illnesses. I would definitely mention it to your doctor. Also some medications can cause you to sweat at night.

[astrid]

Hmmm...I should have added to my post that I take no medications, and I don't have sleep apnea, though dh just had a sleep study and has been on a CPAP for 2 months. He's fine, though.

 

And we've had the same duvet for years.

 

I don't feel hot, I don't feel anything, really-- I"m just asleep. And then I wake up in a sweat slick. ICK!

 

weird...

astrid

[MamaBearTeacher]

Which illnesses?

[Tap]

Mayoclinic info on night sweats

[tenoraddict]

Sorry to say, but 40 is not too young for perimenopause. Additionally, if you've had unexpected weight loss lately, combined with the night sweats, you'll want to run, not walk, to the Dr. My mom was misdiagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease for a year, and her only symptoms were night sweats, weight loss, and a dry cough.

[Michelle O. in MO]

I'm 43yo, and I've been struggling with the same thing for the past 2 1/2 years. I'll get up in the middle of the night and change my clothes because they're soaking wet. I found out my thyroid was not working right, fixed that then checked my hormone levels and they were all normal. I've noticed that the sweating really kicks in about 5-7 days before my period. I know you said you're not menstruating, but do you still have hormone fluctuations throughout the month? Maybe this is contributing in some form. If you figure it out, let me know.

[pooh bear]

I'm only 40, so I doubt it's perimenopause, though I can't be sure because I've had a prolactinoma (pituitary gland tumor) for years so I haven't menstruated in all that time. I suppose that could have something to do with it, though it's a recent development. I don't have any sort of hot flashes during the day.

 

Anyone else have this happen to them?

 

 

astrid

 

 

I'm almost 33 and I am officially in perimenopause. It's not fun, let me tell you.

 

Night sweats, hot flashes during the day, crazy periods, weight gain and a whole host of other fun things. :tongue_smilie:

 

So you could be starting perimenopause.

[jenL]

I'm 36, and I've been dealing with this for over 6 months now. My thyroid has been checked, received a clean bill of health in other areas. My ob/gyn thinks it's related to hormones, so I've been on birth control for 3 months (also to help extremely heavy periods). I'm still waking up drenched most nights. I was actually thinking this morning that I should call my dr. again to see what's happening to me. I asked if I could be perimenopausal, and she said she doubted it due to my family history. I'm not convinced, however.

[LauraGB]

I'm 37 and I have had symptoms of perimenopause for at least 2 years. :glare: The night sweat thing has been happening for about the past year; nearly every night, at least once, sometimes more often. I'm completely convinced it is hormonal (in my case).

[Remudamom]

Hot flash, hot flash. I've had them for a loooooooooong time. I keep a little four inch fan plugged in and on my bedside table. Hot flash comes, I turn it on me, fall back asleep, later on I turn it off. I have to have that thing.

[cjzimmer1]

This has always been one of my early signs of pregnancy, shows up even before the tests shows positive and lasts for several months. Not that this would be the case for you based on what you described but I thought I'd throw the idea out there just in case.

[PiCO]

Which illnesses?

 

Here's a link from Web MD

[astrid]

But see, that's just it.....I don't FEEL hot. OUr bedroom is very cool. If anything, I'm always chilly when I go to bed. I'm not awakened during the night by overheating, and in fact I sleep quite soundly. I just wake up in pool of sweat. No recent weight loss, (God don't I wish!) no medications, really NO hormonal fluctuations that I've been able to tell in the past 8 years that I've had the prolactinoma.

 

Shrug. Weird.

 

astrid

[Suzanne in ABQ]

Yup. I don't get "night sweats", but I get hot flashes every morning. Sometimes, it's earlier than I want to wake up, but I can't get back to sleep afterward.

 

Oh, and perimenopause can start 10 to 15 years before menopause, so you're right in the "zone".

 

Welcome! :)

Edited March 3, 2010 by Suzanne in ABQ

[Alyeska]

I was waking up drenched with no other symptoms and it turned out my thyroid meds needed adjusted.

 

It could be your pituitary gland again...and the pituitary gland does affect the thyroid too.

 

Maybe you should have some blood work done.

[Lovedtodeath]

I was going to guess your pituitart before you mentioned it... It was discovered that my last bout with the flu whacked mine back out.

[Colleen]

 

Lately, about four mornings out of five I wake up when the alarm goes off, drenched in sweat, with the bedclothes so damp I can't make the bed-- I leave it all turned back so it will air out! ICK!...Anyone else have this happen to them?

Right there with you sister ~ and "ICK!" is right. I've been dealing with this for the past year or so. Like you, I'm not (yet) dealing with hot flashes, per se, and am not the least bit hot when I go to sleep or wake up. But ewwww!!! there are mornings when I'm totally soaked. As in, take a shower, strip the bed, and wash the sheets ~ including the mattress cover. It's gross. In my case, I'm convinced it's perimenopause. I'm 41 (as of today ~ well, yesterday), and nope, it's not too early. I know for sure my mom was dealing with it at this age. We've got years of fun ahead of us. Blah!

 

[Starr]

Woman are not warm all the time during menopause. I go to bed with a down comforter and sock and pjs but by morning the socks are off and the blanket has been on and off. I don't get night sweats which is what yours sound like and yes there are a couple of different things that could cause them. You won't know for sure unless you see a doctor.

[Saille]

I'm 36, and I'm having the same thing. It did coincide with getting a down comforter, but I'm also noticing *strong* mood swings right before my period, which has gotten more...extreme. I've been wondering about perimenopause, as well.

[unsinkable]

This happens to me but I think it is because I go to bed in a cold room, cover up with a ton of blankets to be warm and then the heat comes on sometime in the middle of the night.

 

So I start to sweat under all the blankets and I don't wake up again until the heat has gone off and I am chilled b/c I am soaking wet in a cold room. I change my pj's, cover up again and try to go back to sleep.

 

JMO

[Chrystal]

Sorry to say, but 40 is not too young for perimenopause. Additionally, if you've had unexpected weight loss lately, combined with the night sweats, you'll want to run, not walk, to the Dr. My mom was misdiagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease for a year, and her only symptoms were night sweats, weight loss, and a dry cough.

 

:iagree:sorry. Perimenopause can last 10 years or more before the onset of menopause. Don't you just love it?:tongue_smilie:

[sheryl]

It sounds like a hot flash to me. Not fun.

 

 

 

:iagree:

[Wyndie]

I'll share my experience with you, fwiw.

 

My son, when he was much younger, used to wake up in drenching sweat. We changed his diet and that stopped. He still has the exact same comforter, sleeps in the same type night clothes, but the sweat stopped. Gluten was the culprit.

 

I am very intuned with how food makes me feel and the nights I have the drenching sweat is directly connected to what I ate that day. I do not tolerate gluten well and my body does a "mini-detox" if I eat it, making me sweat like a pig while I sleep. We have both found that food is the cause of our night sweats.

 

Not saying food is the cause for you but it might be worth looking into.

[lisamarie]

It happens to me as well and I am only 31. It's happened off and on over the last 2 years. And I just had a full blood work-up for my annual physical and nothing came back. My hormones were fine (I was starting to wonder) and my thyroid was fine. Very annoying and it makes the sheets stink. Off to check out those links to see if I can find anything that it might be. Oh, and I don't snore or stop breathing. But DH says I toss and turn alot. Maybe related?

[Ame E.]

Hope you get to the root of the problem, and that everything turns out okay.

 

I have been suffering from hot flashes this year... but I'm 53, and my periods have stopped. I also have diabetes...so when I wake up all sweaty and gross, if my blood sugar is normal, I know it's a hot flash.

 

This too shall pass.

 

Ame

[Amy loves Bud]

I am always freezing when I go to bed. Bud can barely stand me to touch him because my hands are so cold. I like to stick my hands under him to warm them up. :D

 

I started with the night sweats at 36. I'll be 43 this month. I had a reprieve while I was pregnant and nursing from 39-41.Once I started paying attention I realized that it always happens starting about 5-7 days before my cycle, then it stops until the next month.

 

When I'm very good about my diet and keep away from most highly processed foods, particularly flour, they are much less severe.

 

The others are right, that night sweats can be a symptom of some serious problems, so it's worthwhile to see your doc and have some labs run, but otherwise it's probably hormonal.

[unsinkable]

Do any of you think it could just be a case of the furnace going off and on? Like I wrote in my post?

[Tammyla]

Night sweats are not hot-flashes, but they are both icky.

 

It could be something else, but for many of us...that's life.

 

:grouphug:

[LBS]

I vote for the perimenopause. One of the hardest challenges of menopause, was the fact that perimenopause snuck up on me (had a baby at 40 and nursed till about 42, then lost Dad....spiral of large life changes, kept me out of touch with my own body chemistry and emotions).

 

If it is something else, your doc will diagnose, I hope, and if its perimenopause, you may have to start reading and help yourself. That's a whole nother discussion, however I would suggest you think about this: sometimes odd allergic reactions crop up, at odd times in your life, and if, for instance, you have any feathers in your bedding, that may be something to consider changing out for a test. Something about your husband's sleep apnea eqipment, may bother you?

 

For today, though, the first best thing you can do to get yourself comfortable is to get the fan. Go get the stand fan from Costco with the remote control....it makes nice white noise, and has three speeds, and you can put it about 8 feet from you....makes a nice breeze, and when you throw the covers off, you get cool enough to cover back up. The annoying covers off/covers on thing will become part of your life, possibly, with perimenopause. We keep our house pretty cool at night, so have two comforters, and I'm adjusting those all night sometimes.

 

Good luck,

LBS

[MamaT]

I started having night sweats at 40. My nurse practitioner told me it was perimenopause. That would be my guess, but you should probably see your doctor to rule out other causes.

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

I could be a number of things. Have you seen an endocronologist? It sounds hormonal, but I would get a good check-up. Have you had blood work lately? I also would have a TB screen just in case as well which really is a good idea for everyone to periodically receive IMHO.