Night sweats are not just associated with women, men experience them also. Night sweats in women are generally associated with hormonal changes. While men also go through testosterone changes that can be responsible for slight night sweats, there are other reasons why night sweats men are also disruptive.
Some causes that night sweats don’t give men a good night’s sleep can be benign or not. Other stressors can include stress, dietary issues, or environmental causes.
- Diet: food triggers like caffeine, alcohol, high-carb foods, spicy foods, or smoking can cause night sweats in men, especially when they are eaten right before you go to bed. Many foods that trigger sweats affect the parotid gland that alerts your sweat glands which are the body’s cooling system.
- Bedding: many night sweats for men are part of the benign environment. This is due to changes in the body’s temperature as a result of a room’s temperature being too hot, mattresses emitting heat, and many bedding covering. Simply make your bed cooler by lying down on breathable bedding and also wear light breathable fabrics next to your body.
- Andropause: men who are over 40 experience a form of menopause in women. Andropause or low “T” is also a hormonal imbalance, but in men, night sweats can occur as well as hot flashes. Male andropause is a normal aging process and commonly occurs in men after age 40, but have occasionally effected men in their 30s. There are great innovative therapies and treatments to combat this problem and giving men more confidence.
- Stress: stress during the night can cause sweat ranging from slight, moderate, intense or severe. Stress night sweats come in waves with results in the body that includes raising your metabolism, respiration rates, and sweaty perspiration. Worrying as you are lying down triggers a stress response causing night sweats. Before you lie down, put in some activity or an exercise like yoga, meditation, or walking.
- Medical: if night sweats are a regular event, make sure that you see a doctor. Night sweats can occur due to an infection. Unfortunately, there have been infections associated with night sweats in men that have included HIV, tuberculosis, heart issues, IBS, and diabetes. Strokes, sleep apnea, and certain cancer diseases can be a medical warning of their diagnosis. Certain prescription medications also identify night sweats as a side effect. Many medications with side effects of night sweats(diabetic drugs, antidepressant drugs, pain relievers, steroids, etc.) is a normal symptom that doctors can help you with.
- Obesity: night sweats are just one common symptom for men who are overweight. The body is transformed into an insulator that holds fat when there is extra fat on the body causing night sweats.
- Caffeine: A caffeinated alcoholic drink or caffeinated alcoholic beverage is a drink that contains both alcohol (also known formally as ethanol) and caffeine. Also, coffee and caffeinated beverages can trigger night sweats when taken before bedtime. Caffeine is a stimulant that triggers various reactions in the nervous system that includes raising your blood pressure, increasing your heart rate, and triggering the sweat glands.
- Alcohol/Drug Withdrawals: Going through withdrawals symptoms from alcoholism or drug addictions is terrifying but it also carries symptoms like excessive sweating which is the least of the problems. There is an excessive sweating condition known as “hyperhidrosis.” Sweating, however, occurs throughout the day and the night when a person is fighting withdrawal symptoms.
Night Sweats Are Treatable
The treatment of night sweats depends on the causes that are identified above. Thanks to innovative medical solutions, there are varied treatments to end or reduce night sweats in men. Night sweats affect around 3% of the U.S. population, but thankfully not all sweats are caused by severe medical issues. Research and medical studies are still underway to identify more definitively the exact causes of night sweats in men. However, just to be certain, talk to your physician to succinctly identify the root cause. There are oral medications that take care of the prescribed treatments. But you can also go back to the older route of simply changing your diet to allow for dryer clothing at night and overall better sleeping experience.