Waking up drenched, kicking off the covers, flipping the pillow to the cool side—if that sounds like your 3 a.m. reality, you’re far from alone. Up to 80 percent of menopausal women experience night sweats, and on average they can last about seven years, according to Lauren Streicher, MD, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. But you don’t have to just ride it out. Here’s what’s really behind those middle-of-the-night flare-ups—and how to prevent night sweats from stealing another night of rest.
What causes night sweats?
“A night sweat is a hot flash that happens at night. There’s no difference except the time of the day it occurs,” Dr. Streicher explains.
The most common cause of night sweats traces back to shifting hormones. “There’s an area in the brain that acts as an internal thermostat, and if you’re not producing enough estrogen, this thermostat malfunctions,” she says. “Essentially, your body’s thermostat is broken, and it thinks it has to heat up when it doesn’t.”
Read Full Article Here
