Night sweats and menopause: what you need to know

Oestrogen plays an important role in regulating body temperature. When you approach menopause and your oestrogen levels start to decline, your brain can get a signal that you're too hot (even though you're not). This initiates an intense cooling response, causing your blood vessels to widen and you to start sweating profusely.  

It's basically the same process as with hot flashes. If hot flashes accompany the menopausal transition and occur at night and cause sweating, they are called night sweats. These nocturnal hot flashes can be particularly disruptive to sleep and affect how you feel during the day, creating a vicious cycle that can be challenging to break. But it can be done! 

Hormonal changes can also trigger a variety of menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes, sleep problems and mood swings.

Night sweats and hot flashes are two of the most common symptoms associated with the menopausal transition. They can happen at any time of the day or night, and usually pass after a few minutes. Now a few minutes may not seem like much, but it can be enough to have you tossing and turning for the rest of the night. 

About 80 percent of menopausal women experience night sweats in varying duration, frequency and intensity, particularly during perimenopause. Around menopause, only 50 percent of women suffer from them, although they can be more severe. For most women, night sweats go away after the menopause and don’t linger into postmenopause.  

Many women suffer from night sweats, but you don't have to take them lying down (and drenched in sweat). Stand up and fight back, ladies! Hot flashes and night sweats can be managed effectively with diet, lifestyle and medication. 

Various lifestyle adjustments are known to reduce hot flashes (as well as other menopausal symptoms). Here are some helpful tips. 

• When you wake up at night drenched in sweat, stay calm and focus on your breathing. Breathe in slowly through your nose and out through your mouth. This reduces the stress response in your body and calms hot flashes.  
• Try to avoid triggers as much as possible. Alcohol, spicy foods, sugar, coffee and other products containing caffeine disrupt your body temperature and can trigger night sweats. The same goes for smoking and stress.   
• Regular exercise helps reduce symptoms. Go for medium-impact sports (i.e., no high-intensity training), such as jogging, CrossFit workouts or Pilates. An added bonus is that exercise has also been proven to improve sleep.  
• Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. If you sweat excessively at night, you are likely dehydrated when you wake up.  
• Are night sweats keeping you awake at night? Consult a menopause specialist to find out what you can do to wake up fresh and rested – literally and figuratively.