Tired of Waking up Drenched in Sweat? Here’s How To Stop Night Sweats and Block Them From Returning
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Waking up in the middle of the night flushed and drenched with sweat is, unfortunately, one of the most common symptoms of menopause. If you’re roused from your slumber while sweating at night, there are lots of things you can do to get relief. Read on for tips on how to stop night sweats in their tracks, plus tips and tricks to help block them from coming back.
What are 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,” Lauren Streicher, MD, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, IL and the author of Hot Flash Hell: A Gynecologist’s Guide to Turning Down the Heat.
Night sweats are a common complaint: Up to 80 percent of menopausal women experience night sweats, says Dr. Streicher, who is also the host of Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information Podcast: Menopause, Midlife, and More.
And they don’t necessarily subside once you’re over the perimenopause hump. “There’s a myth that hot flashes aren’t going to last very long,” she adds. “But on average, women can get hot flashes for about seven years.”
While it’s not completely clear why they happen, a common cause of night sweats may have to do with how lower estrogen levels can affect how the brain perceives temperature.
“There’s an area in the brain that acts as an internal thermostat, and if you’re not producing enough estrogen, this thermostat malfunctions,” explains Dr. Streicher. “Essentially, your body’s thermostat is broken, and it thinks it has to heat up when it doesn’t.”
How to stop night sweats in the moment
When the night sweats strike, you want to cool off ASAP. Besides throwing off the covers or taking off your pj’s, there are other effective ways to chill out on the spot. Here are three ways to get relief from night sweats fast:
1. Turn on a fan
Having a fan by your bed or running an overhead ceiling fan can cool you down quickly. The dry air from the fan works to evaporate sweat from skin, according to a study review in The Lancet Planetary Health.
Along with a working fan, keep your A/C on in the bedroom in the summer, or open the windows during cooler months for a more comfortable sleeping environment.
2. Sip cool water
Drinking some cold H2O can do more than quench your thirst. “Cold water can lower body temperature slightly, which can help if you’re experiencing a hot flash in the moment,” says Mindy Goldman, MD, a clinical professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology and reproductive sciences at the University of California San Francisco, and chief clinical officer for Midi Health, a virtual care clinic for women at midlife.
3. Grab a cold compress
Applying an ice pack or cold compress to your forehead, back of your neck or cheeks can be a fast fix for easing night sweats.
“You can also apply ice cubes to a pulse point, such as your wrists, to help ease the sensations of a hot flash,” says Alexandra H. Woolley, MSN, CNM, a women’s health nurse practitioner at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medicine Center in Lebanon, NH, and an instructor in obstetrics and gynecology at Dartmouth College’s Geisel School of Medicine.
Other pulse points include your temples, ankles, chest, behind your knee and the sides of your neck. Or you can try placing a cold pack underneath your pillow. When you’re experiencing night sweats, simply flip the pillow over for refreshing relief.
How to help prevent night sweats in the future
The first line of treatment to help stop hot flashes and night sweats is often hormone replacement therapy (HRT). “Hormone replacement therapy is statistically your most effective option and the quickest and most reliable path to symptom improvement,” says Dr. Goldman.
But if you’re unable to take HRT or not yet ready to try it, there are natural remedies that can help stop night sweats. Here are four smart options:
1. Try a S-equol supplement
“While about 90 percent of the supplements sold to help with hot flashes don’t do anything beyond a short term placebo effect, one supplement, S-equol, has been shown to help,” Dr. Streicher says. “S-equol has a similar molecular structure to estrogen, and is a good option for someone who wants to try a non-hormonal, over the counter option.”
Why? “S-equol contains the metabolite, or breakdown product, of soy which is believed to be responsible for alleviating hot flashes,” she says. “That’s important because not all women are able to metabolize soy [found in other products] to the active metabolite and therefore do not get any benefit.”
If you decide to try S-equol, keep in mind S-equol isn’t going to eliminate moderate to severe hot flashes. It may only make them milder and more tolerable, advises Dr. Streicher. You can try Equelle, which is currently the only supplement containing S-equol.
2. Eat plant-based foods
“Consuming foods high in phytoestrogens, plant compounds with structures similar to estrogen, may help diminish hot flashes,” says Dr. Goldman. “These foods include flax seeds, soybeans, edamame and dried fruits such as dates, prunes and apricots.”
One study in Menopause found post-menopausal women who ate a low-fat, vegan diet, including ? cup (86 g) of cooked soybeans daily over the course of 12 weeks, experienced a 79 percent decrease in hot flashes.
3. Consider acupuncture
Research has shown acupuncture can help improve menopausal night sweats. In fact, a study in BMJ Open found women who received acupuncture once a week for six weeks experienced a significant drop in both daytime and nighttime hot flashes, overall general sweating and menopause-related sleep issues.
Acupuncture can work quickly, too. The study participants started seeing a decrease in their hot flashes as soon as the third week of treatment.
4. Practice deep breathing
Paced, slow breathing not only keeps you relaxed and calm. It can also decrease your risk of experiencing a hot flash.
A study in the Egyptian Journal of Health Care found over the course of three weeks, postmenopausal women who did paced diaphragmatic breathing for 15 minutes twice daily, and as soon as they experienced a hot flash, had more than a 50 percent decrease in hot flash frequency and a nearly 67 percent decrease in the severity of their hot flashes.
One potential explanation is that slower breathing aids in alleviating anxiety and stress, both of which can increase during menopause and raise your body temperature. Check out the video below for a quick how-to on paced breathing:
More ways to sleep soundly during menopause:
It’s Not Your Imagination: Hot Flashes Are Worse at Night — Here’s Why + the Easy Fixes
Waking Up in The Middle of The Night? Here’s How to Get Back to Sleep
This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. Always consult your physician before pursuing any treatment plan.
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