Night sweats are the nighttime equivalent of the daytime hot flashes. As the name suggests, night sweats may be accompanied by profuse sweating. If you have ever been awakened by a night sweat, you will understand how truly annoying and sleep-depriving they can be. You may feel your heart racing, you may feel a cascading warmth or hotness from your head and face, and moving down to your neck and chest. Your arms as well, may feel hot and sweaty.
The hormonal changes experienced during menopause are believed to be the cause of this discomfort, especially with the falling levels of estrogen. At night, estrogen levels are lower anyway, so this can compound the problem.
Not all women will experience all the symptoms of menopause, but many will. Often these symptoms can last over a period of several years, and sometimes over a period of 10 years.
Many groups that advocate for women’s issues recommend a night sweats natural cure rather than the synthetic hormone replacement therapy. Natural cures do not have the associated risks, such as endometrial cancer, and natural cures also do not have the annoying side effects of the HRT (hormone replacement therapy.)
There are some known factors which increase the frequency and severity of night sweats. Avoiding the following during the day should help you lessen the intensity of the night sweats. Results will vary for each individual. If you find this does not help significantly, then pursuing a night sweats natural cure will still be your best bet. Here they are:
Triggers for night sweats (avoid these):
Spicy foods
Hot weather
Intense exercise
Hot drinks
Hot tubs; saunas
Acidic foods (pickles in vinegar, citrus fruits)
Tobacco, marijuana
Anger, stress
White sugar
Caffeine
Alcohol
Unfortunately, the list goes on. The above list is not all-inclusive.
