Sweating during sleep certainly causes discomfort. Knowing how to get rid of the heat at night will really help you get a good night’s sleep.
Table of Content
1. Causes of heat at night
2. How to get rid of the heat at night
The heat at night causes discomfort when you wake up in the morning. Clothes, bed linen, pillows, and bolsters are wet with sweat. According to Yahoo Causes Sleep Sweating?
Bad odors, germs and bacteria will also accumulate in the pillow and bed linen area. In addition to being uncomfortable, overheating during sleep can also indicate a medical condition associated with certain diseases.
Before knowing how to get rid of the heat at night, you first need to understand the causes of overheating and sweating at bedtime. Check out the full discussion below.
Causes of heat at night
Although the air temperature at night tends to be lower than during the day, some people still feel hot while sleeping. There are various reasons why you feel hot while sleeping, namely:
1. Room temperature is too high
If you feel hot at night, it could be because the room temperature is too warm. As a result, you become sweaty and hot. Humidity can also magnify the effect of heat. Therefore, before going to bed you should adjust the temperature and humidity of the room first.
2. Condition of mattress and clothes while sleeping
Mattresses and clothes while sleeping can also cause stifling heat while sleeping. Thick mattresses tend to hold in hot air more than thin mattresses. In addition, wearing light clothing and absorbing sweat while sleeping is also more recommended than thick clothes because you will easily overheat.
3. Activities before bed
There are several activities before bed that have the potential to increase body temperature and make it more difficult for you to sleep, including:
- Sport
Actually, exercise does not have a bad impact on sleep quality, quite the opposite. However, if the exercise is done 1 hour before bed, it will make the body sweat easily.
- Consuming caffeine
Drinking coffee or tea that contains caffeine before bed will make it difficult for you to fall asleep and increase body temperature. As a result, stifling heat at night will be inevitable.
- Stressful activities
When you are stressed, blood vessels will constrict, skin temperature will decrease, and body temperature will increase. You will easily feel hot at night.
- Sex
Sex can improve sleep by releasing hormones that promote relaxation. However, sex can also increase heart rate and has the same effect as exercise.
4. Sleeping buddy
Your bedmates, both other people and pets, can increase the temperature in your mattress and bedroom. The body constantly gives off heat as a by-product of metabolism. The more objects and the smaller the room, the faster the area will heat up.
The average human body temperature is around 37 degrees Celsius. If the room temperature is warmer than that temperature, the body will absorb heat more easily.
5. Taking certain drugs
There are several types of drugs that have the potential to increase body temperature or interfere with the body’s ability to regulate its temperature, including:
- Anticholinergic
- Beta-lactam antibiotics including penicillins and cephalosporins
- Carbamazepine
- Diabetes medicine
- Diuretic drugs especially in combination with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin II. receptor blockers
- Hormone therapy drugs
- Methyldopa
- Pain relievers such as acetaminophen or aspirin
- Phenytoin
- Procainamide
- Psychotropic
- Quinidine
- SSRI or tricyclic antidepressants
- Steroids such as cortisone or prednisone
- Drugs such as MDMA, ecstasy, cocaine
6. Hormones
An imbalance of hormone levels can cause the body to sweat at night. Many women experience night sweats as part of premenstrual syndrome due to fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone levels.
Apart from that, pregnancy also causes hormonal changes that increase your blood flow and core body temperature.
Hyperthyroidism and sleep apnea are also two other potential causes that make you feel hot and sweaty at night.
7. Diseases and infections
There are several potential illnesses and infections that can cause an increase in body temperature or night sweats. Among others:
- Flu
- Have a cold
- Sore throat
- Inflammation of the lungs (pneumonia)
- Tuberculosis
- Other bacterial infections
- Hyperhidrosis (excess sweating)
- Hyperthyroidism
- Chronic stress
- Coronary heart disease
- Cancer
How to get rid of the heat at night
The feeling of stifling certainly makes your sleep uncomfortable. So that you can sleep well, here’s how to get rid of the heat at night:
- Cool the bedroom. If possible, you can use the air conditioner, turn on the fan, open the window, move the mattress to the floor to make it cooler, and take a cold shower before bed.
- Avoid exercising 1 hour before bedtime, avoid drinking coffee or tea, manage stress well, and avoid excessive sex before bed.
- If sleeping with other people, use a different blanket.
If sweating is accompanied by fever, weight loss, body aches, cough, diarrhea, and other symptoms, contact your doctor immediately. The doctor will find out the cause of excessive sweating and recommend treatment based on the symptoms.