If you suffer from night sweats or night hot flashes, or know someone who does, here are some ways you can manage them.
Hello Tug,
I’ve been suffering from hot flashes for 5 years now and especially at night.
I have to change cotton t-shirts 3 times or I’ll get a stiff back in the morning.
I sweat from the neck down to my feet but where it s most bothering is the chest. And when i say sweat i mean wet wet wet.
What would you recommend for me to buy?
Thanx a million for your answer!
Managing Night Sweats
hey there,
good to hear from you and thanks so much for your question!
i’m so sorry to hear about your night-time hot flashes, but let’s see if we can find a way to make them less uncomfortable for you.
your best bets are to:
(1) switch from a purely cotton undershirt to something that is a blend of cotton and poly (or another synthetic). the more sweat your undershirt holds through the night, the more uncomfortable you will likely feel.
(2) switch to a lighter weight cotton undershirt. most standard undershirts are made with fabric this is around 150gsm, if you go to something notably lighter, like closer to 100gsm, the undershirt may not feel as soaked and uncomfortable than something that absorbs more sweat.
for #1 & #2 above, checkout this article:
http://www.undershirtguy.com/are-thin-cool-undershirts-in/
(3) try layering a lightweight ribbed tank top under an undershirt. the ribbed tank top doesn’t have sleeves, and usually wears a bit cooler than a full undershirt. maybe that extra ventilation around your arms will reduce the amount of sweat that gets produced by your hot flashes.
(4) try layering a lightweight “wicking” undershirt under a lightweight “absorbing” undershirt. the first layer will pull sweat away from your skin, while the second layer will prevent so much sweat from hitting your sheets.
in addition to the above, you may want to keep an eye out on this product (or similar):
http://www.undershirtguy.com/how-to-stay-cool-in-summer-or-warm-in-winter-with-wristify/
if/when available, wearing the wristfy peltier bracelet may give you enough “cooling” sensation to trick your body into not sweating as much during the night. i just read they raised $500k, and hoping to have a product out later in 2016.
hope the above information helps you manage your night sweats more effectively.
please do keep me posted and let me know if anything above helps you stay more comfortable.
I had a serious head injury about 30 years ago and night sweats ever since.
The problem is neurological and not based on body temperature. Trying to regulate body temperature does not work, at least in my case, I know this because they happen as much in the winter, when the bedroom tends to be on the cool side, as the summer.
In fact they tend to happen more in the winter, which is why I call it “paradoxical sweating.”
My sweats are generally limited to the back of my neck – the skin that’s in contact with the bed sheets, basically – but can extend to the armpit and back area, but after the head injury they were much worse, including my entire body at first (but which was only for a few nights after I returned home from the hospital).
I would sometimes wake up 2 times a night (rarely 3) and kept a wood clothes rack (which seems built for the purpose) at the foot of the bed where I had dry t-shirts at the ready, and just reached forward, in the dark, to swap wet for dry, and was able to fall back asleep right away.
Sometimes, if the sheets were wet, I put a towel down before going back to bed, and I would flip the pillow to the dry side. I actually have a stack of 3 thin pillows, that I would rearrange after waking up to find a dry side.
During the day the 3 pillows would be laid out to dry, imagine that!
Mind you all this is caused by sweating, not peeing in my sleep.
I also discovered that whenever I moved, the sweating routine would be disrupted, and lessen, and over the years the night sweats have greatly diminished, but I still keep the “drying rack” at the foot of the bed because the night sweats haven’t completely stopped and, I assume, never will. It’s just a fact of life.
I drape other clothes over the 5 rods of the clothes rack as well, it’s very useful.
I think my mom bought it on QVC many years ago, very useful but not something you see in major dept stores.
heya steve, this is good stuff buddy.
thanks so much for sharing your story, and for how you manage your night sweats.
i really appreciate it (:
Steve, the reason I replied to your comment is because you said you have multiple-pillows and switch to the dry side while sweating.
But instead you should just get one good/comfortable pillow and buy a allergen/water-proof pillow protector ($7). Put a regular pillow cover over the protector then add a soft absorbent bath towel on top.
Now when you sweat you only have to change the towel, and won’t have to sleep on soggy pillows.
If you still sweat down to the pillow-protector (like me) that’s fine because the protector is machine washable.
But most important it’ll keep sweat off/out of your pillows.
great recommendation terraj!
thanks for sharing that recommendation with steve!