 |
| Night Sweats |
Last updated: Jan 05, 2009 |
Signs, symptoms and indicators | Contributing risk factors | Other conditions that may be present | Recommendations
 |
|
 |
| |
Night sweats, a common perspiration disorder, occur during sleep and stop upon waking. Night sweats involve not simply sweating a lot at night, but literally drenching the bed. A healthy person produces between 500 and 1,000cc of sweat each day. A person with a perspiration disorder will produce much more. Although the causes of night sweats are many, generally they are symptomatic of underlying disease.
According to Chinese medical theory, night sweats are associated with a yin essence (body essence). The diminished state is due to a depletion of body fluids and nutrients. Symptoms include flushed cheeks, warm palms and soles, a dry mouth, red lips, small quantities of dark urine, a red tongue with slight coating, a weak and rapid pulse, and low-grade fevers. Chinese medicine states that if there is a wasting away caused by a consumptive disease, then yin deficiency must be present. (For this reason, HIV disease is therefore often diagnosed as a yin deficiency.)
|
|
 |
|
 |
Signs, symptoms & indicators of Night Sweats: | |  | | | | Symptoms - Sleep | Night sweats
Counter-indicators:
Absence of night sweats |
| |  | |  |
Risk factors for Night Sweats: | |  | | | | Autoimmune | Hyperthyroidism | Environment / Toxicity |
Mercury Toxicity / Amalgam Illness | This symptom may be one of many associated with mercury toxicity. |
Gulf War Illness
Silicone Breast Implant Problems | Hormones |
Low Estrogen Levels | Night sweats or their daytime version, hot flashes, may be the first symptom of low estrogen. In both cases, the profuse sweating follows a brief but intense wave of heat, usually in the face and chest. |
| Immunity |
AIDS / Risk | The most common clinical presentations in the high-risk groups or ARC patients includes night sweats. If HIV has progressed to an advanced stage, night sweats become a severe problem. |
Chronic Fatigue / Fibromyalgia Syndrome | Infections |
Tuberculosis | Tuberculosis (TB) is the classic cause of night sweats. Early on the immune system typically controls the infection and few if any symptoms develop. Then, later in life, the infection may reactivate, causing a chronic pneumonia with fever, night sweats, weight loss and cough. Sometimes the infection involves the lungs minimally, if at all. If you have had night sweats for more than a month or two without any other symptoms, tuberculosis would be less likely but not impossible. |
Histoplasmosis | Various fungal infections are associated with chronic night sweats. Histoplasmosis, an infection usually seen in the southeastern, mid-Atlantic and central United States, is one such illness. You are less likely to have histoplasmosis or another fungal infection if you have had night sweats for more than a few months with no other symptoms. |
Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever)
Micobacterium Avium | Micobacterium avium infection can cause night sweats. A micobacterium avium complex (MAC) diagnostic test can be done to identify the infection or rule it out. MAC is common in women with HIV/AIDS and can be deadly if left untreated. |
Chronic / Hidden Infection | A hidden infection, such as an abscess in the liver or spleen, can cause night sweats and fever without many other symptoms. |
| Metabolic |
Hypoglycemia | Nighttime hypoglycemia may be without symptoms or manifest itself as night sweats, unpleasant dreams or early morning headache. |
| Musculo-Skeletal |
Rheumatoid Arthritis | Night sweats, depression and lethargy can accompany this disease. |
| Nutrients |
Vitamin A Toxicity | Organ Health |
Kidney Stones (Urolithiasis)
Liver Detoxification / Support Requirement | Risks |
Cancer / Risk Reduction - General Measures | Several malignancies can lead to night sweats. |
| Tumors, Malignant |
Leukemia
Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma |
| |  | |  |
Night Sweats suggests the following may be present: | |  | | | | Autoimmune | Hyperthyroidism | Infections |
Tuberculosis | Tuberculosis (TB) is the classic cause of night sweats. Early on the immune system typically controls the infection and few if any symptoms develop. Then, later in life, the infection may reactivate, causing a chronic pneumonia with fever, night sweats, weight loss and cough. Sometimes the infection involves the lungs minimally, if at all. If you have had night sweats for more than a month or two without any other symptoms, tuberculosis would be less likely but not impossible. |
Histoplasmosis | Various fungal infections are associated with chronic night sweats. Histoplasmosis, an infection usually seen in the southeastern, mid-Atlantic and central United States, is one such illness. You are less likely to have histoplasmosis or another fungal infection if you have had night sweats for more than a few months with no other symptoms. |
Micobacterium Avium | Micobacterium avium infection can cause night sweats. A micobacterium avium complex (MAC) diagnostic test can be done to identify the infection or rule it out. MAC is common in women with HIV/AIDS and can be deadly if left untreated. |
Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever) | Tumors, Malignant |
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Leukemia |
| |  | |  |
Recommendations for Night Sweats:
KEY |  | Weak or unproven link |  |  | Strong or generally accepted link |  |  | Proven definite or direct link |  |  | Very strongly or absolutely counter-indicative |  |  | Likely to help |
|
 |