Sleep Hyperhidrosis
by Joan
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The sleep condition known as Sleep Hyperhidrosis is commonly called night sweats. Its medical definition is excessive sweating during sleep. There is no correlation between night sweats and excessive sweating during waking hours. Some people with sleep hyperhidrosis do not sweat excessively during their waking hours while some do.
Primary Hyperhidrosis Vs Secondary Hyperhidrosis
With some research you will discover two types of hyperhidrosis, primary hyperhidrosis and secondary hyperhidrosis. Medical science has not discovered the cause of primary night sweats. It is so severe it impairs a person’s ability to engage in daily activities such as work, school, family and social affairs. Primary hyperhidrosis’s only treatment is the surgical removal of the specific sweat glands responsible for the condition. Idiopathic hyperhidrosis, a form of primary hyperhidrosis, is a chronic condition where the body simply produces too much sweat.
Sleep Hyperhidrosis
Secondary hyperhidrosis is usually symptomatic of another condition or of lifestyle choices. Lifestyle changes or appropriate night sweats treatment of the underlying condition will often cure the secondary night sweats.
Secondary Sleep Hyperhidrosis Causes
There are many causes of secondary night sweats. Menopause is the most common cause of night sweats through hot flashes at night, but this does not mean night sweats in men aren’t possible. Here are some other more common causes:
- Any illness or infection with a fever, especially tuberculosis
- Epilespy
- Cerebral palsy
- Sudden onset migraine
- Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome
- Anti-nausea medications
- pregnancy
- head or spinal cord injuries
- lesions on the hypothalamus
- Diabetes insipidus
In addition, diet and lifestyle can cause sleep hyperhidrosis. The night sweats alcohol causes can be confusing but relatively simple to resolve while the night sweats stress causes may require a more fundamental shift in one’s outlook.
Degree Of Severity For Secondary Night Sweats
The degree of severity for secondary sleep hyperhidrosis varies from person to person. In mild cases, the patient just needs to change the pillow case and keep a glass of cool water on the nightstand. Some patients need to get up and wash themselves, then change their sleepwear as well as their bedsheets. If the night sweats get to the point where the sleep loss interferes with daily functions, a visit to the doctor’s office is required. Discovery and treatment of the underlying disease or injury is the only way to cure secondary night sweats.
Diagnosing Night Sweats Causes and Prescribing Sleep Hyperhidrosis Treatment
Many primary care physicians will attempt to diagnosis severe sleep hyperhidrosis with a polysomnography. This is a visit to a sleep laboratory. The patient will sleep overnight at the laboratory. Several monitors will be attached to the patient to record brain functions, breathing, heartbeat and blood pressure while asleep. The procedures are very safe; they just sound a little scary.
The lab results will help doctors narrow the possible causes of the night sweats until the cause is diagnosed and a plan of treatment started.
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