Have you experienced hot flashes (or hot flashes) of sweating? not only at night but also in the morning? For most women, hot flashes and sweating are taken as signs of perimenopause or impending menopause. But is this the only reason?
Although these waves of body heat and night sweats are usually associated with women and are believed to be due to hormonal changes in a woman’s body, there are also men who experience the same condition. Causes of hot flashes and night sweats other than menopause include:
- idiopathic hyperhidrosis it can cause the body to sweat profusely, but no medical cause can be identified.
- Tuberculosis it is also a common cause of night sweats. People with tuberculosis often have higher temperatures at night, which activates the sweat glands.
- infections such as endocarditis, which is inflammation of the heart valves; HIV/AIDS, which is an infection of the body’s immune system; abscesses, which are inflammation of the tonsils, boils or infection of the appendix, or osteomyelitis, which is an infection within the bones, are also likely causes of hot flashes or night sweats. These conditions must be attended immediately by a specialist doctor.
- Cancer patients often experience night sweats along with fever and constant weight loss as an early symptom of certain types of cancer such as lymphoma.
- Menstruation it is a monthly occurrence in women and many women also experience hot flashes before and after their menstrual period. This is quite normal because the level of estrogen in a woman’s body changes before and after her period. This causes her body temperature to rise causing night sweats.
- Medicine it can also cause night sweats as a side effect of antidepressants and other psychiatric medications. Aspirin, acetaminophen, paracetamol, and other fever-reducing medications can also cause sweating. Cortisone, predinisone, and prednisolone are medications that can also trigger sweating during the day and night.
- hypothyroidism or an underactive thyroid can also cause hot flashes that come on at any time of the day.
- hypoglycemia or low blood sugar, a situation commonly experienced by diabetics taking insulin or antidiabetic medications, can also cause night sweats.
- hormonal disorders such as pheochromocytoma (adrenal gland tumors), carcinoid syndrome (excess hormones released by gastrointestinal or carcinoid tumors), and hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) can cause sweating accompanied by facial flushing.
- eat certain foods like spicy food or hot spices, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, obesity, excessive sugar consumption are also some of the instigators of sweating and hot flashes.
Both men and women are susceptible to these causes of sweating and hot flashes. If you are experiencing sweating and increased body heat, the best thing to do is see a doctor to help rule out or identify underlying causes.
