Sweating while sleeping is normal, especially if the weather is hot and the room ventilation is not good. However, if you often sweat while sleeping even though the air is not hot, especially if other symptoms appear, this could be a sign of an illness.
Temperatures that are too hot, poor ventilation in the room, and wearing thick clothes or blankets can certainly cause you to sweat while sleeping.
Sweating during sleep can also be caused by eating spicy or hot food, feeling anxious, smoking, drinking alcohol, or exercising before bedtime.
Not caused by these things, complaints of sweating during sleep need to be watched out for because it could signal the presence of an illness.
Some Diseases That Cause Sweating While Sleeping
Here are some diseases that can cause a person to sweat during sleep:
1. Menopause
Sweating during sleep is one of the common symptoms experienced by women when they reach menopause. This is because hormonal changes that occur during menopause can increase body temperature which then causes sweating during sleep.
2. Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia is a condition when blood sugar levels drop. When experiencing hypoglycemia, a person's body will produce more sweat. Lack of blood sugar is also usually followed by symptoms of dizziness and weakness. This condition can be caused by starvation, use of antidiabetic drugs, or insulin therapy.
3. Disease infection
Several infectious diseases can cause you to sweat while sleeping, including tuberculosis (TB), HIV, malaria, endocarditis, brucellosis, and osteomyelitis (bone infection).
In addition to sweating a lot during sleep, the above infectious diseases can also cause other symptoms, such as fever, chronic cough, weight loss, muscle aches, and chest pain.
4. Hyperhidrosis
Hyperhidrosis is a condition in which the body produces excessive sweat. People who suffer from hyperhidrosis can even sweat even when they are in a cool place and not doing strenuous activities. This condition occurs not only when awake, but also when asleep.
Hyperhidrosis is generally characterized by excessive sweating that only occurs in certain body parts, such as the palms of the hands or the armpits.
5. Hormone disorders
The body has different types of hormones and each has a different role. Disorders of hormones can cause problems in health and various body functions.
Some hormonal disorders that can cause you to sweat during sleep are hyperthyroidism, pheochromocytoma, diabetes, and tumors.
6. Cancer
Sweating while sleeping at night can be an early symptom of cancer. There are several types of cancer that exhibit these symptoms, including leukemia and lymphoma (including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma or DLBCL).
You need to immediately see a doctor if the complaints of sweating during sleep are accompanied by a prolonged fever, weight loss for no apparent reason, and the body feels weak or unwell for more than 2 weeks.
7. Drug side effects
Every drug has the potential to cause side effects. Several types of drugs that can stimulate sweat production, causing side effects in the form of sweating during sleep are antidepressants, fever-lowering drugs and pain relievers, hormone replacement drugs, and corticosteroids.
Sweating during sleep is not always a sign of disease. However, you should remain vigilant and check with your doctor, especially if this condition often occurs for no apparent reason or is accompanied by other symptoms.