Night Sweats in Men: Causes and Treatments

Waking up in the middle of the night with clammy skin and wet sheets is uncomfortable and may indicate a deeper issue. While night sweats can affect anyone, men often overlook or dismiss them, blaming them on a warm room or a heavy blanket.

However, persistent night sweats in men could be linked to a range of causes, from hormonal changes and infections to sleep disorders or even underlying medical conditions.

In this article, we’ll dive into what night sweats actually are, the most common causes in men, and when it might be time to talk to a doctor.

What are Night Sweats?

Night sweats are episodes of excessive sweating during sleep that can drench your pajamas and sheets, even when the room isn’t hot. Unlike simply feeling warm or overheated under heavy blankets, night sweats are more intense and often occur regardless of your sleeping environment.

They're usually caused by an internal trigger, such as hormonal fluctuations, infections, or underlying health issues, and may happen repeatedly throughout the week.

They can disrupt your sleep cycle, leaving you feeling tired, irritable, or groggy the next day. While occasional sweating during the night can be normal, persistent or severe night sweats may signal something more serious that’s worth investigating.

Normal vs. Excessive Sweating at Night

It’s normal to sweat a little at night, especially if your bedroom is warm, your bedding is too thick, or you’re sleeping in restrictive clothing. This kind of sweating is usually light and easy to explain with external factors.

Excessive night sweats, on the other hand, go beyond environmental causes. You might wake up soaked through your clothes, needing to change your sheets regularly, even if the room is cool. This level of sweating is typically not related to your surroundings and may be linked to health issues such as hormonal imbalances, infections, sleep apnea, or even certain medications.

Some men may also suffer from primary hyperhidrosis, a condition characterized by excessive sweating without an obvious medical cause. When this occurs at night, it may be mistaken for regular night sweats, but it often requires a different treatment approach.

Common Causes of Nights Sweats in Men

While occasional night sweats may not seem significant, it's crucial to investigate their potential cause when they become frequent, intense, or disrupt your sleep quality. While occasional night sweats may not seem significant, it's crucial to investigate their potential cause when they become frequent, intense, or disrupt your sleep quality.

There are many potential reasons for night sweats, ranging from minor lifestyle factors to serious underlying health conditions.

Below are the most common triggers of night sweats in men, ranging from harmless lifestyle habits to serious health concerns.

Hormonal Imbalances

Hormones play a major role in regulating body temperature. When they shift, whether due to age, stress, or an underlying disorder, night sweats can be one of the first signs that something’s off.

• Low Testosterone: A drop in testosterone levels, especially in aging men, can lead to symptoms like fatigue, mood changes, and night sweats. This condition, often referred to as andropause, is sometimes likened to a male version of menopause.
• Hyperthyroidism: An overactive thyroid can speed up your metabolism, causing an increase in body heat and sweating, even during sleep. Night sweats are a classic symptom of this condition.
• Hormonal Fluctuations: Stress, poor diet, or certain medical conditions can cause fluctuations in hormones like cortisol, which may contribute to overheating and sweating during the night. While commonly associated with women, hot flashes can affect men too, especially during andropause, when testosterone levels drop, causing sudden heat surges and night sweats.

Infections and Illnesses

Night sweats are the body’s natural response to fighting off infection. When your immune system activates, your body temperature may increase during sleep, leading to sweating as a cooling mechanism.

• Tuberculosis (TB): A classic cause of persistent night sweats, TB is a bacterial infection that typically affects the lungs. It’s often accompanied by a chronic cough, chest pain, fatigue, and unintentional weight loss. Night sweats in TB are often drenching and frequent.
• HIV/AIDS: In the early stages of HIV, or during flare-ups of opportunistic infections, men may experience severe night sweats. These can happen even when there’s no fever and can persist night after night.
• Bacterial and Viral Infections: Illnesses such as the flu, endocarditis (infection of the heart lining), osteomyelitis (bone infection), and even COVID-19 can cause night sweats. They’re usually temporary but can be intense while the body works to eliminate the virus or bacteria.

Medications and Treatments

Certain medications and therapies can interfere with the body’s natural temperature regulation, leading to night sweats. These side effects are especially common with antidepressants, hormone therapies, and pain relievers.

• Antidepressants: Up to 20% of people taking SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) report increased sweating, especially at night. This side effect is linked to how these medications affect serotonin levels, which also influence body temperature.
• Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): While testosterone therapy aims to restore balance, the adjustment period can sometimes result in temporary night sweats as the body adapts to the new hormone levels.
• Pain Relievers: Medications like aspirin, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen lower fevers by triggering sweating. If taken at night, this mechanism may cause you to wake up drenched, even without a current fever.

Sleep Disorders

Sleep-related conditions like sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome can disrupt your rest and contribute to overheating at night. These disorders often cause physiological stress, which may lead to night sweats in men.

• Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA): OSA causes the airway to collapse during sleep, temporarily cutting off breathing. These apneic events jolt the body awake repeatedly, often accompanied by sweating, gasping, or choking. OSA is more common in overweight men or those who snore heavily.
• Night Terrors: These intense episodes involve a sudden arousal from sleep with fear, confusion, and sweating. Although more frequent in children, night terrors can affect men, especially those under stress or sleep-deprived.
• Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS): RLS causes an irresistible urge to move the legs, especially at night. The constant movement and discomfort can lead to increased body heat and sweating, as well as disrupted sleep.
• Insomnia: Chronic insomnia can raise levels of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. These can trigger physiological arousal during the night, causing heat surges and excessive sweating.

Lifestyle Factors

Daily habits and choices, such as diet, alcohol use, and bedroom temperature, can directly affect body heat during sleep. Even seemingly minor behaviors can trigger excessive sweating at night.

• Alcohol Consumption: Alcohol interferes with your body’s natural temperature regulation and can cause your blood vessels to dilate, making you feel flushed and sweaty, especially during REM sleep. Regular or excessive drinking is a common trigger for night sweats in men.
• Spicy Foods: Hot peppers, curries, or anything with capsaicin can raise your core temperature and stimulate sweat glands. Eating spicy meals close to bedtime can set the stage for a sweaty night.
• High Room Temperature: Heavy blankets, warm pajamas, poor ventilation, or high thermostat settings can all raise your sleeping temperature. This type of sweating isn’t necessarily a health concern, but it can still disrupt your rest.

Underlying Conditions

Chronic illnesses and serious health issues like cancer, neurological disorders, or infections can manifest through symptoms like night sweats. In these cases, the sweating is usually a response to deeper internal imbalances or disease processes.

• Cancer: Certain cancers, especially lymphomas and leukemia, are known to cause “B symptoms,” which include night sweats, fever, and unexplained weight loss. These sweats are usually drenching and occur even when you're sleeping in a cool room.
• Neurological Conditions: Conditions like autonomic dysreflexia, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, or neuropathy can disrupt the brain's ability to regulate body temperature, leading to irregular sweating patterns, including during sleep.
• Anxiety and Stress: Mental health conditions like anxiety can lead to physiological symptoms such as increased heart rate, hormonal fluctuations, and elevated body temperature, all of which may contribute to night sweats. Stress-induced anxiety may also cause insomnia or restlessness, both of which disrupt sleep and exacerbate nighttime overheating.

How Night Sweats Affect Sleep Quality

Night sweats can significantly disrupt sleep by causing frequent awakenings and discomfort throughout the night. When you wake up drenched in sweat, it often requires changing clothes, adjusting bedding, or even getting out of bed, interrupting your natural sleep cycle.

These disruptions prevent the body from reaching and staying in deep, restorative stages of sleep like REM, which are essential for physical recovery and mental clarity. Over time, this sleep fragmentation can lead to chronic fatigue, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and even weakened immune function.

In short, persistent night sweats don’t just affect your comfort; they directly undermine your ability to get truly restful, restorative sleep.

Disrupted Sleep Cycles and Frequent Awakenings

Night sweats often lead to sudden and repeated awakenings, disrupting the body's natural sleep cycles. These episodes can prevent you from reaching or maintaining deeper stages of sleep like slow-wave and REM sleep, which are crucial for rest and recovery.

The constant interruption of these cycles can leave you feeling as if you barely slept at all, even after spending a full night in bed. Over time, this pattern can significantly reduce overall sleep quality and leave you more vulnerable to both physical and mental fatigue.

Increased Fatigue and Daytime Sleepiness

When night sweats interfere with your ability to sleep soundly, it’s no surprise that you’ll feel the consequences during the day. Interrupted sleep can lead to persistent fatigue, a lack of motivation, and an overall sense of sluggishness.

Many men also experience difficulty focusing, reduced productivity, and an increased need for naps or caffeine just to stay alert. This kind of chronic tiredness can affect everything from work performance to social interactions and physical activity levels.

Impact on Mental Health

Sleep and mental health are closely connected, and poor sleep quality caused by night sweats can heighten stress, irritability, and emotional instability. Over time, sleep deprivation can contribute to or worsen conditions like anxiety and depression.

The frustration of dealing with constant night disturbances may also increase feelings of helplessness or worry about underlying health issues. This mental strain can create a cycle where stress worsens sleep, and poor sleep further impacts mood and mental resilience.

When to See a Doctor About Night Sweats

Occasional sweating at night may not be a cause for concern, but if it becomes frequent, intense, or is accompanied by other unusual symptoms, it may be time to talk to a healthcare provider. Persistent night sweats can sometimes be a sign of an underlying medical issue that needs attention.

Frequent or Severe Night Sweats

• Regular Occurrence Throughout the Week: If you’re experiencing night sweats several nights a week without any obvious triggers (like a hot room or heavy blankets), it may be a sign of an underlying issue that needs medical evaluation.
• Soaked Clothes or Bedding: Mild sweating is one thing, but if you’re waking up in drenched sleepwear or to the point of needing to change sheets, that level of severity is worth discussing with a doctor.

Accompanied by Other Symptoms

• Persistent Low-Grade or High Fever: Night sweats accompanied by fever could point to an infection, inflammation, or even more serious conditions like lymphoma or autoimmune disorders.
• Ongoing Fatigue or Body Aches: Feeling constantly run-down or experiencing unexplained aches may suggest that your body is fighting something more systemic, such as a chronic illness or infection.
• Swollen Lymph Nodes or Unusual Lumps: Enlarged lymph nodes, especially when paired with night sweats and fatigue, can be early signs of infection or, in rare cases, certain cancers.

Unexplained Weight Loss

• Unexplained Weight Loss: A drop in weight with no change in diet or exercise could signal an underlying medical condition, especially when paired with symptoms like night sweats.
• Looser-Fitting Clothes Over a Short Period: If your clothes start feeling noticeably baggy and you haven’t made lifestyle changes, it’s worth having your health checked.

Sleep Disruption and Daytime Effects

• Frequent Nighttime Awakenings: Disrupted sleep from overheating can prevent your body from getting the rest it needs, and over time this can lead to chronic fatigue and reduced quality of life.
• Grogginess or Unrested Feeling During the Day: Poor sleep caused by night sweats often results in trouble concentrating, mood swings, and an overall decline in daytime functioning.

When Medications Might Be the Cause

• Symptoms After Starting a New Medication: Certain drugs, such as antidepressants, hormone therapies, or fever reducers, are known to cause night sweats as a side effect.
• Suspected Side Effects From Current Treatment: If you’ve recently increased your dosage or added new prescriptions to your routine, it's worth reviewing the timing and potential side effects with a doctor.

Persistence or Worsening of Symptoms Over Time

• Night Sweats Lasting More Than Two Weeks: Occasional sweating may not be serious, but ongoing episodes that don’t improve or go away after a couple of weeks should be evaluated by a professional.
• Increasing Intensity or Frequency of Episodes: A gradual increase in how often or how severely you sweat at night might point to an evolving health issue that requires diagnosis and management.

How to Reduce and Prevent Night Sweats

Night sweats can be frustrating, but in many cases, they can be managed or reduced with the right changes to your habits, environment, or medical routine. Whether your symptoms are mild or disruptive, these strategies can help you stay cooler, sleep better, and feel more in control.

Optimizing Your Sleep Environment

Your bedroom setup plays a key role in how your body regulates temperature during the night. A few simple tweaks to your sleep environment can significantly reduce overheating and help you stay cooler and drier while you rest.

• Use Moisture-wicking Sheets and Pajamas: Choose bedding and sleepwear made from breathable, moisture-wicking fabrics like cotton, bamboo, or performance materials designed for heat regulation. You can check out our recommendations for effective cooling sheets for some good options. These fabrics absorb sweat more effectively and dry quickly, helping you stay cooler and preventing that clammy feeling that interrupts sleep.
• Keep the Room Cool: Maintain your bedroom temperature between 60–67°F (15–19°C), which is considered optimal for sleep. Use air conditioning, ceiling fans, or even portable cooling units to prevent the room from getting too warm. A cooler environment reduces the chances of your body overheating while you sleep.
• Avoid Heavy Blankets and Mattresses that Retain Heat: Swap out thick comforters and heavy quilts for lightweight layers you can adjust throughout the night. Memory foam and some traditional mattresses trap heat, so consider investing in a cooling mattress or topper made with breathable materials like latex or gel-infused foam.
• Allow for Airflow: Good ventilation can prevent stagnant, humid air from building up in your bedroom. Keep a window slightly open (if safe and weather-appropriate) or use a circulating fan to promote air movement and maintain a fresh, cool atmosphere.

Lifestyle Adjustments

What you eat, drink, and do throughout the day can directly influence how your body behaves at night. Making mindful changes to your daily habits can help minimize the internal triggers that often lead to night sweats.

• Limit Alcohol and Caffeine Intake: Alcohol causes blood vessels to dilate, increasing body heat, while caffeine stimulates your nervous system and raises heart rate and temperature. Both can interfere with your body’s ability to stay cool at night. Try to avoid consuming them, especially in the late afternoon or evening.
• Avoid Spicy Foods Before Bed: Spicy foods can activate your sympathetic nervous system, the same one triggered by stress or heat, causing your body to sweat in response. If you’re prone to night sweats, avoid spicy meals or condiments within a few hours of bedtime.
• Exercise Earlier in the Day: While regular exercise supports better sleep, working out too close to bedtime can raise your core temperature and stimulate your nervous system, making it harder for your body to cool down. Aim for morning or early afternoon workouts instead.
• Stay Well-hydrated: Dehydration impairs your body’s ability to regulate temperature. Drinking enough water throughout the day (not just before bed) helps your body function properly and stay cool. Herbal teas or electrolyte-infused drinks can also support hydration without stimulants.

Medical Treatments

If night sweats are persistent or tied to an underlying health condition, medical support may be necessary. Identifying and treating the root cause with professional guidance is often the most effective long-term solution.

• Adjust or Change Medications: Many medications, like antidepressants, fever reducers, and hormone therapies, list night sweats as a side effect. If your symptoms started after beginning a new prescription, your doctor may be able to adjust your dosage or recommend an alternative that doesn’t trigger sweating.
• Treat Underlying Conditions: Night sweats can be linked to medical conditions like infections, hormonal imbalances, diabetes, or sleep apnea. Diagnosing and managing these conditions through proper treatment often results in reduced or eliminated symptoms over time.
• Hormonal Therapy (when appropriate): In cases where night sweats are caused by low testosterone, hyperthyroidism, or other endocrine issues, hormone therapy may be necessary to restore balance. Always consult with an endocrinologist or specialist to determine if this treatment is appropriate.
• Antidepressant Alternatives: If selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or similar medications are the cause, doctors may recommend switching to a different class of antidepressant or exploring non-pharmaceutical treatment options like therapy, lifestyle changes, or holistic approaches.

Home Remedies

Natural solutions can be surprisingly effective in managing mild night sweats. These gentle, accessible remedies can help your body cool down and relax, making it easier to sleep comfortably through the night.

• Drink Herbal Teas: Teas like chamomile, sage, and peppermint not only help reduce stress and promote relaxation, but some (like sage) have mild antiperspirant properties. Drink a caffeine-free herbal tea an hour before bed to help ease tension and reduce internal heat.
• Try Relaxation Techniques before Bed: Anxiety and stress can lead to night sweats by increasing cortisol and adrenaline levels. Incorporating calming rituals like deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, or gentle stretches before bed can help lower stress hormones and prevent overheating.
• Cool Down with a Shower: A lukewarm or cool shower before bed helps lower your core body temperature and signals your body that it’s time to wind down. Avoid hot showers, as they can actually trigger sweating soon after.
• Use a Cold Compress or Cooling Pad: Applying a cold pack to your forehead, neck, or feet can quickly bring down your body temperature and help you fall asleep more comfortably. Reusable gel packs or cooling pillows can be helpful additions to your nighttime routine.

FAQs

Can low testosterone cause night sweats?

Yes, low testosterone levels are a common cause of night sweats in men. Hormonal fluctuations can interfere with the body's ability to regulate temperature, leading to excessive sweating. Testosterone replacement therapy can often help alleviate these symptoms.

Are night sweats in men a sign of something serious?

While occasional night sweats may not be concerning, frequent and severe episodes can indicate a serious condition such as sleep apnea, cancer, or infection. It's important to seek medical advice if your symptoms are persistent or accompanied by other warning signs like unexplained weight loss or fever.

Can medications cause night sweats in men?

Yes, certain medications like antidepressants, pain relievers, and hormone treatments can cause night sweats as a side effect. If your night sweats began after starting a new medication, consult your doctor about possible alternatives or adjustments to your treatment plan.

Are night sweats linked to sleep apnea in men?

Night sweats are often associated with OSA, a condition where the airway becomes partially or fully blocked during sleep. This disrupts normal breathing patterns and can cause excessive sweating during the night. CPAP therapy is commonly used to treat OSA and reduce night sweats.

Conclusion

It’s important to know what causes night sweats, which can be caused by a variety of factors, from hormonal imbalances and medications to underlying health conditions like sleep apnea and infections. While occasional sweating is common, persistent or severe episodes warrant medical attention to rule out more serious issues.

By optimizing your sleep environment, making key lifestyle adjustments, and seeking appropriate medical treatments, you can reduce or manage night sweats effectively. If symptoms persist, consulting a healthcare provider is the best course of action to ensure your well-being and comfort during sleep.