Annoying Night Sweats ~ Living with HIV in the Philippines

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Annoying Night Sweats

Posted by Pozziepinoy on 8:40 PM

A fellow PLHIV and a member of The Red Ribbon online support group asked all members if they have experienced night sweats. He said it has becoming annoying while sleeping in a fully airconditioned room.

Because of this, I researched about it and this is what I found in the internet:

(Source: http://aids.about.com/od/otherconditions/a/nightsweats.htm)

We all perspire. In fact the average person losses about 1 quart of fluid a day by sweating. But for those living with HIV, night sweats can be a very annoying problem. What are night sweats? Why do they occur and what can be done about them?

What Are Night Sweats?

Night sweats occur frequently in people living with HIV. Simply put, night sweats are profuse sweating that is not related to exercise. As the name implies night sweats occur primarily while you sleep but can occur during the day as well.

What Are the Symptoms of Night Sweats?
For fear of stating the obvious, sweating is the primary symptom of night sweats. Night sweats differ from other sweating in that they:

occur without exercise
they occur primarily while sleeping
they can be very profuse; soaking bedclothes, sheets and blankets

What Causes Night Sweats?

There are many causes of night sweats including:

HIV infection - Night sweats can be just another symptom of HIV infection or they can be a sign of another infection such as the bacterial infectionMycobacterium avium complex (MAC) and the fungal infection histoplasmosis.

Tuberculosis (TB)

Endocrine disorders such as diabetes and menopause.
Pregnancy
Sleep apnea and other sleep disorders.
Certain medications such as those used to control fever
alcohol consumption

How Are Night Sweats Treated?

While there is no way to eliminate night sweats entirely, certain interventions can make the condition less annoying. They include:

Try to find the cause. Do you have an underlying infection or treatable condition that is causing the night sweats?
Do you sleep well at night? If not you may have a sleep disorder that is contributing to the night sweats.
What medicines are you taking? Could they be causing the night sweats?
Reduce your alcohol consumption and avoid spicy foods before bedtime.
Stay cool by keeping your bedroom cool or taking a cool shower or bath before bedtime.

What Should I Do About My Night Sweats

The worst thing about night sweats is they are so uncomfortable. Sleep becomes difficult when your bedclothes are soaked with sweat. If you wake in the middle of the night with "sweats" here's what you should do to get back to sleep.

Take a cool bath or shower and change into dry bedclothes.
Change your bedding. Make sure to use a water proof pad under the dry bedding to protect your mattress from being saturated from the sweats.
If the weather permits, open a bedroom window or use a fan to circulate air. Be careful to avoid a chill.

If you suffer from night sweats or you find that your night sweats are more severe or more frequent than they used to be, contact your doctor so he or she can investigate the cause.