Get Your Menopause Night Sweat Questions Answered

Menopause night sweats are commonly found in pre menopausal women. In fact, three out of four women in this stage experience hot flashes and night sweats. The only thing worse than waking up in a pool of sweat is waking up freezing cold in a pool of sweat. So, what causes this often too common occurrence?

When the change starts to take place, there is a hormonal balance that goes on in the body that is controlled by the hypothalamus. This section of the brain tries to balance mind and body. When hormones shift during pre menopause and menopause, the body and mind try to remain hormonally balanced. When women's nerve/hormone pathways are more sensitive to changes taking place, hot flashes and/or night sweats begin to occur.

Menopause Night sweats are actually caused by hot flashes, which are caused by the decrease in ovarian estrogen output. When you get a hot flash during the day, you are able to control it by fanning yourself, drinking cold water, and soaking up the sweat.

However, at night, when a hot flash occurs, the body has to take care of it by itself. The decrease in estrogen causes the hypothalamus to regulate your body temperature. But at this point the brain and the body are not working together. When the brain decides to lower your body temperature, your body's defense system goes into action and tries to warm itself up by releasing heat.

In order to release heat, the heart rate is increased so more blood can be circulated and the sweat glands open on the skin. This is all going on unnoticed behind your back as you sleep. If you don't wake up at the beginning of the sweat cycle, your body will continue to sweat and eventually the sweat turns into cold water, which in turn makes your body need to heat up even more. It's an unending battle and not a pleasant thing to wake up to.

That being said, menopause night sweats and hot flashes are not always brought on naturally. Stress and anxiety commonly make night sweats worse, as well as caffeine, alcohol, hot drinks or spicy foods. All of these things can work against your body's natural defenses and make matters worse.