Night sweats

[Symphony]

ick, I know

But argh help me! I cant stand it any more, I have terrible nightmares and wake up soaking all the time, every night, my internal thermostat is broken, I am freezing all day and then go to sleep and turn into lava and I am literally soaked as if someone had thrown buckets of water over me and the blanket. This is an especially bizarre problem for me as I really don't sweat much at all to the point that it causes me problems in hot weather.. is there anything I can do? anyone else have this issue ?

 

[justy]

Hi Symphony - so sorry you are suffering this horrible symptom. I have suffered this very badly in the past, but luckily it has not been a problem for a while. I know you are younger than me, but i was continually told from the age of 36 that i was menopausal - i wasnt, and eben though im now 43, i dont get it at all.

I dont know if its related to low level infection, hormones, or wether the M.E is a misdiagnosis (its a symptom of other autoimmune diseases such as sarcoidosis) but for me working with a medical herbalist - worked on immune, hormones balance amongst other things, has helped t reolve this symptom and modualted many others - although for me it has been a long term treamtnet - not a quick fix. I have been taking herbal tinctures prescribed by her for 3 years.

I hope you find some relief soon.
Take care, Justy x

 

[taniaaust1]

Sorry to hear that you've got that symptom, I used to have that too. Fortunately i dont anymore, I had it for at least a few years but it went away itself. In my case I was only in my 20s when I had that going on and it wasnt a perimenopause symptom (as 15 years later I still arent in menopause).

its horrible when one needs to get up in middle of night to change PJs, bedsheets and quilt as ones sweated till everything is wet. (sweat would pour and be running with driplets from my body at times). I only had it really happen to that extent at night when asleep and yeah.. freezing during the day. I was wearing beanies, scarfs and gloves in summer in Australia.

 

[Symphony]

I really hope its not pre-menopausal! I am 24 and haven't had a baby yet. You do hear of it happening really early in some people though :thumbdown:. I am hoping for a 'drink peppermint tea before bed' or 'use this funky bedlinen' type response ... short of that, I guess its back to the doctors again for me.

 

[justy]

Hi Symphony - i'ts unlikely to be early menopause symptoms at your age. Night sweats are very common in M.E as well as many other illnesses. It may be worth a trip to the GP - but then again you probably wont get any help from them.

Having a little thought as well - you dont take steroids for anything do you? (including inhaled)

take care, Justy x

 

[Symphony]

no, no meds at all, accept over counter pain killers

 

[justy]

o.k, just wondering - i took steroids for a while at too high a dose and it caused night sweats. Just a thought.
Justy x

 

[Crux]

Hi;
I had a return of night sweats and other symptoms recently. Since I've increased B12, again, they've stopped.
It's still hard for me to believe how many symptoms B12 has relieved. ( I'm just glad it's working, regardless of my belief.... weird.)

 

[Tammy]

Hi;
I had a return of night sweats and other symptoms recently. Since I've increased B12, again, they've stopped.
It's still hard for me to believe how many symptoms B12 has relieved. ( I'm just glad it's working, regardless of my belief.... weird.)

crux, what form of B12 do you use?

 

[Tammy]

I've had night sweats on and off since having CFS. For me they always occured when I was at my worst with CFS. I have been experiencing them again for the last month but not as bad as they were before..............Sorry you are experiencing this.

 

[Ocean]

I have them off and on. Actually just started back up and I was thinking of posting here about it just the other day. I get woken up from an intense dream (another new and annoying development lately) and find I'm in a sweat. I do not believe it's hormonal at all for me.

 

[Symphony]

anyone tried bamboo bedsheets? I was reading an article and its apparently brilliant, however they also sold the sheets so that might be a bit biassed of them to say.

 

[Crux]

Hi Tammy;

I'm taking AOR brand methylcobalamin now.

Hi Symphony;

Bamboo Sheets? Amazing... I'll have to read up about it.

 

[maryb]

Symphony its definitely linked to ME but how goodness knows!
I have had them for several years since becoming ill, yes its horrendous that awful drenching ugh...........
mine is on my upper torso, back, front, head, face and neck, I don't know whether there is any relevance in that.
I have had periods where they've gone, usually when I'm feeling better. They've been bad for a few months now however...
I recently started on Samento, am up to 13 drops a day, the night sweats seem to have diminished to 1 or 2 or even some nights none since I began taking it, so is it bacterial, viral related? I would like a few months free of them now they are wearying as well as I'm sure you lose a lot of vital minerals due to the amount of sweating.

 

[ahimsa]

Hi Symphony,

I often had really bad night sweats during the first 4-5 (?) years that I was sick. I first got sick in 1990, at age 29, and lay people (not doctors, thankfully) would often suggest menopause when I mentioned this symptom. But that's because it's the only thing they know about that can cause night sweats. They don't realize how many other things can cause this symptom.

I suppose it is possible that it might be menopause (you could talk with your doctor, look at lists of other menopause symptoms, maybe have your hormones levels tested, etc.) but it's not very likely. As you can see just by the few people responding in this thread, night sweats are a common symptom of ME.

I'm almost 52 and I still have a very regular period. I'm not even in peri-menopause yet. So, it's pretty obvious that my night sweats had nothing to do with menopause. Like Tammy, my night sweats were always worse when I was feeling worse.

After being sick for 23 years I rarely have night sweats now. One factor that seemed to reduce them for me was treating my orthostatic intolerance. My diagnosis is Neurally Mediated Hypotension, which means my biggest problem seems to be dropping blood pressure, and only a bit of increased heart rate, but I might also have some POTS now after so many years.

While I no longer have night sweats all the time, I do get them every once in a while-- maybe 3-4 times a year? I wake up with my hair damp, and my t-shirt drenched, with sweat mostly around my neck and chest area but not under my arms. I have to change both the pillow case and my t-shirt when this happens. And it seems to smell worse than sweat that's caused by heat or exertion (but maybe that's my imagination).

In my case it has nothing to do with the room temperature, or type of sheets, or anything like that. It's somehow related to overexertion from the previous day or two and then the subsequent crash from PEM/PENE. But not all my crashes cause this symptom. I have never figured out exactly what triggers this problem. I'm just happy that it's rare now compared to those first few years when it seemed to happen at least twice a week.

I have no idea whether your night sweats are anything like mine at all. But I'm sharing my experience just in case it might help you. Good luck in figuring out what is causing your night sweats.

 

[Symphony]

thanks so much for sharing it is so helpful to know that night sweats don't always = menopause, I was starting to panic about it! I am going to try the bamboo sheets see if that helps, and I am keeping a diary to see if I can find a pattern, none yet. Having a bath before bed seems to help a bit, and I am going back to my gp soon, so hopefully something will work. If I find a cure I will post it here heh!

 

[searcher]

I had really bad night sweats the first 9 or 10 months of my illness. I woke up most mornings at 3 am drenched in musty sweat and I was told I was often screaming. My sheets would be soaked. I also barely sweated during the day. The night sweats went away entirely a month or two after I tried my first dose of B12 (Jarrow methyl-B12) but I don't know if that was a coincidence. I know menopause can hit really early but I would bet that your sweats aren't related to your cycle.

 

[*GG*]

I had really bad night sweats the first 9 or 10 months of my illness. I woke up most mornings at 3 am drenched in musty sweat and I was told I was often screaming. My sheets would be soaked. I also barely sweated during the day. The night sweats went away entirely a month or two after I tried my first dose of B12 (Jarrow methyl-B12) but I don't know if that was a coincidence. I know menopause can hit really early but I would bet that your sweats aren't related to your cycle.

That's it, only 9 to 10 months. i think I had this for at least 3 years, probably more than 5?

GG

 

[justy]

Hi Symphony - my experiences of night sweats are very similar to the other posters, and like others mine have now largely gone. This in my mind is attributable to only one of 3 things:

1. Methyl B12 injections
2. Agnus Castus herb (for balancing hormones - also sorted out my PMS)
3. a general improvement in my overall health.

I can'tr imagine that bamboo sheets will do much apart from feel nice and drain your purse. I dont imagine its your sheets that are making you sweat, but rather the M.E. I do always buy nice cotton sheets - and i rather fancy some bamboo leggings and socks i have seen, because they are a nice natural product,but i think claiming medical benefits is taking it a bit far.

TC, Justy x

 

[rlc]

Hi Symphony, RE

I have terrible nightmares and wake up soaking all the time, every night, my internal thermostat is broken,

Have you been checked for Hypoglycemia? It can cause night terrors see http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/n/night_terror/causes.htm and night sweats see http://diabetes.about.com/lw/Health-Medicine/Conditions-and-diseases/Nighttime-Hypoglycemia.htm

There are many possible causes of night sweats see http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/symptoms/night_sweats/causes.htm and it is important to get your doctor to find the cause because it could be the cause of a lot of your other symptoms.

Are you getting any treatment for your B12 deficiency yet??

Hope this helps

All the best