What causes excessive sweating during sleep at night?
Dec 29, 2022
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Pan Yongyuan
Introduction
Night sweats are quite common and may be caused by the following reasons:
Organic diseases: including hyperthyroidism, diabetes, tuberculosis, etc., which may lead to night sweats; a clear diagnosis is necessary.
Yin deficiency: insufficient body fluids (Yin) in patients can cause symptoms such as dry mouth, dry eyes, and dry tongue. When Yin deficiency progresses to a certain degree, "fire" may arise, resulting in symptoms of deficient fire, such as heat in the palms, soles, and chest, tidal fever, night sweats, and irritability.
Many people experience sweating during sleep at night, but are unaware of the underlying causes. So, what causes excessive sweating during nighttime sleep?
What Causes Excessive Night Sweating?
Night sweats are quite common and may result from several factors: organic diseases—including hyperthyroidism, diabetes, or tuberculosis—can cause nocturnal sweating, which requires proper medical diagnosis. Yin deficiency: when the body lacks sufficient yin fluids, symptoms such as dry mouth, dry eyes, and a dry tongue may occur. When yin deficiency progresses to a certain stage, it can lead to "deficient fire," manifesting as heat in the palms, soles, and chest,潮热 (tide-like heat), night sweats, irritability, and other symptoms associated with internal heat due to deficiency.
Night sweats (also known as "consumptive sweating") are typically caused by sweating during sleep. If the above conditions are present, treatment generally focuses on nourishing yin and clearing heat. For example, Maiwei Dihuang Pills—comprising Ophiopogon (McDoor), Schisandra (Wuweizi), and Liuwei Dihuang Pills—can be used. The main mechanism is that Liuwei Dihuang Pills nourish kidney yin, Ophiopogon enhances this yin-nourishing effect, while Schisandra helps to restrain sweating.
Meanwhile, decoctions can also be used for treatment. Based on the above formula, adding sweat-stopping herbs such as floating wheat (Fuxiao Mai) can produce a more noticeable effect on night sweats. Damp-heat: some patients sweat at night, not necessarily during sleep, but due to internal damp-heat before bedtime, leading to heavy dampness in the body. Combined with irritability and anger ("fire excess"), sweating may occur just before falling asleep. Damp-heat can also cause insomnia and irritability. Typical signs include thick, greasy tongue coating, overweight body type, sticky stools, bitter taste, and bad breath—common symptoms of damp-heat. Sweating caused by damp-heat should be differentiated from night sweats due to yin deficiency. We hope this answer has been helpful to you. Wishing you good health and a happy life.
