If I Could Stop Sweating at Night, Yeah..That’d be Great
So there you are in bed, sleeping great, probably in the middle of a great dream. All of a sudden it’s hotter than heck and you wake up so drenched in sweat you feel like you just ran a 5K.
OMG, I did not sign up for the sauna at 3 a.m!
I hate being hot, let alone sweating buckets. Night sweats have got to be the worst way to be woken up in the middle of the night.
But there are ways to stop night sweats before they start so you can sleep cool, stay dry and wake up in the morning and NOT need a shower.
Stop Night Sweats Naturally by Eliminating Triggers
Whether you suffer from night sweats caused by menopause, medicine, sickness, or, like me, just because my body likes to change things up and keep me guessing, there are some things that can be done to find relief for night sweats.
First off, let me just say if you’re not menopausal and you’ve just started suffering from night sweats out of the blue, it’s best to see your doctor to rule out anything serious.
Now that we’ve gotten that disclaimer out of the way, let’s get into how you can sleep cool and dry at night.
Did you know that your night sweats can be triggered by certain stimuli? If you have night sweats, try to avoid doing these things near bedtime:
- Don’t smoke or inhale secondhand smoke.
- Don’t wear tight or restrictive pajamas.
- Don’t use heavy blankets or sheets on your bed.
- Don’t drink caffeine or alcohol within eight hours of bedtime.
- Don’t eat spicy foods four hours before bedtime.
- Keep your bedroom temperature at 65 F.
- Keep your stress under control.
Now that you know what some of the triggers of night sweats are and how to avoid them, let’s look into the best ways to stop night sweats in its tracks.
How to Manage Night Sweats by Controlling What Touches your Skin
One of the best ways to stop night sweats to stay cool and dry at night (other than the thermostat) is by only sleeping on/in performance fabrics.
I know your mom probably told you that cotton is the best fabric to keep you cool because it breathes. But I hate to break it to mom, but cotton is THE worst fabric you can sleep in if you have night sweats.
Cotton fabrics don’t breathe or wick moisture away. When cotton gets wet, it sticks to your body. Nobody likes the gross feeling of wet sheets or pajamas sticking to places where the sun don’t shine, so, please, don’t choose cotton.
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Use Pajamas Made for Night Sweats
Now, I know most people who sweat at night just ditch clothes altogether and sleep in the buff. And that works, too, especially if you are already sleeping on cooling performance sheets.
But if not, you really need pajamas made for night sweats. Regular pajamas just trap and hold sweat and heat that makes you hotter. Pajamas, like Cool-Jams Sleepwear have moisture wicking smart fabric that draws heat and moisture away from your body and keeps you cool.
Combine these pajamas along with temperature regulating sheets, and you’ll stay cool (and dry) all night!
WICKING GOWN FOR NIGHT SWEATS (S-3X)
Women’s Moisture Wicking Shorty Pajama Set (S-XL)Moisture Wicking Kristi Capri Pajama Set For Night Sweats
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How to Sleep Cool by Making Over your Bed
Pillows and mattresses can mean the difference between being cool and comfortable and hot and sticky. Mattresses are a big ticket item, and being hot and sweaty may not be a reason you want to shell out the money for a new one. But if it’s time for you to buy a new mattress anyway, I highly recommend you consider buying mattresses made for hot sleepers.
Not time to buy a mattress yet? Here’s some ways you can make your bed over so you can sleep cooler.
Cool your Mattress Off with a Cooling Mattress Pad
ChiliPad Cube Cooling and Warming Mattress Pad Perfect Sleep Temperature
Do you have severe night sweats or hot flashes? Try putting a cooling mattress pad under your bottom sheet. It’s a guaranteed way to stay cool.
ChiliPad mattress cooling systems can cool all the way down to 60 F, and stay at that same temperature all night.
For couples, a pad like this can save your relationship. It comes with two remotes, so if you’re sweating buckets you can keep your side cool, and your partner can warm their side all the way up to 110 F. Everybody wins!
Keep a Cool Head with a Pillow Pad
Do you wake up with a hot sweaty head? Most of your body heat is released through your head, and most pillows trap and hold your body heat.
Finding a pillow that’s comfortable AND cool can be hard as heck. It took me forever to find a pillow that supports my neck, but it makes me sweat most nights.
A pillow cooling pad can make any pillow the best pillow for night sweats because it just slips inside your pillowcase.
A lot of them can be a hassle because you have to fill them with water, but that’s why I like the Gel’O cooling mat because it’s waterless.
Use a Bed Fan to Keep Cool
Brookstone – Bed Fan with Wireless Remote
How many of you sleep with a fan? I do!
When I was looking for ways to sleep cool, I laughed when I saw this, but it makes so much more sense!
Too hot, throw covers off. Get too cool from the fan, throw covers back on. Repeat. All. Night. Long.
Apparently, some night sweater got smart and invented bed fans for night sweats.
This fan actually goes in between your sheets. It’s remote controlled, so you can turn it off or on without getting out of bed.
Finally, you can break the cover flipping cycle!
Only Use Sheets Made for Night Sweats
Night Sweats: The Original PeachSkinSheets 1500tc Soft Set
These Peachskin sheets are the best cool sheets for night sweats because they’re made out of performance fabrics.
You know how you keep hunting for the cool spot in the bed, only to have to go looking for another cool spot minutes later because you got hot?
These sheets stays cool to the touch, no matter how long you’re in the same spot. They’re smart sheets because they know when you’re getting too warm and release your body heat to keep you feeling cool.
For reasons I stated earlier, cotton is bad. Sleeping on cotton sheets is a big no-no if you’re a sweater. Always sleep on performance sheets so you’ll stay cool AND dry.
Performance sheets for night sweats can be expensive. I’ve found that Amazon has the lowest priced sheets I’ve found.
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You can find more sheets for night sweats HERE ===>
Use Essential Oils to Help Night Sweats
If you’re looking to relieve night sweats naturally, a good way to do that is by using cooling essential oils and massage them into your skin.
Clary sage, peppermint, and geranium oil are just a few of the essential oils that can help you sleep cool at night. Mix a few drops with a high quality carrier oil and do a self-massage before bed and during the night when night sweats strike.
Don’t limit yourself to just massage oil though. Try different essential oil recipes for hot flashes and night sweats, like a cooling body spray or a chilly body balm to sleep cool at night.
Help Hot Flashes and Night Sweats by Establishing Cool Habits
Believe it or not, what you do during the day can impact how hot you get at night. But learning how and when to do certain activities can help a lot.
Avoid exercising or doing anything strenuous before 6-8 hours before bedtime. Your body temperature naturally drops at night. Exercising raises your body temperature, but when you exercise too close to bedtime you don’t give your body enough time to cool itself back down.
Start eating a healthier diet to minimize sweating. I’m just not talking about spicy foods. Eliminate caffeine and processed sugar. Sugar can make hormones go all wonky, and caffeine revs up your entire system. Eating healthy can also help you lose weight, which will lessen the likelihood of night sweats, too!
Develop a nightly meditation routine to minimize daily stress. Worry and stress make your hormones level spike and then plummet. The hormones then affect the part of your brain that regulates temperature and makes you hot. Try simple meditation and relaxation exercises for sleep at night, which in turn will help you relieve stress during the day.
Bye, Bye Night Sweats!
There are many ways to stop night sweats, or at least help lessen their severity. By eating right and avoiding night sweat triggers, and sleeping on performance fabrics and cooling pajamas you can learn how to sleep with night sweats.
Things like bed fans for night sweats and a mattress cooling system can really make you go to “oh my gosh it’s so dang hot!” to “wow, I woke up this morning and wasn’t swimming in sweat!”
I need some of these items. We don’t have air conditioning in our house. The heat index went to 110 today in my city. Who can sleep in that?!
Oh, my, that’s hot! I can see how you could use just about everything in this post. Stay cool!
Love your style of writing and I had no idea these products existed! I’m only in my 20’s and I’m so sensitive to temperatures and I’m constantly overheated. I like using peppermint essential oil, it has a very cooling effect! I’m definitely interested in that mattress pad for summer.
Thank you! Right now I’m actually using natural soap made with peppermint oil. It’s definitely cooling!
I don’t get hot flashes because I am hot. when I go to bed I have got the chills. Soon I get warm. It is not all the blankets that make me sweat. It is my brain. I have a dream that is stressful and I wake up drenched. Besides that I have to get up to go to the bathroom 4 times a night. I get soooooo mad. Then when I go back to bed I am wide awake. I can’t take estrogen because I have had a stroke. That is one of the biggest problems. I am a mess. besides that I have back and leg pain. That creates a lot too. It is not being hot that causes hot flashes for me. So I need another idea.
Hi, Elaine, sounds like you’ve got a lot messing with your sleep. Even if your night sweats aren’t caused by hot flashes, these are still good tips to try. I haven’t hit menopause yet, and I’ve been a hot sleeper for years. The main thing that’s helped me is to sleep in performance fabrics that can sense when you start to overheat and will keep you cool.