Monday, April 5, 2010

Night Sweats and Toxicity

The last suggestion of the naturopath that I just visited is that the night sweats could be a way of my body trying to flush out toxins. I can see how this would make sense. It would make more sense if the night sweats didn't only coincide with when I had my period, but even so, I can still see the point. Sort of like a monthly cleansing.

She suggested I test for heavy metals. I haven't yet, because I can't see that I am in any risk category for heavy metal toxicity or exposure and because I don't have any of the other symptoms usually associated with it.
If the adrenal stress end supplements don't give any joy after a couple months, I may consider doing a heavy metals test. Just wanted to put it out there because I thought it was an interesting concept.

Night Sweats and the Cortisol Connection

I visited a naturopath a few months ago, for help with these night sweats and with diminished sex drive. She performed an eye test to check my adrenal function, said that I probably had adrenal fatigue syndrome and sent me home with a saliva test kit for to check cortisol levels (low cortisol is a measure of adrenal fatigue).

My cortisol production came out within normal levels, but the pattern of highs and lows is reversed. Cortisol levels should start out high in the morning and gradually drop to a low at night. Mine are opposite...low in the morning climbing to high at night. From what I can see, nothing really to worry about, its just a circadian rhythm thing that is a bit off.

However, this lead to a search for any connection between night sweats and cortisol. Turns out that night sweats are one of the (many) listed symptoms of adrenal depletion, although my naturopath said that it wasn't really a typical presentation. Also, apparently high cortisol and/or testosterone levels is the cause of MALE night sweats. And lastly, the drug 'Predisone', which is a corticosteroid, also causes night sweats as a side effect. I'm kind of reaching for straws on that last one...

So I'm taking the adrenal stress end, which should help the adrenals regulate cortisol. We'll see how it does.
I'm wondering though if there is anything that can be done to help the cortisol patterns...something that aids in cortisol production that can be taken in the morning and something that lowers it taken at night?



Sunday, April 4, 2010

What helps relieve night sweats and what makes them worse

This is a topic I would LOVE to get comments on. A lot of things that I have found have been mostly trial and error and much of it is a just the difference between 'yuk yuk' and just plain 'yuk'

1. Sleeping in long sleeved, close fitting shirts and long pants of some kind of absorbant material.
Sounds counterintuitive, but more I'm wearing, the less I sweat and the less icky it is. I'm not the only one either, it seems....I read this elsewhere also. Night clothes should be well-fitting, not loose or baggy. I have some pyjamas in a material that is supposed to be especially for night sweats. They are okay-ish. I also have a few shirts and long underwear that I got years ago at a hiking shop that are my favorite. The material should be 'wicking'...it should be somewhat absorbant to draw away the sweat and keep you confortable. Sleeping naked is the absolute worst. I find that if I sleep with no clothes, I'll get  night sweats even when I don't have my period.

2. Keep several change of clothes and towels right next to the bed. It's always a battle to drag myself awake enough to change the dripping clothes, but I think changing leads to better sleep and is healthier to be dry at least some of the night.

3. No exercise, hot showers or saunas in the night time. I find that if I raise my body temperature in the hours before bedtime, I have worse night sweats.

4. No lotions or body creams applied before bed. Gets slimy with the sweat, ewwwww.

5. The comforter rotation; Rotate the comforter or blankets 90 degrees each time you get up to change your clothes. Since I have my husband on the other side of the bed, I usually rotate first clockwise, and then anti-clockwise etc...

Please, if anyone has anything to share on making the night sweats more bearable, please please...