How To Prevent Night Sweats: 7 Ways To Stay Cool and Finally Sleep Through the Night
Plus discover foods that work like estrogen to help balance your hormones naturally
Key Takeaways
- Hormone changes are the leading cause of night sweats during menopause.
- Foods, breathing exercises and cooling sleep products help ease symptoms naturally.
- Hormone therapy remains the most effective treatment for frequent night sweats.
Waking up drenched, kicking off the covers, flipping the pillow to the cool side—if that sounds like your 3 a.m. reality, you’re far from alone. Up to 80 percent of menopausal women experience night sweats, and on average they can last about seven years, according to Lauren Streicher, MD, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. But you don’t have to just ride it out. Here’s what’s really behind those middle-of-the-night flare-ups—and how to prevent night sweats from stealing another night of rest.
What causes night sweats?
“A night sweat is a hot flash that happens at night. There’s no difference except the time of the day it occurs,” Dr. Streicher explains.
The most common cause of night sweats traces back to shifting hormones. “There’s an area in the brain that acts as an internal thermostat, and if you’re not producing enough estrogen, this thermostat malfunctions,” she says. “Essentially, your body’s thermostat is broken, and it thinks it has to heat up when it doesn’t.”
Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, author of From Fatigued to Fantastic, adds that the hypothalamus—the brain’s “sleep center”—also manages automatic body functions. When it becomes unstable during menopause, it can lead to night sweats. In one study, 78 percent of postmenopausal women ages 54 to 65 reported experiencing night sweats.
Menopause isn’t the only driver behind these sleep-sapping episodes. Dr. Teitelbaum says low blood sugar and infections can also trigger night sweats. If yours don’t line up with midlife hormonal shifts, talk to your doctor to figure out what could be behind them and rule out any underlying health conditions.
How to prevent night sweats: 6 proven tips
To prevent night sweats, give these expert-backed remedies a try.
Ask about hormone therapy
The first line of treatment for menopause symptoms related to changes in hormone levels is often hormone replacement therapy (HRT), now known as menopausal hormone therapy (MHT). “Hormone replacement therapy is statistically your most effective option and the quickest and most reliable path to symptom improvement,” says Mindy Goldman, MD, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of California San Francisco. If HRT isn’t right for you, plenty of nonhormonal options exist—just ask your doctor what’s the best fit for your needs.
Try an S-equol supplement
“While about 90 percent of the supplements sold to help with hot flashes don’t do anything beyond a short term placebo effect, one supplement, S-equol, has been shown to help,” Dr. Streicher says. “S-equol has a similar molecular structure to estrogen, and is a good option for someone who wants to try a nonhormonal, over the counter option.” She notes it won’t erase severe symptoms, but it can make them milder and more tolerable.
Load up on plant-based foods
“Consuming foods high in phytoestrogens, plant compounds with structures similar to estrogen, may help diminish hot flashes,” Dr. Goldman says. Think flaxseeds, soybeans, edamame and dried fruits like dates, prunes and apricots. One study in Menopause found post-menopausal women who ate a low-fat, vegan diet including ½ cup of cooked soybeans daily for 12 weeks had a 79 percent decrease in hot flashes. Dr. Teitelbaum also recommends a handful of roasted edamame in the evening to help prevent night sweats.
Consider acupuncture
A study in BMJ Open found women who received acupuncture once a week for six weeks had a significant drop in daytime and nighttime hot flashes, overall sweating and menopause-related sleep issues—with results appearing as early as week three.
Practice paced breathing
Turns out a simple breathing technique can help prevent hot flashes naturally. A study in the Egyptian Journal of Health Care found postmenopausal women who practiced paced, diaphragmatic breathing for 15 minutes twice daily over three weeks experienced more than a 50 percent decrease in hot flash frequency and nearly 67 percent decrease in severity. One theory: Slower breathing eases the anxiety and stress that can raise body temperature.
Upgrade your bedding
Trade dense, memory foam pillows—which can trap heat—for a more breathable option that supports better airflow, such as the Purple DreamLayer Pillow made with a GelFlex Grid and MicroAir Foam.
Have stubborn night sweats that just won’t quit? Consider investing in a dual-zone cooling mattress topper like the Perfectly Snug Smart Topper. It automatically adjusts to your body temperature so you stay cool and comfortable all night, plus it has a cold burst mode to deliver instant cooling air if night sweats do flare up. Bonus: It can also warm your bed in the winter if you’re ever feeling chilly.
Try mindfulness or hypnosis
Mindfulness-based stress reduction can reduce vasomotor symptoms of menopause (such as hot flashes and night sweats) by as much as 67 percent, according to a study in the Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings. And clinical hypnosis—one of the few nonhormonal treatments the Menopause Society recommends—resulted in a 56 percent reduction in hot flashes after 12 weeks in one Menopause study.
Set your bedroom up to help prevent night sweats
Simple environmental tweaks go a long way. Keep the thermostat low, run a bedside or ceiling fan, tuck a cold pack under your pillow to flip during the night and keep a glass of cool water on the nightstand. Small changes, big difference—and a much better shot at sleeping straight through until morning.
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