Waking Up in the Middle of the Night Drenched in Sweat? 9 Ways To Cool Down Fast

Waking up at 3 a.m. because your body feels like a furnace is one of menopause’s most frustrating uninvited guests. The sheets stick. Your pajamas cling. And just as you drift off again, another hot flash hits. If this sounds like your nightly routine, you’re far from alone—and there’s plenty you can do to cool down and reclaim your rest. We’re revealing how to stop waking up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat with simple tricks that actually work.

Why night sweats happen in the first place

“A night sweat is a hot flash that happens at night, there’s no difference except the time of the day it occurs,” says Lauren Streicher, MD, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and author of Hot Flash Hell: A Gynecologist’s Guide to Turning Down the Heat.

Up to 80 percent of menopausal women experience them, Dr. Streicher explains. And they tend to stick around longer than most of us hope. “There’s a myth that hot flashes aren’t going to last very long,” she adds. “But on average, women can get hot flashes for about seven years.”

The culprit? Lower estrogen levels appear to confuse the brain’s internal thermostat. “Essentially, your body’s thermostat is broken, and it thinks it has to heat up when it doesn’t,” says Dr. Streicher.

Menopause isn’t the only trigger. Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, author of From Fatigued to Fantastic, says low blood sugar can wake you in the middle of the night in a sweat, especially if you tend to get “hangry” during the day. Infections, including an overgrowth of candida, can also raise your body temperature overnight.

What to do if you wake up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat

When the heat hits overnight, these in-the-moment tricks can help you cool off quickly and drift back to sleep:

• Turn on a fan. Dry air helps evaporate sweat from your skin. A bedside fan or ceiling fan works well, and keeping the A/C running (or windows open in cooler months) sets you up for a more comfortable night overall.
• Sip cold water. “Cold water can lower body temperature slightly, which can help if you’re experiencing a hot flash in the moment,” says Mindy Goldman, MD, a clinical professor at the University of California San Francisco and chief clinical officer for Midi Health.
• Reach for a cold compress. A reusable ice pack, such as Chilltherapy The Ripple, on your forehead, cheeks or the back of your neck brings quick relief. “You can also apply ice cubes to a pulse point, such as your wrists, to help ease the sensations of a hot flash,” says Alexandra H. Woolley, MSN, CNM, a women’s health nurse practitioner at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medicine Center. 

Reach for the best sheets and pajamas for night sweats

Your bedroom environment matters as much as what you do in the moment. Keeping the room cool helps reduce heat-related waking, and if you live in a dry climate, a humidifier can make a difference, says Leslie Baumann, MD, FAAD, a board-certified dermatologist. What else can help? Swapping your sheets and pajamas.

• Use breathable bedding. Sheets made of breathable materials like cotton or bamboo help your body shed heat instead of trapping it. Or look for specialized moisture-wicking fabrics, such as Rest Evercool Cooling Sheet Set, to keep you cool, dry and comfortable all night.
• Slip on cooling pajamas. Still running hot? Trading thicker knit PJs for lightweight, cooling ones can be a game-changer when it comes to helping you avoid those 3 a.m. wakeups drenched in sweats. Two options we like: Kuula Loungewear Nightie with DreamCool fabric and Cool-Jams NightCool Gathered Tank Nightgown with moisture-wicking fabric.

How to stop waking up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat

Our experts agree there are a few things you can do to help stop night sweats before they even start. Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) is often the first line of treatment, and something Dr. Goldman says is “statistically your most effective option and the quickest and most reliable path to symptom improvement.” 

But if you’d rather try a few home remedies or prescription-free options first, these research-backed options can help you stop waking up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat:

• Snack on edamame. Compounds in soy work like estrogen, the key temperature-regulating hormone that drops during menopause. One study in Menopause found postmenopausal women who ate ½ cup of cooked soybeans daily on a low-fat, vegan diet experienced a 79 percent decrease in hot flashes over 12 weeks. Dr. Teitelbaum suggests a handful of roasted edamame at night, which can also help steady blood sugar.
• Try an S-equol supplement. “S-equol contains the metabolite, or breakdown product, of soy which is believed to be responsible for alleviating hot flashes,” says Dr. Streicher. Equelle is currently the only supplement containing it. She notes it likely won’t eliminate moderate to severe flashes, but it may make them milder.
• Consider acupuncture. A study in BMJ Open found women who received acupuncture once a week for six weeks saw significant drops in both daytime and nighttime hot flashes, with results starting as early as week three.
• Practice paced breathing. Postmenopausal women who did paced diaphragmatic breathing for 15 minutes twice daily—and whenever a hot flash struck—saw more than a 50 percent decrease in hot flash frequency and a nearly 67 percent drop in severity over three weeks, according to a study in the Egyptian Journal of Health Care.

Cooler nights are within reach

Finding what works may take some trial and error. But cooler, calmer nights—and the deep, restorative sleep that follows—really are within reach.