The hot flashes at night

What are hot flashes at night?

Hot flashes are usually an episodic feeling of heat, which often manifests itself as increased sweating, reddening of the skin and a fast heartbeat. By definition, experts only speak of hot flashes when no external, changeable causes such as too thick clothes or too warm room temperature in the bedroom can be found as the cause and those affected suffer greatly from the symptoms.

To be able to talk about hot flashes at night, they have to occur roughly between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. (normal bedtime).

The reasons

The causes of hot flashes at night can be very diverse, with most of them being rather mundane and therefore not really counting as causes of hot flashes. For example, it is usually a blanket that is too thick in the transitional periods, a room temperature that is too warm in the bedroom or inappropriate clothing that causes the subjective feeling of heat.

Nocturnal hot flashes are quite typical in infectious diseases, and it is not uncommon for the drugs used for healing to trigger the feeling of heat as a side effect. In women, hormonal changes during menopause are often the cause. In the worst case, however, they can also indicate a tumor disease.

Find out more about the topic here: The causes of hot flashes.

Menopause as a cause

In women, menopause is the transition from the fertile phase to the infertile. From a medical point of view, this means that it is the period in which the ovary slowly ceases to function and the woman therefore ovulates less and less frequently.

With the decreasing function, the hormonal balance of the female sex hormones also changes and there is a deficiency of the hormone "estrogen". This can cause women to suffer from hot flashes.

Find out more about the topic here: The menopause.

The high blood pressure as the cause

High blood pressure is not a classic cause of hot flashes at night. In purely theoretical terms, however, it is conceivable that it can cause hot flashes. If the blood pressure rises and “blood pressure peaks” are reached, the body activates both excretion via the kidneys and increases blood flow in the vessels as a counter-regulation. The increased blood flow can cause a feeling of heat and reddening of the face and neck.

If there is also increased sweating, this already indicates circulatory dysregulation, which usually requires drug treatment.

Further information on this topic can be found at: The high blood pressure.

Tamoxifen as the cause

Tamoxifen is a drug that is used in the therapy of hormone-active breast cancer. In fact, this means that tamoxifen is used when breast cancer has an estrogen-dependent growth. It is a drug that occupies the binding sites of the female hormone "estrogen" on the breast and thus prevents the tumor from growing.

However, it also has an effect on the estrogen binding sites on the uterus, whereby it does not have a blocking but a promoting effect. The hormonal changes caused by this very often cause hot flashes as a side effect.

You can find more information at: The tamoxifen.

Hot flashes in men at night - what can be the causes?

Nocturnal hot flashes in men unfortunately often point to a serious underlying disease if external factors can be excluded. It cannot be said exactly what it is. Anything is conceivable about an infectious disease such as tuberculosis or rheumatoid arthritis. Clarification is always required here on a case-by-case basis.

Not infrequently, however, they are also an indication of a malignant tumor disease, which often occurs with other symptoms such as fever and weight loss (so-called B symptoms).

Hot Flashes At Night In A Young Woman - What May Be The Causes?

When young women experience hot flashes at night, there are several possible causes. It is not uncommon for the female cycle to cause a rise in body temperature shortly after ovulation due to a shift in female hormone concentrations. Affected women with a good body feeling then perceive this as a hot flash at night and often also during the day.

If other symptoms such as fever occur, it can also be an inflammatory disease. With additional weight loss, a tumor disease must be excluded.

This article might also interest you: The hot flashes without menopause.

The hot flashes before your period

A feeling of heat at night is not uncommon before your monthly period. This is due to the fact that the period is a so-called "withdrawal bleeding" due to hormonal changes. If the egg cell is not fertilized after ovulation, the “pregnancy hormones” are missing to maintain the built-up mucous membrane in the uterus and that mucous membrane bleeds off. It is precisely the hormonal transition associated with this that causes body temperature to rise.

Young women in particular who have their first menstrual period suffer from sensations of heat because the cycle has not yet adjusted properly and the hormonal fluctuations are usually even more pronounced.

The hot flashes in pregnancy

Nocturnal hot flashes are rather atypical during pregnancy. It can be explained by the fact that the pregnancy hormone "progesterone" causes an increase in body temperature. To be honest, it is only a slight increase in body temperature of around 0.2 degrees Celsius, which the pregnant women usually do not even consciously notice.

Another explanation is the increased metabolism during pregnancy, which is also slightly increased at night compared to non-pregnant women.

The accompanying symptoms

Other accompanying symptoms of hot flashes at night can vary greatly depending on the cause. In addition to the feeling of heat, those affected often feel a rapid heartbeat, which is due to the increased turnover of the body during this time. If the blood vessels are widened, their surface area is enlarged and more heat can be given off to the outside world via the circulating blood volume. At the same time, however, this also means that the increased volume in the peripheral vessels is missing in the central ones. As a result, the heart beats faster to make up for the loss.

Sweating is another reaction to the increased body temperature, as the body tries to cool down through the evaporation cold. If an infection is the cause of the nocturnal hot flash, symptoms such as fever or sore throat as well as local inflammation symptoms such as "redness, swelling, overheating" can occur. In the case of a tumor, the classic combination of symptoms “fever, night sweats and weight loss” (so-called B symptoms) is often found.

The racing heart as a symptom

Hot flashes at night can go along with palpitations. Often, however, they are not classic hot flashes, as they are more a physical reaction to the circulatory dysregulation in the context of the racing heart.

In order to be able to speak of a racing heart, a heart rate of over 100 beats per minute must be available. If a person affected has a rapid heartbeat out of the blue at night and wakes up sweaty as a result, it is by definition a temporary cardiac arrhythmia with symptoms of circulatory dysregulation such as sweating and a brief feeling of heat.

Also read the article: The causes of palpitations.

The sleep disorders as a symptom

Sleep disorders are a very complex clinical picture, which can be accompanied by hot flashes at night. They are most often found in connection with difficulty sleeping through the night.

Very often it is specifically nightmares that are found to be the trigger for hot flashes at night, as the intense tension during the dream leads to an increase in body functions. Figuratively speaking, the person concerned does “competitive sport” during this dream phase and the body warms up. The heat cannot be adequately given off through a blanket and sleeping clothes and the person concerned begins to sweat until he finally wakes up as part of his dream experience.

The outbreak of sweat as a symptom

Hot flashes are always accompanied by a sweat, as they are the body's reaction to the increased temperature. With the help of sweat, the body tries to cool down.

Characteristic of hot flashes is excessive sweat production, which often leads to soaking of clothing and the formation of beads of sweat. Affected people find this very uncomfortable because on the one hand it is visible from the outside and on the other hand they cannot influence the occurrence of hot flashes.

The diagnosis

The diagnosis is made primarily with the help of a precise anamnesis (recording of the medical history). The attending physician specifically asks about symptoms and their frequency: "Do you have to change your clothes once or several times at night because you are so wet with sweat? Do you have to change the bedding at night? Do you wake up from feeling hot?"

It is important to note that the hot flashes themselves are only a symptom, not a disease. Therefore, diagnosing hot flashes is not enough.

The treatment

Treatment for hot flashes at night depends entirely on the cause of them. If hormonal fluctuations are the reason for the hot flashes, therapy consists of replacing the missing hormones in order to compensate for the imbalance. If an infection is the cause, the pathogens must be treated successfully so that the symptoms subside.

In the case of a tumor, the tumor must, if possible, be removed by surgery or reduced in size by radiation or chemotherapy. With the decrease or disappearance of the tumor cells, the nocturnal hot flashes with pronounced night sweats will subside.

In the case of chronic inflammatory diseases, the immune system must be modulated using drugs. So there is ultimately no one-size-fits-all treatment option for hot flashes.

It must always be decided in each individual case how the cause can be eliminated. All those affected are advised to create optimal conditions in the bedroom and to change clothes at night if they are sweaty, so that there is no reactive hypothermia due to the moisture and, as a result, an increased risk of infection.

The duration

If the cause of the hot flashes is reversible, they should decrease in intensity and frequency as the healing process progresses. If nocturnal hot flashes occur for no explainable reason and persist for more than two weeks, those affected should contact a doctor. It could be an indication of a serious medical condition that should be investigated.

The severity of the hot flashes has very little informative value about the prognosis for an underlying disease. This is because it is not directly related to the severity of the underlying disease, but is merely a symptom of it.

You might also be interested in this article: The duration of hot flashes.

The course of the disease

Infectious diseases - regardless of whether they are viral or bacterial - are often accompanied by hot flashes at night. But they are to be seen as a reaction of the body's own defense system to the pathogens, since it tries to kill the pathogens with an increased body temperature. With successful killing of the pathogen, the nocturnal hot flashes subside within a few days until they finally disappear completely.

The course of the disease in a tumor is very variable. It depends on the size, location and type of tumor. In addition, individual factors such as age and other illnesses play a role, so that no general statement can be made.

If the hot flushes are caused by the menopause, they disappear again as soon as the hormone balance has adapted to the change.