Night Sweats: Menopause, Other Causes & Treatment

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Night sweats are common during menopause. Night sweats may be a side effect of certain medications, too. And when they happen with other symptoms, it may be a sign of an underlying health condition or an infection or a virus. Once a healthcare provider diagnoses what’s causing your symptoms, they can recommend treatments to manage night sweats.

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Night sweats are heavy sweating episodes that happen while you sleep. They’re much more intense than normal sweating. They can soak through your clothes and bedding and wake you up at night.

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Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy

During a night sweat, you may feel a sudden wave of heat, especially in your neck, chest and upper body. You might notice sweat dripping from your skin and feel your heart beating faster. When the sweating stops, you may feel cold.

Night sweats often happen with menopause. When night sweats happen with other symptoms, they could be a sign of an underlying health issue. There are several possible treatment options to help you with night sweats.

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Night sweats happen more often in women because of changes in hormones like estrogen and progesterone. These hormones help your body control its temperature. When hormone levels rise or fall, your body may have trouble staying at a comfortable temperature. It responds by sweating to cool down. Here are some examples:

• Menopause and perimenopause: Night sweats are common during perimenopause and menopause, when hormone levels change more often. You may feel a sudden wave of heat followed by heavy sweating as your body tries to cool itself.
• Pregnancy and after childbirth: Hormone levels change a lot during pregnancy, which can cause night sweats. Sweating may continue for a few weeks after your baby is born while your hormones return to normal levels.
• Hormone changes during your menstrual cycle: Hormone levels naturally change during your menstrual cycle. Estrogen drops before your period, which is when PMS symptoms happen. Night sweats are a less common symptom, but they can occur.

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Some examples of other health conditions that can cause sweats are:

• Infections: Both bacterial and viral infections, like the flu or COVID-19, can cause night sweats when your body responds to the illness.
• Hormonal and metabolic conditions: Conditions like an overactive thyroid, endocrine tumors and diabetes can interfere with how your body controls its temperature.
• Neurological and sleep disorders: Problems affecting your nervous system or sleep, like sleep apnea, may lead to night sweats.
• Cancer and cancer treatments: Cancers like leukemia and lymphoma can cause night sweats. Certain cancer treatments, like hormone therapy or radiation therapy, can also cause them.
• Mental health conditions and substances: Anxiety, panic disorders, alcohol and other substances can trigger sweating in your sleep. Even constant stress can lead to sweating.
• Medications: Sweating can be a side effect of many medications, like blood pressure medications, antidepressants, some migraine medication, pain relievers, like ibuprofen, narcotic pain medication, breast cancer treatments or steroids. Your provider may need to change or adjust your dose if medication is to blame.

Night sweats can also happen with hyperhidrosis, a condition that involves excessive sweating for unknown reasons.

There is some evidence that Vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to night sweats. A nutritional deficiency alone rarely causes night sweats. But low levels of estrogen are a well-known cause of night sweats.

Treatment depends on what’s causing your night sweats and how severe they are.

Mild cases may get better on their own or improve by making simple changes to your sleep environment. This may include turning on the air conditioning or sleeping in less clothing.

If menopause causes your night sweats, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may be an option. This treatment replaces hormones you lose during menopause. All hormone therapies carry some risks. Your healthcare provider can help you weigh the benefits and risks.

If hormone therapy isn’t safe for you, there are medications that don’t contain estrogen that may help. These medications work by affecting how your body controls its temperature. Options include:

• Antiseizure medications
• Antidepressants
• Oxybutynin or clonidine
• Fezolinetant or paroxetine

Your healthcare provider can help you choose the treatment option that’s safest and most effective for you.

You can take these steps to help with night sweats:

• Keep a cup of cold water next to your bed to sip on.
• Use pillows and mattress covers that contain cooling gels.
• Wear loose-fitting, lightweight, cotton or linen pajamas.
• Use a bedroom fan, sleep with your windows open or crank up the air conditioning.
• Use lightweight, layered bedding that you can remove as needed at night.
• Avoid foods and beverages that make you sweat (like spicy foods and caffeine).

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Care at Cleveland Clinic

Schedule a visit with a healthcare provider if you have night sweats that disrupt your sleep. If you’re close to 50 and waking up drenched in sweat, menopause is likely the cause. Still, only a provider can make a diagnosis. Once they determine the cause, they can prescribe treatments to help.

Night sweats, like hot flashes, are often related to hormone changes that make it harder for your brain to control your body temperature. But they can also be a sign of a health condition. See a healthcare provider if night sweats affect your sleep. They can get to the bottom of why you’re experiencing them. They can also recommend lifestyle changes and treatments that can help you get more rest at night.

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Cleveland Clinic’s health articles are based on evidence-backed information and review by medical professionals to ensure accuracy, reliability and up-to-date clinical standards.

Cleveland Clinic’s health articles are based on evidence-backed information and review by medical professionals to ensure accuracy, reliability and up-to-date clinical standards.

• American Osteopathic Association. Night Sweats (https://osteopathic.org/what-is-osteopathic-medicine/night-sweats/). Published 11/2021. Accessed 4/28/2026.
• Bryce C. Persistent Night Sweats: Diagnostic Evaluation (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32996756/). Am Fam Physician. 2020 Oct;102(7):427-433. Accessed 4/28/2026.
• Harlow SD, Elliott MR, Bondarenko I, Thurston RC, Jackson EA. Monthly variation of hot flashes, night sweats, and trouble sleeping: effect of season and proximity to the final menstrual period (FMP) in the SWAN Menstrual Calendar substudy (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31567864/). Menopause. 2020 Jan;27(1):5-13. Accessed 4/28/2026.
• National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health (U.S.). Hot Flashes and Night Sweats (PDQ®)–Patient Version (https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/side-effects/hot-flashes-pdq). Last updated 2/2025. Accessed 4/28/2026.

Menopause is natural, but it also can disrupt your life. Cleveland Clinic is here to help you get relief.

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