BEYOND MENOPAUSE: other causes

While it’s easy to chalk up night sweats to ‘the change’ if you’re in your late 30s or 40s, it’s best not to assume that it’s the only possible reason. From the benign to the more serious, here (and on the next page) are some of the most common reasons for night sweats outside of perimenopause’s oestrogen nosedive.

FEVER When you spike a fever, it’s a sign that your temperature. And that makes it more difficult for immune system is hard at work reacting to some your body to rest fully and regulate itself when you sort of bacterial or viral infection. The chills that sleep, explains Dr Streicher. often come along with fever are a result of muscle Renee Warren was 39 when she started waking contraction and relaxation, which raises the body’s up about 1am so sweaty that she had to change into core temperature. When that core temp gets too fresh pyjamas. Ten minutes later, she’d be so cold it high, sweating is your body’s genius way of trying was tough to get back to sleep. She wondered if this to bring it back down to the normal range. was a sign of perimenopause, but had her doubts

STRESS AND ANXIETY Your stress hormones considering that she had no other symptoms and are powerful regulators of body temperature, that it generally doesn’t kick in until your 40s. says Dr Streicher. Think about how, when you’re “I was about to do all these expensive hormone tests anxious or scared, your heart starts pumping when a friend asked me what my stress level was faster, your breath gets shallow and you start like,” says Renee. “It was off-the-charts high,” due feeling a little flushed – all of which are ways your to a recent move and not seeing extended family body primes you to run like hell. When the body’s because of COVID restrictions. When the stress stress response is chronically activated, it leads eased up, Renee started to feel a little less anxious to changes in heart rate, metabolism and body all the time and her night sweats went away. E