Excessive night sweats

Hey everyone.

So, to make a long story short—it's been going on for a few years now, but especially over the last couple of weeks—I’ve been dealing with these intense night sweats. It's gotten to the point where I have to get up twice a night just to swap out my sheets.

Just to give some context—I sleep in just boxers, and I don't turn the heat on in my room at all; thanks to the insulation, it stays around a cool 59°F. I usually just use a sheet and two thin blankets.

The thing is, I'm on an antidepressant, and over the last two months, I've gained 10 pounds—I feel like my body is totally changing shape. Yesterday, I actually went in to get blood work done—my own call, of course—to check my thyroid hormones. I've always been a pretty lean guy, usually hovering around 140 lbs, but now I'm pushing over 165 lbs.

My diet is relatively healthy—lots of fiber and veggies with my main meals.

Has anyone else dealt with something similar, or is anyone experiencing this right now?

Matthew Cox8 said:Hey everyone.

So, to make a long story short—it's been going on for a few years now, but especially over the last couple of weeks—I’ve been dealing with these intense night sweats. It's gotten to the point where I have to get up twice a night just to swap out my sheets.

Just to give some context—I sleep in just boxers, and I don't turn the heat on in my room at all; thanks to the insulation, it stays around a cool 59°F. I usually just use a sheet and two thin blankets.

The thing is, I'm on an antidepressant, and over the last two months, I've gained 10 pounds—I feel like my body is totally changing shape. Yesterday, I actually went in to get blood work done—my own call, of course—to check my thyroid hormones. I've always been a pretty lean guy, usually hovering around 140 lbs, but now I'm pushing over 165 lbs.

My diet is relatively healthy—lots of fiber and veggies with my main meals.

Has anyone else dealt with something similar, or is anyone experiencing this right now?

Excessive sweating is definitely one of those classic side effects you see with antidepressants (though you didn't mention which specific one you're taking).
The whole deal with appetite shifts—whether it's spiking or dropping—is also listed right there in the warning labels for most of these meds.

As for the weight gain, I've got a foolproof hack for you: stick to the same amount of movement at dinner, but just use a spoon that's four sizes smaller. Once you hit your old weight, dial it back to a spoon that's two sizes smaller than what you're using now.
Simple, effective, works every time.

But since you mentioned this night sweating has been going on for quite a while, you really should keep an eye out for any other symptoms (and obviously, definitely run it by your primary care physician)—it's just a less likely scenario, but worth considering.

By the way, does this sweating only happen in that specific room? Based on how you described the insulation, it might just be poor air circulation. You could try picking up a couple of dehumidifiers to see if that helps, or maybe look into your mattress, because a bad one can do weird things to you. Or is it happening regardless of where you sleep?

Thanks for getting back to me.

It doesn't matter where I am sleeping—I just end up sweating through the night. Whether I'm in my own room, if I crash on the couch at home, or staying over at a friend's place... it happens everywhere, regardless of the temperature. Even if it's freezing or sweltering, I still sweat.

Regarding the antidepressants, I've been on Paxil for almost four years now. The sweating is pretty much constant—even if I'm just taking a quick walk, like a short stroll to the local CVS or a grocery store just a block away, my shirt is already soaked.

Hmm, could be genetics at play here 🤔

Looking at this more detailed breakdown, it doesn't seem like anything too crazy just yet 👍

Did you happen to be pretty active back in the day, maybe playing sports or hitting the gym during your childhood or teens, and then just kind of stopped training altogether?

If you're looking to fix your sleep, honestly, grab one of those mattresses (or even just a pillow) with cooling gel technology—it really does wonders for the sleep quality (and basically your whole life) for people who struggle with night sweats.

I’ve honestly never really done any training—not even the kind where you break a serious sweat. Even during those humid summers... nothing.

I'm going to wait until I get my hormone panel results back to see if there's some kind of imbalance going on, but I'm leaning toward thinking everything is fine, just like you mentioned.

Thanks again, and take care.

I experience quite a bit of night sweats due to my systemic lupus, though it isn't frequent enough for someone to immediately jump to a lupus diagnosis.
But when my thyroid flares up? That's a whole different story.
It’s like being hit by a tidal wave of sweat... I end up more soaked than dry, almost like I just stepped out of a shower.
Naturally, doctors tend to want to chalk everything up to psychosomatic issues first (which can certainly be a factor, but I found it a little insulting).

Matthew Cox8 said:Thanks for getting back to me.

It doesn't matter where I am sleeping—I just end up sweating through the night. Whether I'm in my own room, if I crash on the couch at home, or staying over at a friend's place... it happens everywhere, regardless of the temperature. Even if it's freezing or sweltering, I still sweat.

Regarding the antidepressants, I've been on Paxil for almost four years now. The sweating is pretty much constant—even if I'm just taking a quick walk, like a short stroll to the local CVS or a grocery store just a block away, my shirt is already soaked.

You should probably head to the doctor and have them do a quick finger-prick blood test to check your glucose levels, because honestly, all signs are pointing toward you having diabetes.

I don't know what's going on, but this is starting to get to be too much—it’s actually messing with my sleep at this point. I keep waking up drenched in sweat, which means having to jump in the shower in the middle of the night and deal with changing all the sheets... it's exhausting. On top of that, I've been feeling these irregular heart palpitations—just a racing pulse and those weird "skipping" sensations.
I'll just have to wait and see what my thyroid hormone results show.

Thyroid hormone results are inconclusive.

After tossing and turning all night with those sweats—couldn't get a wink of sleep—I hit this weird patch this afternoon where I started shaking a little and my temperature climbed to about 99.7.

On top of that, I've been getting these sharp, stabbing pains popping up in my muscles and joints every now and then.

I'm leaning toward thinking it's just some random virus going around... or do you guys think I should go ahead and make an appointment with my primary care doctor tomorrow?

Flu season is officially upon us.

The usual suspects include stuff like fevers, sinus pressure, sore throats, and aching joints—plus, I’ve noticed some people dealing with stomach issues, too, like nausea, losing their appetite, or even running to the bathroom.
The weather lately has been basically an open invitation for viruses to thrive, and since everyone seems to be traveling way more than they used to, we're constantly picking up new bugs that our immune systems aren't exactly prepared to handle.

If things start feeling really heavy or you feel like you're spiraling, it's probably worth reaching out to your doctor.

velvetmoose9 said:Flu season is officially upon us.

The usual suspects include stuff like fevers, sinus pressure, sore throats, and aching joints—plus, I’ve noticed some people dealing with stomach issues, too, like nausea, losing their appetite, or even running to the bathroom.
The weather lately has been basically an open invitation for viruses to thrive, and since everyone seems to be traveling way more than they used to, we're constantly picking up new bugs that our immune systems aren't exactly prepared to handle.

If things start feeling really heavy or you feel like you're spiraling, it's probably worth reaching out to your doctor.

Thanks. Best,