Have Freedom From Night Sweats And Sleep Disorders
A restful and comfortable night’s sleep is very necessary for a healthy life. However, diseases like night sweats and sleep apnea disturbs the process of normal sleeping patterns. These two commonly occurring diseases are discussed below in detail.
Night sweats are a disorder in which the body perspires heavily. Perspiration is a normal process of the human body to cool down the body temperature. It mostly happens in the hot summer season due to high temperatures which cause the body to perspire in an attempt to keep cool. However, regular heavy perspiration, mostly at night, such that the person wakes up drenched in sweat could be symptomatic of many diseases. It also happens in women undergoing menopause due to the decreasing levels of the estrogen hormone. It happens in men as well due to a decrease in the testosterone hormone. More women suffer from night sweats as compared to men because their hormones decrease more rapidly as compared to men.
Causes And Treatment For Night Sweats
The main causes of night sweats are menopause, obstructive sleep apnea, anxiety and stress, excess use of drugs or alcohol, gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD), diabetes, heart burn, indigestion, immune disorders, heart diseases, andropause (a lack of testosterone in the body), HIV/AIDS, chemotherapy, and tuberculosis.
The treatment of night sweats varies as there can be a number of causes behind it. Firstly, the main cause of these night sweats should be identified and then it is treated accordingly.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea or OSA is considered to be a life-threatening disease. It also causes night sweats. In this disease, the breathing of a person stops repeatedly during sleep. This breathing interruption puts a strain on the cardiovascular system and disturbs a sound sleep and results in laziness throughout the day’s routine due to lack of sleep.
Its symptoms are loud but interrupted snoring due to a disturbance in breathing. The patient is gasping and struggling for breath during sleep due to the pauses or apnea in the breathing process. These pauses may occur 20 times an hour. Headaches, concentration difficulties, depression, irritability, memory loss, and sexual dysfunction are some commonly observed symptoms of sleep apnea.
Disorders caused due to sleep apnea
Here are some disorders that occur due to sleep apnea:
- Stroke
- High blood pressure
- Heart diseases
- Heart attack
- Fatigue-related traffic and work accidents
- Decreased quality of life
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the most commonly adopted treatment for sleep apnea patients. It causes the breathing process to become regular, and as a result, snoring stops. It provides adequate air flow to the lungs of the patient so that he or she can breathe comfortably and the oxygen level in the blood returns to normal. Therefore, the patient is able to enjoy a sound and restful sleep. The daily routine working becomes easy and normal and the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, heart attack, and stroke is minimized.