Night Sweats?

[twinkle-toez]

Hi, I'm sorry to re-post when there are a couple of other posts on this, but I"m relatively new at this gluten-free stuff and still feeling a bit overwhelmed...

One of my biggest complaints is that I have horrific night sweats - I used to wake up from them in the middle of the night, absolutely drenched to wring out my pjs and put a dry pair on (sleeping in minimal clothes e.g. knickers and a tank top doesn't seem to help at all). I don't wake up from the sweats anymore, I just wake up horrifically cold in the morning, utterly soaked - my hair, my clothes, the sheets, EVERYTHING.

I went gluten free and the night sweats seemed to decrease, and completely go away on some nights. I then had to go to a conference where I accidentally got glutened and the night I was glutened I had raging night sweats again. They continued for a couple of nights after that, but to a much less intense degree.

This past weekend I went to a friend's cottage wherein we drank alot of alochol (I had malibu rum and juice) and ate tonnes of roasted marshmallows. To the best of my knowledge I did not get glutened - I had none of the other symptoms that glutenation causes in me.

Does anyone have any thoughts as to what could be going on here? I've had my thyroid and cholesterol checked (both normal), and my FSH (proving that I'm not menopausal - I'm only 26 and my FSH was normal). I've tried a hypoglycemia explanation early on - but the sweats were the same regardless of what I ate and how close in proximity (time) the food was ingested relative to me going to bed.

I really don't know what could have caused the sweats the past two nights... I'm sorry to be a bother, but I'd be very open to hearing people's thoughts... Thanks!

[daniknik]

Hi, I'm sorry to re-post when there are a couple of other posts on this, but I"m relatively new at this gluten-free stuff and still feeling a bit overwhelmed...

One of my biggest complaints is that I have horrific night sweats - I used to wake up from them in the middle of the night, absolutely drenched to wring out my pjs and put a dry pair on (sleeping in minimal clothes e.g. knickers and a tank top doesn't seem to help at all). I don't wake up from the sweats anymore, I just wake up horrifically cold in the morning, utterly soaked - my hair, my clothes, the sheets, EVERYTHING.

I went gluten free and the night sweats seemed to decrease, and completely go away on some nights. I then had to go to a conference where I accidentally got glutened and the night I was glutened I had raging night sweats again. They continued for a couple of nights after that, but to a much less intense degree.

This past weekend I went to a friend's cottage wherein we drank alot of alochol (I had malibu rum and juice) and ate tonnes of roasted marshmallows. To the best of my knowledge I did not get glutened - I had none of the other symptoms that glutenation causes in me.

Does anyone have any thoughts as to what could be going on here? I've had my thyroid and cholesterol checked (both normal), and my FSH (proving that I'm not menopausal - I'm only 26 and my FSH was normal). I've tried a hypoglycemia explanation early on - but the sweats were the same regardless of what I ate and how close in proximity (time) the food was ingested relative to me going to bed.

I really don't know what could have caused the sweats the past two nights... I'm sorry to be a bother, but I'd be very open to hearing people's thoughts... Thanks!

Have you considered other food intolerances? I started an elimination diet in October of '09 after my multiple symptoms became overwhelming. In addition to numerous gut issues, one of my primary symptoms was horrific night sweats and also a very irregular period (too frequent in my case) I also had my thyroid, cholestrol, and FSH checked and when they all came back normal my doctor told me to "get a fan" and invest in cotton sheets. Needless to say, I was pissed. On my elimination diet (and after ELISA and stool testing) I realized that I was also intolerant to SOY, milk, eggs, and yeast. When I cut soy completely out of my diet (including lecithin and soy oil for me because I seem to be highly reactive) I experienced a near immediate relief from the night sweats. In fact, I can't even remember the last time I had one and my period is returning to a more regular spacing of 26 days instead of 21. I know that this might not be what you want to hear, but it seems to make sense to me especially considering how often companies tout soy-hormones as a benefit for peri and menopausal women. Could be that the hormones in the soy products are overloading your system and causing you to experience the night sweats. Just my two cents. Good Luck!

[twinkle-toez]

Hm. Soy intolerance is actually a really good and logical idea that I had not yet considered - it would totally make sense from a hormonal perspective. I've heard people talk about testing for food intolerances, but I"m not very familiar with it. Is it just done on the basis of an elimination diet, and then reintroducing foods to see what one reacts to, or is it something that you can get a blood or skin test for? Do you have to see an alternative health practitioner?

Thanks for your input!!! I'll definitely try to figure out if soy is involved in some manner!

[Looking for answers]

Hm. Soy intolerance is actually a really good and logical idea that I had not yet considered - it would totally make sense from a hormonal perspective. I've heard people talk about testing for food intolerances, but I"m not very familiar with it. Is it just done on the basis of an elimination diet, and then reintroducing foods to see what one reacts to, or is it something that you can get a blood or skin test for? Do you have to see an alternative health practitioner?

Thanks for your input!!! I'll definitely try to figure out if soy is involved in some manner!

I went through a period of hormonal imbalance that caused night sweats. I also cut of Soy and all estrogenic foods for a while, like flax seeds, etc. I reintroduced the other foods after things evened out, except for Soy. It's out for good. The diet also cleared up a overain cyst I had.

[Sillybrry]

Good to see this topic - I am having the same problem, and had not considered soy as a culprit. I'm very new to the gluten-free diet - about two days in, actually - so I was hoping it would help this situation as well as the other problems I've been having. I don't think I eat a lot of soy - though I'm learning a lot about label-reading and discovering I'm eating things I had no idea I was eating! - but will definitely keep an eye on that in the future.

[hangcat]

Hi, I'm sorry to re-post when there are a couple of other posts on this, but I"m relatively new at this gluten-free stuff and still feeling a bit overwhelmed...

One of my biggest complaints is that I have horrific night sweats - I used to wake up from them in the middle of the night, absolutely drenched to wring out my pjs and put a dry pair on (sleeping in minimal clothes e.g. knickers and a tank top doesn't seem to help at all). I don't wake up from the sweats anymore, I just wake up horrifically cold in the morning, utterly soaked - my hair, my clothes, the sheets, EVERYTHING.

I went gluten free and the night sweats seemed to decrease, and completely go away on some nights. I then had to go to a conference where I accidentally got glutened and the night I was glutened I had raging night sweats again. They continued for a couple of nights after that, but to a much less intense degree.

This past weekend I went to a friend's cottage wherein we drank alot of alochol (I had malibu rum and juice) and ate tonnes of roasted marshmallows. To the best of my knowledge I did not get glutened - I had none of the other symptoms that glutenation causes in me.

Does anyone have any thoughts as to what could be going on here? I've had my thyroid and cholesterol checked (both normal), and my FSH (proving that I'm not menopausal - I'm only 26 and my FSH was normal). I've tried a hypoglycemia explanation early on - but the sweats were the same regardless of what I ate and how close in proximity (time) the food was ingested relative to me going to bed.

I really don't know what could have caused the sweats the past two nights... I'm sorry to be a bother, but I'd be very open to hearing people's thoughts... Thanks!

If you're drinking alcohol regularly, you may wake up with night sweats, too.

[Gemini]

Have you considered other food intolerances? I started an elimination diet in October of '09 after my multiple symptoms became overwhelming. In addition to numerous gut issues, one of my primary symptoms was horrific night sweats and also a very irregular period (too frequent in my case) I also had my thyroid, cholestrol, and FSH checked and when they all came back normal my doctor told me to "get a fan" and invest in cotton sheets. Needless to say, I was pissed. On my elimination diet (and after ELISA and stool testing) I realized that I was also intolerant to SOY, milk, eggs, and yeast. When I cut soy completely out of my diet (including lecithin and soy oil for me because I seem to be highly reactive) I experienced a near immediate relief from the night sweats. In fact, I can't even remember the last time I had one and my period is returning to a more regular spacing of 26 days instead of 21. I know that this might not be what you want to hear, but it seems to make sense to me especially considering how often companies tout soy-hormones as a benefit for peri and menopausal women. Could be that the hormones in the soy products are overloading your system and causing you to experience the night sweats. Just my two cents. Good Luck!

Night sweats occur from a deficit of estrogen and progesterone and not from an excess of these hormones. Soy would actually help a woman who was having hot flashes and night sweats from menopause/peri-menopause. It may not help everyone but soy is not the bad food that many make it out to be. Japanese women eat tons of soy and hot flashes are not common to their society. Unless you have an intolerance to soy, it can be a beneficial food for many.

There are many reasons women have night sweats, including cancer, so it can be very hard to pinpoint the cause.

[Mike7]

Caffeine can do this to a lot of people...are you a coffee drinker? Caffeine + alcohol could be the culprit

[Looking for answers]

Night sweats occur from a deficit of estrogen and progesterone and not from an excess of these hormones. Soy would actually help a woman who was having hot flashes and night sweats from menopause/peri-menopause. It may not help everyone but soy is not the bad food that many make it out to be. Japanese women eat tons of soy and hot flashes are not common to their society. Unless you have an intolerance to soy, it can be a beneficial food for many.

There are many reasons women have night sweats, including cancer, so it can be very hard to pinpoint the cause.

Japanese women eat whole soy, not fractured GMO soy like we do here - i.e. soy milk, soy bars, etc. A rise in estrogen can defintely cause hormonal problems, which cause night sweats. Yes, it's true there are many causes, and this is just one of them.

[K-Dawg]

Hey -- I used to get night sweats, prior to going gluten free. But, the sweats were caused by elevated liver enzymes. I was feeling ill...night sweats..found out I had elevated liver enzymes. My liver specialist tested me for all sorts of things and evenutally I was diagnosed with celiac disease. After several months of going gluten free, my liver got healthy and the night sweats stopped.

Given that you had them after drinking, maybe there is a liver connection for you.

KDawg

Hi, I'm sorry to re-post when there are a couple of other posts on this, but I"m relatively new at this gluten-free stuff and still feeling a bit overwhelmed...

One of my biggest complaints is that I have horrific night sweats - I used to wake up from them in the middle of the night, absolutely drenched to wring out my pjs and put a dry pair on (sleeping in minimal clothes e.g. knickers and a tank top doesn't seem to help at all). I don't wake up from the sweats anymore, I just wake up horrifically cold in the morning, utterly soaked - my hair, my clothes, the sheets, EVERYTHING.

I went gluten free and the night sweats seemed to decrease, and completely go away on some nights. I then had to go to a conference where I accidentally got glutened and the night I was glutened I had raging night sweats again. They continued for a couple of nights after that, but to a much less intense degree.

This past weekend I went to a friend's cottage wherein we drank alot of alochol (I had malibu rum and juice) and ate tonnes of roasted marshmallows. To the best of my knowledge I did not get glutened - I had none of the other symptoms that glutenation causes in me.

Does anyone have any thoughts as to what could be going on here? I've had my thyroid and cholesterol checked (both normal), and my FSH (proving that I'm not menopausal - I'm only 26 and my FSH was normal). I've tried a hypoglycemia explanation early on - but the sweats were the same regardless of what I ate and how close in proximity (time) the food was ingested relative to me going to bed.

I really don't know what could have caused the sweats the past two nights... I'm sorry to be a bother, but I'd be very open to hearing people's thoughts... Thanks!

[mrsoliz]

Yes, soy intolerance can be a reason, I have a friend who has problems with it. If he eats or drinks soy (accidentally), then he can't sleep at night and his stomach aches. First, even the docs didn't know what the problem was but then they discovered the intolerance. The most important thing is to find out the cause for the problems, food intolerances are often difficult to discover.

[Gemini]

Japanese women eat whole soy, not fractured GMO soy like we do here - i.e. soy milk, soy bars, etc. A rise in estrogen can defintely cause hormonal problems, which cause night sweats. Yes, it's true there are many causes, and this is just one of them.

I think the comparison of whole soy and what you refer to as fractured, GMO soy are apples and oranges. Honestly, it's a wonder people eat at all!

Not all soy sold and consumed here in the States is genetically modified so don't assume people are eating crap. I know I don't and soy will absolutely help with hot flashes and menopausal symptoms, if your estrogen and progesterone levels have tanked. Some women do not respond to soy and use bio-identicals or HRT, which are another viable option.

Estrogen levels generally do not rise, except with pregnancy or an expected cycle. Unless your estrogen ratio is way out of whack with progesterone, and that happens generally ONLY with menopause, night sweats will not occur. They are almost always caused by deficits in hormones and not excesses.

Night sweats are also common with some forms of cancer so if you are too young for menopause to happen, a trip to the doctor might be in order. Severe night sweats should never be ignored unless you are menopausal.

[Gemini]

Japanese women eat whole soy, not fractured GMO soy like we do here - i.e. soy milk, soy bars, etc. A rise in estrogen can defintely cause hormonal problems, which cause night sweats. Yes, it's true there are many causes, and this is just one of them.

I think the comparison of whole soy and what you refer to as fractured, GMO soy are apples and oranges. Honestly, it's a wonder people eat at all!

Not all soy sold and consumed here in the States is genetically modified so don't assume people are eating crap. I know I don't and soy will absolutely help with hot flashes and menopausal symptoms, if your estrogen and progesterone levels have tanked. Some women do not respond to soy and use bio-identicals or HRT, which are another viable option.

Estrogen levels generally do not rise, except with pregnancy or an expected cycle. Unless your estrogen ratio is way out of whack with progesterone, and that happens generally ONLY with menopause, night sweats will not occur. They are almost always caused by deficits in hormones and not excesses.

Night sweats are also common with some forms of cancer so if you are too young for menopause to happen, a trip to the doctor might be in order. Severe night sweats should never be ignored unless you are menopausal....and that might be hard to do also!

[twinkle-toez]

I have the night sweats whether I drink or not (I hardly ever drink) and I've had my liver enzymes checked for function so I don't think it's that.

Caffeine - I don't typically do coffee as I can't stand the taste and it makes my stomach and GI tract burn in a most unpleasant way. I do tea, but I've done tea since I was 16 and have never had this problem before. I also used to do diet coke, but I've found that the sweats continued to be a problem even after removal of carbonated beverages from my diet. I don't consume anything else that's high in caffeine.

I've also had my hormone levels checked and I'm not menopausal - in fact, up until this past week I have been on oral contraceptives since last September, so that should have been keeping my estrogen and progesterone pretty much in check (which it was). When I'm not on the pill I do have hormone problems - skewed LH and FSH profiles as my ovaries are polycystic.

Still working on figuring out the cause of the night sweats - at this point, I'm being checked out for MS and neurological problems as I have alot of symptoms consistent with CNS demylenation. Go for my first MRI this Monday (dorsal spine) - I've been told 45ish minutes inside the MRI machine... I'm freaked, but really wanting answers...

Thank you to everyone who has replied, and sorry that it's taken me so long to extend that thanks.

[Looking for answers]

I think the comparison of whole soy and what you refer to as fractured, GMO soy are apples and oranges. Honestly, it's a wonder people eat at all!

Not all soy sold and consumed here in the States is genetically modified so don't assume people are eating crap. I know I don't and soy will absolutely help with hot flashes and menopausal symptoms, if your estrogen and progesterone levels have tanked. Some women do not respond to soy and use bio-identicals or HRT, which are another viable option.

Estrogen levels generally do not rise, except with pregnancy or an expected cycle. Unless your estrogen ratio is way out of whack with progesterone, and that happens generally ONLY with menopause, night sweats will not occur. They are almost always caused by deficits in hormones and not excesses.

Night sweats are also common with some forms of cancer so if you are too young for menopause to happen, a trip to the doctor might be in order. Severe night sweats should never be ignored unless you are menopausal....and that might be hard to do also!

I do agree that whole, fermented soy is a healthy option for some. I'm merely referring to information published by doctors like Dr. Mercola. Varying opinions are a good way for others to learn, and I agree night sweats should not be ignored. My night sweats were never to the point where I needed to change my clothes.

[Tidings]

Hello Twinkle-toez,

You wrote:

"I'm being checked out for MS and neurological problems as I have alot of symptoms consistent with CNS demylenation" as well as

"I also used to do diet coke..."

You might want to research ASPARTAME and DIET SODAS and HEALTH PROBLEMS they can cause.

Diet Coke Ingredients:

Carbonated Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Caramel Color, Phosphoric Acid, Natural Flavors, Aspartame, Potassium Benzoate, Citric Acid

Source: Open Original Shared Link

You could Google "excitotoxins, aspartame, myelin" - Maybe find some surprising info.

Although many (including apparently the FDA) maintain that Aspartame is harmless, many others (including doctors/researchers) maintain it is quite dangerous to various organs and cells, such as retinal (eye) cells, brain cells, and myelin sheath.

Just a thought. Good luck--and by the way, I'm also plagued with sporadic night sweats, from unknown cause--but it definitely is NOT Aspartame causing them!

[twinkle-toez]

Hello Twinkle-toez,

You wrote:

"I'm being checked out for MS and neurological problems as I have alot of symptoms consistent with CNS demylenation" as well as

"I also used to do diet coke..."

You might want to research ASPARTAME and DIET SODAS and HEALTH PROBLEMS they can cause.

Thank you Tidings for the heads up. I used to put TONNES of artificial sweetener in my tea (or in the rare occasions that I drank it - coffee) and I did get raised eyebrows from some people, but I always just told them that "I had bigger fish to fry, and when I was done with those I'd move onto the tinier ones"... I am aware about the high controversy over whether aspartame is detrimental or safe - and quite aware of the bias of alot of the studies that claim it to be safe. I truly just thought that my eating disorder was the first and foremost thing I needed to take care of, and that artificial sweeteners really weren't that big of a deal... I have since re-examined things. I am trying my best to cut all artificial sweeteners out of my diet - replacing them in my tea with stevia, which has a bit of a peculiar taste that I'm still adjusting to. Every once in awhile I cave and have a diet coke or put splenda or something in my tea, but I'm doing reasonably well with it... But thank you for the advice. It is greatly appreciated.

[JeepWidow]

I'm sure there could be many causes, but personally my nightsweats seemed to increase whenever I drank alcohol, didn't seem to take very much at all.

[BoydBT]

My night sweats have about stopped. YEAH

[reddgreen]

Hi Twinkle-Toes,

Thanks for posting, this is great information. I've had horrific night sweats on and off for years. When they come, just like you mentioned, I wake up and my head is soaked like someone threw a bucket of water on me. I haven't been able to correlate with food, but I only just found out about gluten/coeliac today, surprisingly, by an accidental web search which led me to a few wiki entries and this blog. I can stand the night sweats, but, akk, the GI issues are just horrific, so bad I can't stand it any longer. Ive had many useless trips to GI doctors, none even mentioned that I could possibly have coeliac or gluten allergies. Thanks to everyone, and also for suggesting elimination diets to find out if some other food is helping to cause the problems.

Im calling my GI doctor tomorrow morning and pushing hard for gluten/coeliac tests, hoping to get to the bottom of 20 years of very awful GI issues.

Best luck to everyone to get back on the road to good health!

Regards,

Mike