On average, we humans lose half a liter of sweat – and not during exercise or sunbathing, but every single night. Night sweats are a natural process that affects us all.
While many people don't even notice sweating during sleep, for others it leads to discomfort and negatively impacts sleep quality. They wake up with soaking wet hair, damp clothes and bedding, or suffer from unpleasant night sweats.
If you belong to the second category, those who struggle with night sweats, you'll find everything you need to know about it here. We'll look at the causes and tell you how to choose the right bedding. We'll also give you other helpful tips for dealing with bothersome night sweats.
Why do we sweat at night?
Before we delve deeper into the topic and examine the causes and symptoms of night sweats, let's first focus on the basics.
Sweating – even at night – is a natural bodily function. This is how our bodies regulate temperature and protect themselves from overheating. And it does this not only during physical activity or when we have a fever, but also while we sleep.
Every night we lose an average of 0.5 liters of fluid, but we usually hardly notice it. This is because the lower our body temperature, the better our sleep.
While up to 1.5 liters of sweat is considered normal, excessive sweating is also known as night sweats. It often negatively impacts our well-being, causing poor sleep or waking up drenched in sweat.
Causes of night sweats
This bothersome night sweat can have various causes. The main reason for excessive sweating is often the room temperature in the bedroom. If it is too high, the body has to counteract it by all means. To compensate for the excess heat, it increases sweat production.
We don't just sweat in the summer when the thermometer climbs above 30 degrees Celsius, but also in the winter months. This is because other factors also affect night sweats: for example, a person's age and gender, as well as their weight and physical condition.
Men often sweat more than women due to evolutionary factors. In less physically fit individuals, sweat production also begins significantly earlier than in athletes.
In addition, there are other factors that can negatively affect night sweats and play a significant role. These include, for example:
- High humidity
- stress or inner restlessness
- Poor diet or alcohol
Regardless of the cause of night sweats, many sufferers experience significant distress due to the symptoms.
But don't worry, you're not alone. In fact, there are several things you can do to improve your sleep quality despite night sweats.
What can be done about night sweats or excessive sweating?
Here you'll find the most important tips to help you combat excessive sweating at night:
1. The perfect indoor climate to prevent sweating
First and foremost, you should ensure an optimal indoor climate in your bedroom.
According to experts, the ideal sleeping temperature is between 16 and 18 degrees Celsius. This temperature helps our bodies cool down efficiently at night. Because we need less energy to produce sweat in a cool room, we sweat less and even sleep more deeply.
The perfect indoor climate requires not only the right temperature but also the correct humidity and sufficient air exchange. Anything above 50% humidity promotes condensation and therefore excessive sweating.
Therefore, it's important to ventilate at least twice a day (ideally morning and evening, even in winter). This lets fresh air into the room, lowers the temperature and humidity, and creates a pleasant atmosphere.
2. Know your body and avoid night sweats
The body reacts to certain foods with excessive sweating – for example, digesting fatty foods is strenuous and requires a lot of energy. Those who opt for a burger and fries in the evening are therefore highly likely to sweat more. Stimulants such as alcohol, caffeine, and the like also promote night sweats. Instead of a nightcap, choose a calming tea in the evening.
Irregular sleep patterns and stress can also contribute to night sweats. To avoid disrupting our circadian rhythm, we should try to go to bed at regular times and get enough sleep. It's also important to avoid emotional stress and tension, especially before falling asleep. If you consciously relax and truly unwind in the evening, you can prevent excessive sweating during sleep.
3. Create the right sleeping environment if you sweat
Last but not least: Choosing the right duvet and bedding is very important if you have night sweats.
Sleepwear, sheets, covers, and blankets unfortunately cannot eliminate the causes of night sweats. However, they can alleviate the effects of the unpleasant symptoms and ensure the necessary hygiene.
And while there's no such thing as bedding specifically designed to prevent sweating, some products are particularly breathable and temperature-regulating. For example, a temperature-balancing duvet made of TENCEL™ Lyocell is especially suitable for people who sweat a lot. Depending on individual needs, there are also special summer and winter duvets available.
We will now go into detail about what you should pay attention to regarding bedding if you sweat heavily while sleeping.
How do you find the right bedding if you sweat heavily at night?
Let's first look at what you can do wrong: Suppliers often rely on bedding products made from synthetic fibers. These are popular with many customers due to their low price and, at first glance, appear to be in no way inferior to sheets made from natural materials.
But what really matters – as is so often the case – is what's inside. And those qualities aren't exactly convincing when it comes to polyester, polyamide, and the like. Because what counts are the characteristics of the bed linen. They influence not only how the fabric feels against the skin, but also how it performs in bed.
Synthetic fibers absorb very little moisture. While this feature is advantageous for rain jackets and outdoor gear, in bed it means you'll wake up the next morning with soaking wet hair or damp clothes.
Why is this? Synthetic bedding doesn't wick away sweat. Instead, the water droplets remain on the skin and fabric, creating a damp, unpleasant microclimate. The only things that thrive in this environment are odor-causing bacteria – that's hardly hygienic!
Especially if you sweat heavily at night, you should definitely opt for cooling bedding with moisture-regulating properties.
One material that combines these properties and is ideally suited for night sweat bedding is TENCEL™ Lyocell bedding . Unlike synthetic fibers and conventional textiles, it is a true all-rounder for the bed.
Why is lyocell particularly suitable for night sweats?
Unlike bedding made from cotton, polyester, or polyamide, TENCEL™ Lyocell is both breathable and temperature-regulating. Thanks to these unique properties, it is ideal for use in both summer and winter.
The fine structure of lyocell fibers not only absorbs moisture exceptionally well, but also much faster than comparable textiles. The fabric absorbs perspiration at night, releases it into the air, and thus ensures a pleasantly dry feeling. No damp sheets, no sweat-soaked bedding – and no breeding ground for bacteria.
This means that both fitted sheets and bed linen made of lyocell have a cooling effect on people who struggle with night sweats all year round, thus improving sleep naturally despite sweating.
Keep a cool head at night despite sweating
Our conclusion on the topic of night sweats: Sweating at night – provided there is no serious underlying health issue – is a natural reaction of our body that we can only partially influence. Therefore, what matters most is how we deal with it.
Besides making small changes to your evening routine, there's also plenty of room for improvement in your bedroom if you suffer from excessive sweating. From the perfect sleeping temperature to choosing the right duvet, cooling fitted sheets, and breathable bedding made from TENCEL™ Lyocell – all these measures will help you stay cool and sleep soundly at night, even when your sweat glands are working overtime.