Waking up you are covered in a deep layer of sweat that not only has tainted your clothing but also your bed sheets. More and more frequently heavy sweating has woken you up from your sleep, leaving you wanting a shower and most importantly wanting answers to the root cause to your odorous night sweat issue that has recently become problematic for your clothing and linens! Night sweats are an excess of sweat produced during the night time while you are nestled soundly in your bed sleeping. This excess of sweat can cause your body to wake up in the middle of the night in response to this sudden change in your body. Usually night sweats are severe hot flashes that leave your clothes and sheets drenched – and typically this overproduction of sweat is unrelated to an overheated environment. What can be the cause to this excess sweating that is occurring while you sleep and what can be done to expel the funky sweat stench that is produced onto your clothes and sheet from this overproduction of sweat?

Why Do I Sweat So Much When I Sleep?

Night sweats can be awkward and embarrassing – especially if your sleeping with a partner. What could be the cause of these frustrating night sweats? There are, surprisingly, many different causes of night sweats, and some of the known conditions that can exacerbate this overproduction of sweat include:

1. Infection: The presence of an infection in your body can develop the production of night sweats. Tuberculosis is an infection that is most commonly associated with night sweats. Other types of infections like bacterial infections (endocarditis, osteomyelitis, and abscesses) can also cause night sweats.
2. Idiopathic Hyperhidrosis: Idiopathic hyperhidrosis is a condition that forms in the body that chronically produces too much sweat, with no medical cause.
3. Hormone Disorders: Pheochromocytoma, carcinoid syndrome, and hyperthyroidism are all hormone disorders that can lead to sweating or flushing.
4. Menopause: A well-known elicitor to sweat and night sweats is menopause.
5. Cancers: Night sweats for some people may be an early indicator of some cancers. The most common type of cancer that is associated with night sweats is lymphoma. Early onset symptoms of cancers can include other symptoms such as weight loss & fever.

Causes of Night Sweats in Women

Women that are experiencing night sweats could be dealing with a number of different health causes that can elicit the production of excess sweat at night. Two conditions in women that significantly boost the production of sweat include perimenopause and menopause. Perimenopause is a normal process/phase that women go through. This process is when a woman’s ovaries produce a lower dose of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone in the body, as well as an irregularity in menstrual period occurrence. The change in the levels of estrogen is what elicits the night sweats. If, however, perimenopause or menopause is not the proponent of this issue with night sweats, there could be an alternative issue occurring within your body and health. Other health conditions in women that can trigger night sweats include a cold, flu, infectious disease, bacterial infections, panic disorders, or anxiety.

What is the Cause of Night Sweats in Males

Predominately, we tend to associate night sweats and hot flashes with women that are menopausal, but the reality is that men can themselves fall victim to the dreaded night sweats. Night sweats in men are sometimes linked to low levels of testosterone, or “low T”. Testosterone is the major sex hormone in men that elicits the production of sperm, support sex drive, and helps build bones & muscle mass. A “low T” is relatively common in men and is when a man’s body produces low levels of testosterone that are below average – this condition is also known as hypogonadism. Night sweat production in men may also be caused by other health conditions such as anxiety, blood cancer, adrenal fatigue, hyperthyroidism, HIV/AIDS, or prostate cancer.

Night Sweat Symptoms

Night sweats, depending on the underlying cause, can also accompany other symptoms associated with night sweats.

• Certain infections
• Chills from an onset fever
• Unknown weight loss
• Medication side effects
• Medical conditions

What is Sweat Made Up of & Why Does it Smell

Sweat is your body’s natural response to an overheating of your entire body, to help regulate your overall body temperature. Typically, we associate sweat with physical activity but sweat can occur whenever the body feels the slightest dip in overall temperature. But, have you ever pondered what sweat is made up of? Depending on which gland the sweat is produced from – the construction of the sweat can be different. The eccrine glands in the body creates most of the sweat we produce, particularly the watery kind. The sweat is composed of bits of salt, protein, urea, and ammonia. This sweat is mostly found on the palms, soles, forehead, and armpit. The apocrine glands are bigger than the eccrine glands and are mainly located on the armpits, groin, and breast area. This is the sweat we commonly associate with ‘BO’ and is the stress sweat people hate. The smelly, odorous stench that we pair with sweat is really not the smell of actual sweat. Sweat, believe it or not, is actually odorous leaving no odor on your body at all. Instead, the odor is caused by the apocrine sweat that your body produces mixed with bacteria that lives on the skin of our body. This amalgam will create the unwanted foul odor on our body that than spreads to our clothing & linens when we sweat due to physical activity or night sweats.  

Eliminate Night Sweat Odor from Clothing & Linens

If you have ever experienced night sweats, you know how difficult it is to eliminate the odor out of your clothes and bedsheet linens. Sweat odor associated with night sweats can be pungent, and when you are stuck dealing with frequent night sweating your linens can take quite a beating that not even detergent will be able to correct and fully expel from the fabric. What happens is the body soil and sweat is trapped in the fibers of the fabric after washing and they begin to smell when your body heats up the tainted fabric, releasing an odor. Detergents, fabric softeners, vinegar, baking soda, and whatever miracle odor eliminator that you utilize to eradicate the odor from your linens and clothing will work to try to fight off the odors with another scent or agent like fragrances. Although this is a method that can work in some cases, in many instances the odor that will persist after utilizing these agents will be an amalgam of sweat and flowery scents – EW! Instead of using masking agents or strong chemical smells to mask the strong sweat odor from night sweating, you should try to find a chemical-free, nontoxic laundry product that has the ability to fight off these offending odors without leaving a scent behind in leu of the pungent odor.

OdorKlenz Laundry Additive for Night Sweating

The OdorKlenz Laundry Additive is the solution to odorous clothing and linen problems – this revolutionary technology consists of earth-friendly minerals that are highly reactive against a broad spectrum of chemicals and noxious odors that are harbored within your apparel. OdorKlenz believes ‘Clean Has No Odor’ and your clothes after using this will be left clean with no odor! OdorKlenz Laundry Additive is a highly effective and easy application laundry addition that you can use with your regular, non-scented detergent for a result that you won’t believe (NO ODORS)! If you or someone you know suffer from constant or frequent night sweating and are constantly dealing with odor issues trapped within their clothing and linens – OdorKlenz Laundry Additive could be the solution they have been looking for all along!