10 Causes of Night Sweats In Men
9. Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a disorder that involves an important decrease in the amount of air that enters the airways during sleep, even in the presence of a breathing effort. As a consequence, breathing in sleep apnea becomes disordered and it repeatedly stops and starts. There are several types of sleep apnea (i.e. obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea); however, many of their signs and symptoms can overlap. People with sleep apnea can experience several signs and symptoms including loud snoring, excessive daytime sleepiness, gasping during sleep, difficulty staying asleep, and irritability. Most importantly, this condition can present with episodes in which breathing stops altogether during sleep, which is normally reported by the patient’s partner or a family member.
Frequent night sweats can be another marker for untreated sleep apnea. In fact, it is estimated that one-third of people with this condition experience night sweats. Furthermore, people with sleep apnea are three times more likely to report the symptom than the general population1Arnardottir ES, Janson C, Bjornsdottir E, et al Nocturnal sweating—a common symptom of obstructive sleep apnoea: the Icelandic sleep apnoea cohort. BMJ Open 2013;3:e002795. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2013-002795. Fortunately, night sweats are responsive to treatment in most patients with this sleep disorder. Thus, physicians should always rule out sleep apnea in patients that report excessive nocturnal sweating.
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