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We associate night sweats and hot flashes with menopause. If anything, they are the tell-tale signs that a woman is premenopausal. However, there can be other factors that cause night sweats in women, who seem to experience them more often than men, according to the Sleep Foundation.

Hormones and Thermoneutral Zone

The thermoneutral zone is the range of temperatures a body is comfortable with. For example, our body causes shivers to keep us warm and it sweats to cool us down we stay within this zone. Sometimes, when a bodily process impacts the thermoneutral zone, we may experience night sweats.

Changing hormone levels in our body are one of the bodily processes that cause variations in our thermoneutral zone. Women in perimenopause or in menopause experience severe drops in their estrogen and progesterone levels, but similar hormonal changes also happen during menstrual cycles: sweating and hot flashes can be symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

When Does it Happen?

You can except a slight increase in your body temperature, which often goes unnoticed, around the 14^th day of your cycle, when progesterone levels go up. When those rise, estrogen levels fall. The decrease of estrogen affects your hypothalamus, which is responsible for keeping your body temperature at a steady level. At the same time, your brain produces more norepinephrine and other hormones. Though this is not a negative function, those hormones make you more sensitive to even the slightest changes in body temperature. As a result, your body sweats to cool off even if it’s not really necessary.

How to Deal With it

Since these hot flashes and night sweats are not the result of menopause, you may be able to deal with them in simple ways and by using home remedies.

• Try to keep cool, and continue keeping cool, by dressing in layers. That way, you can remove or add layers as needed. Adjust the room temperature if possible, using fans or opening windows.
• Be careful with eating hot, spicy, foods that may raise your body temperature. So can caffeine and alcohol, so it may be best to avoid or minimize them.
• Smoking is also linked to increases in body temperature, amidst other harmful results. It is definitely worth keeping that one in mind and removing it from your life.
• If you are overweight, it is possible that this is connected to night sweats and hot flashes.

Though the evidence is inconclusive, some women find relief through alternative medicine, such as mindfulness meditation, acupuncture, cognitive behavioral therapy, and even hypnosis. It’s worth a try if it may help you sleep better!