Excessive sweating during sleep is a symptom of cancer, is it true?

The appearance of excessive sweating at night is often a sign of a health problem. However, is it true that frequent sweating during sleep is a sign of cancer? Check out the full explanation in the following review.
Link Between Sweating while Sleeping with Cancer Risk
Even though it looks unrelated, it turns out there is a possible link between night sweats and cancer.
Night sweats may be an early symptom of many types of cancer, such as bone cancer, leukemia, liver cancer, lymphoma, or mesothelioma.
Until now the reason why some types of cancer cause night sweats is still unclear. Strongly suspected, this is because the body is trying to fight the disease.
In addition, changes in hormone levels can also be a cause. When cancer causes a fever, the body sweats excessively to cool itself off.
Not only that, excessive sweating at night in cancer patients can occur due to ongoing treatment.
If excessive sweating during sleep is a sign of cancer, you may also experience a number of other symptoms, such as fever and unexplained weight loss.
Also Read: 10 Types of Cancer That Can Appear Without Early Symptoms, Don’t Ignore It
Reasons for Excessive Sweating Can Be a Symptom of Cancer
Excessive sweating in cancer patients was justified. Several conditions can cause this, including:
1. Suffering from Certain Types of Cancer
Several types of cancer are known to cause excessive sweating. This condition is considered to be an early symptom of this disease.
Types of cancer that can cause excessive sweating include:
2. Infection
In general, excessive sweating in cancer patients occurs due to an infection in the body. Sweat is a normal reaction of the body when it is fighting inflammation.
During this process, the body may experience a fever. This condition can be experienced by cancer patients who are undergoing chemotherapy.
It is important to know, when carrying out chemotherapy treatments, the body’s immune system is at risk of being disrupted and damaged because the white blood cells in the body that function to fight infection are reduced.
Also Read: Recognize the 3 types of sweat that can be released by the body
3. Hormonal Changes in the Body
Apart from being a normal reaction of the body, night sweats in cancer patients also occur due to hormonal changes in the body.
Certain cancers will affect the production of hormones in the body. Likewise with the cancer treatment that the patient is currently undergoing.
For example, breast cancer treatment can trigger early menopause. This condition causes sufferers to experience symptoms of hot flashes. This is a condition when sufferers sweat excessively.
Meanwhile, in men undergoing treatment for prostate cancer, testosterone is at risk of decreasing in the body. Ultimately, this condition causes excessive sweating.
4. Side Effects of Cancer Treatment
Excessive sweating during sleep can occur as a side effect of ongoing cancer treatment.
Some treatments for cancer patients that can cause night sweats include:
- Chemotherapy.
- Hormone therapy.
- Radiotherapy.
- Certain drugs, such as opioid class drugs, tricyclic antidepressantsand steroids.
Other Conditions That Cause Excessive Sweating
Although excessive sweating during sleep can be a sign of cancer, there are various other conditions that cause this condition, including:
1. Age
Women who have entered the perimenopausal or menopausal phase will experience hormonal changes which result in excessive sweating.
Pregnant women also experience changes in hormone balance which can cause the same symptoms.
2. Mental Health
Mental problems also affect sweat production in the body. If you are under severe stress, experiencing anxiety, or excessive fear, your body will produce more sweat, including during sleep.
Also Read: 13 Cancer Symptoms You Shouldn’t Ignore
3. Certain Health Conditions
The presence of certain infections in the body will make the body’s immune system try to fight it by causing a fever. This will make you sweat while sleeping.
The condition of blood sugar levels that are too low or hypoglycemia and hyperthyroidism disorders can also be causes.
In addition, sometimes this is also caused by a problem idiopathic hyperhidrosisa condition in which the body produces much more sweat than normal.
4. Effect of Certain Drugs
Consumption of several types of drugs such as those intended for hormone therapy, fever reducers, and antidepressants can cause side effects in the form of excessive sweating.
5. Effects of Alcohol
Consuming alcoholic beverages at night or close to bedtime may experience side effects in the form of excessive sweating. The quality of sleep will also decrease drastically so that the body will wake up feeling tired and tired.
Thus the explanation about the relationship between excessive sweating and cancer. While excessive sweating during sleep can be a sign of cancer, don’t rule out many other causes.
If you often experience excessive sweating at night, keep the room conditions cool. If this doesn’t help, immediately check your health condition to the doctor to get the right diagnosis.
- Anonymous. 2021. Hot Flashes and Night Sweats (PDQ®)–Patient Version. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/side-effects/hot-flashes-pdq. (Accessed 27 February 2023).
- Anonymous. 2021. Does Cancer Cause Night Sweats? https://www.webmd.com/cancer/lymphoma/night-sweats-causes. (Accessed 27 February 2023).
- McDermott, Annette. 2018. Are Night Sweats a Sign of Cancer? https://www.healthline.com/health/night-sweats-cancer. (Accessed 27 February 2023).
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