What Causes Night Sweats? Understanding the Real Reasons Behind Nighttime Overheating

What Causes Night Sweats? Understanding Why You Overheat at Night & How to Fix It Naturally

If you’re waking up drenched, overheated, or kicking off your covers at 2 a.m., you’re not alone. Night sweats are one of the most common sleep disruptions — and while everyone experiences them differently, they all come back to the same big question: what causes night sweats?

Whether it’s night sweats and men, night sweats and women, or simply nighttime overheating, understanding the underlying causes is the first step toward finally getting cooler, calmer, deeper sleep.

Let’s break down the real reasons behind night sweats, where they come from, and how to stop them naturally — without medication, guesswork, or synthetic “cooling” gimmicks.

🌡️ What Causes Night Sweats? The Core Explanation

Simply put, night sweats happen when your internal temperature regulation system overreacts. The hypothalamus — your body’s thermostat — senses a small temperature rise and triggers a full cooling response: sweating, flushing, overheating, and sudden wake-ups.

This can happen for dozens of reasons, but most fall into a few major categories.

🔥 1. Hormonal Fluctuations

Hormones directly affect body temperature, which is why night sweats are extremely common during:

• Perimenopause

• Menopause

• Andropause (low testosterone in men)

• Menstrual cycle changes

• Postpartum recovery

During perimenopause, hormonal rises and drops are more erratic, leading to intense night sweats and women episodes even in a cool bedroom. In menopause, levels stay consistently lower, which still causes hot flashes and night sweats, but often with more predictable patterns. Understanding which phase you're in helps you anticipate nighttime sweating and adjust your sleep environment accordingly.

In night sweats and men, testosterone levels naturally decline with age, and that hormonal shift can send mixed signals to the hypothalamus. This often results in nighttime overheating, flushing, or sweating that men don’t always associate with hormones. Many men report heat surges that appear suddenly, particularly at night, when the body is supposed to cool down for deep sleep.

Understanding what causes night sweats often starts with your body’s internal thermostat — the hypothalamus — and how it responds to even small changes in temperature. When your core temperature shifts suddenly, your body attempts to cool itself through sweating, even if your room feels comfortable. 

This is why hormonal fluctuations, stress, alcohol, or even certain foods can trigger unexpected heat surges at night. If you’ve ever woken up damp without feeling particularly “hot,” it’s because your temperature-control system is reacting faster and more intensely than during the day. For many people, this is the missing link in understanding what causes night sweats on a physiological level.

😰 2. Stress, Anxiety & Cortisol Spikes

Cortisol — your stress hormone — raises heart rate, increases core temperature, and makes night sweats far more likely.

Even if your bedroom is cool, your nervous system might be “running hot,” triggering night sweats during REM or light sleep.

Stress-related night sweats are extremely common in both men and women. Big life changes, work overload, emotional intensity, or unresolved anxiety can all spike nighttime cortisol. This produces sudden nighttime heat surges, even in people who don’t typically sleep hot.

🦠 3. Illnesses, Infections & Immune Response

When your immune system detects infection, it raises your body temperature to fight it — which can trigger night sweats.

Common culprits include:

• viruses (flu, colds)

• bacterial infections

• fever recovery

Most of the time, these are temporary.

💊 4. Medications That Trigger Night Sweats

Some medications list night sweats as a known side effect:

• antidepressants (SSRIs)

• pain medications

• fever reducers

• hormone therapy

• steroids

• diabetes medications

If your night sweats began after starting a medication, this may be the cause.

🛏️ 5. Your Bedding & Sleep Environment

Another overlooked part of what causes night sweats is the combination of heat, humidity, and trapped moisture in your sleeping environment. Even if your body is only slightly overheated, synthetic bedding or foam mattresses can amplify sweating by holding onto heat that should be released. 

This creates a humid microclimate around your skin, which intensifies the sweating response and makes nighttime overheating feel far worse. Understanding what causes night sweats from an environmental perspective makes it clear why breathable fabrics and moisture-balancing natural fibers like wool can dramatically reduce temperature spikes.

That's why one of the most overlooked causes of night sweats is simply sleeping in the wrong materials. In fact, its a big reason why so-called "down alternative" might be ruining your sleep.

❌ Synthetics trap heat

Polyester, microfiber, and down alternatives hold onto heat and humidity.

❌ Memory foam stores heat

Foam absorbs body warmth and slowly releases it, keeping you hot.

✔️ Natural fibers fix the microclimate

Wool + cotton regulate temperature, wick moisture, and reduce overheating.

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6. Sleep Cycles + Thermoregulation Errors

This is one of the easiest and fastest ways to reduce night sweats of all kinds.

One overlooked part of what causes night sweats is the way your body cools down during specific sleep cycles. As you transition from light sleep into deeper stages, your core temperature is supposed to drop slightly to help your brain conserve energy and repair tissue. But when the cooling signal misfires — whether from stress, hormones, overheating bedding, or inconsistent sleep patterns — your body can overreact. Instead of a gentle reduction in temperature, it triggers a heat surge and sweating response. This is why many people experience night sweats at the same point in their sleep cycle every night; the thermoregulation process keeps hitting a snag.

❄️ So… What’s REALLY Causing Your Night Sweats?

Here’s the short version:

• If your nights are unpredictable → hormones

• If it’s happening only during stressful periods → cortisol

• If you recently changed medication → side effect

• If you wake up hot even in winter → bedding + microclimate

• If it’s sudden + intense → could be illness

Understanding the cause of night sweats helps you choose the right solution.

🌬️ Natural Solutions for Night Sweats

Here’s what actually helps:

• lower your bedroom temp to 60–67°F

• switch to breathable bedding

• reduce alcohol + heavy meals before bed

• hydrate earlier in the day

• choose natural fiber sleepwear

• reduce screen time / overstimulation

• try light stretching or slow breathing before bed

🛏️ The Best Bedding for Night Sweats

The fastest way to reduce night sweats is to improve your sleep microclimate.

At Antipodean Home, our organic regenerative wool comforters help prevent nighttime overheating through:

• instant heat dispersion

• moisture vapor transfer

• natural breathability

• hypoallergenic, chemical-free materials

Pair it with our organic cotton sheets for hot sleepers for maximum airflow.

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Final Thoughts: Finding Relief From What Causes Night Sweats

Understanding what causes night sweats is the first step toward reclaiming cooler, more restorative sleep. Whether the triggers come from hormones, temperature swings, stress, or a disrupted sleep cycle, small changes to your sleep environment can make a meaningful difference.

When your bedding supports natural thermoregulation instead of fighting against it, your body relaxes more easily, transitions into deeper sleep stages, and recovers the balance it’s been missing. With the right information — and the right materials around you — waking up dry, calm, and well-rested becomes your new normal.

 Explore Our Bedding For Hot Sleepers Collection