The Student Room Group

Waking up drenched in sweat

Hi there, bit of a weird one this.

For about 6 years, as little as a week or as long as 6 months+ apart I'll wake up drenched in sweat. Now, this happened the other day and I'm getting a bit sick of the whole rigmarole of showering and washing my sheets straight after i wake up. As far as I know it's not cos of bad dreams or anything, I usually wake up normally feeling quite peaceful with a low heart rate - until I noticed I'm soaking.
I wake up with a racing heart when I have bad dreams, but thats not often at all.

Any ideas?

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Reply 1
this happens to me alot as well. it happens more than everyother night and it has done for alon time. i have given up changing my sheets all the time and just sleep in the filth. it smells really bad as well and so i cant have any friends in my uni room.:biggrin:
If anyone has any advice id be interested aswell
Reply 2
This might be gross but are you sure you're not wetting the bed? If you're absolutely sure it's sweat then I would see your GP as if you wake up feeling peaceful it's unlikely to be an emotional reaction to your dreams. There is a condition called hyperhydrosis where you sweat excessively and it can be treated quite successfully but you will need prescribed drugs. KDG I know it must get really tiresome but try and wash your bedsheets as often as you can bear as an environment like sweaty sheets will breed bacteria like nobody's business and you put yourself at risk of skin infections or worse.
Reply 3
Spent
Hi there, bit of a weird one this.

For about 6 years, as little as a week or as long as 6 months+ apart I'll wake up drenched in sweat. Now, this happened the other day and I'm getting a bit sick of the whole rigmarole of showering and washing my sheets straight after i wake up. As far as I know it's not cos of bad dreams or anything, I usually wake up normally feeling quite peaceful with a low heart rate - until I noticed I'm soaking.
I wake up with a racing heart when I have bad dreams, but thats not often at all.

Any ideas?


I'd guess that the 6 months sweating are in the summer, while the 6 months not sweating are in the winter, but thats just me. Sounds about right with 6 years of global warming. I'd suggest putting less sheets on when its hot.
Reply 4
Wear a t-shirt to sleep then. Open your window, get a thinner duvet...

It sometimes happens to me, but usually if I'm ill or the room is stupidly warm.
Reply 5
Jennybean
an environment like sweaty sheets will breed bacteria like nobody's business and you put yourself at risk of skin infections or worse.

oh yea baby:wink: :biggrin:
Reply 6
Thanks for the suggestions.

I'm 110% sure I'm not wetting the bed, I'd have to be having one hell of a dream to get it all over my head, neck and back. I'd like to sleep with the window open but it gets real noisy here on a night, I just tend to turn the radiator down instead.

Forgot to mention, when it happened the other day I woke up about 2 or 3 hours beforehand because someone text me and I was just fine then. This isn't always the case though.
Do you have an iPod/similar? Might be worth trying to keep the windows open and listen to some chilled music to block out the noise and see if it helps (try to avoid strangulation though!). It might literally be that you're too hot under the covers. Also try sleeping naked (or in boxers if people are gonna come in).
Reply 8
not sure if this is related - but I went to the doc a couple of years ago with a similar issue

he asked me loads of questions and eventually after a blood test found I had picked up a virus, probably while swimming in the sea.

he also during questions asked if I had any bumps or swollen glands as well as the sweats for no apparaent reason can be a sign of more sinister problems like cancer or gland problems

anyway - not trying to scare you but what I'm trying to say is I think you ought to get it checked out
Reply 9
This use to happen to me on a daily basis when I lived down south (of England), it's just too darn hot there...
Snarf
This use to happen to me on a daily basis when I lived down south (of England), it's just too darn hot there...

Yeah, maybe for an Inuit.
KDG
oh yea baby:wink: :biggrin:


Quite! I hope you don't take girls back to that bed. I think I'd fall over backwards personally (and not in a good way) but I am clean to the point of obsession lol.
Reply 12
its funny cause it reassures my girlfriend i wont cheat on her, as she knows i dont let anyone apart from her in there! Its like a babe magnet but with the other end, e.g. a repellant!!

Corr shes a lucky lucky lucky lucky lucky little girl(shes NOT a little girl though....if you get me)

:rolleyes:
is your room well ventilated? do you use heavy, unbreathable bed clothes?
Reply 14
Go doctor
this happens to me sometimes, just sleep naked or with boxers on, that usually helps...but maybe u should go to the doctor just to make sure u dont have any problems with the glands in ure body :smile:
Reply 16
http://sleepdisorders.about.com/cs/sweats/a/sweatbasics.htm

Check out this site.. Think it's what you're looking for :smile:

Also found these listed as possible diseases:

The following list of conditions have 'Night sweats' or similar listed as a symptom in our database. This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.

Abdominal Cancer ... night sweats
Andropause ... night sweats
Back tumour ... night sweats
Blood cancer ... sweating at night
Breast Duct Papilloma ... night sweats
Cough ... Night sweats
Endocarditis ... night sweats
Hip cancer ... night sweats
HIV/AIDS ... night sweats
Hodgkin's Disease ... Night sweats
Hot flashes ... night sweats
Leukemia ... night sweats
Lymphoma ... Night sweats
Mycobacterial infections ... Night sweats
Mycobacterium avium Complex ... night sweats
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma ... Night sweats
Nosocomial infections ... Night sweats
Obstructive Jaundice ... night sweats
Opportunistic infections ... Night sweats
Orbit Tumour ... night sweats
Palate cancer ... Night sweats
Rib Tumor ... night sweats
Sarcoidosis ... night sweats
Secondary Bone Cancer ... night sweats
Spleen Cancer ... night sweats
Squamous Cell Skin Cancer ... night sweats
Tuberculosis ... night sweats
Wegener's granulomatosis ... night sweats
You missed one:

Fear due to vast list of causes of night sweats ... night sweats.
Reply 18
Sithius
Go doctor


Me agree.
Do you drink plenty (or too much) fluids? I agree with going to the doctor. I personally dont suffer from this, all i can think of is your duvet's too thick or maybe its your sleeping position.