Night Sweats During Pregnancy: What’s Normal and How to Stay Comfortable

Night sweats while pregnant are more common than you may realize. At times, you’ll wake up in the middle of the night already drenched in so much sweat. This can be very frustrating, especially when you’re pregnant and already having trouble sleeping in bed finding a comfortable position. According to experts, in the majority of cases, night sweats pregnancy are a normal part of body adjustments.

But it doesn’t necessarily mean you must endure them without relief. In this post, we’ll learn why night sweats occur, when they are commonplace, when to contact a doctor, and common sense tips on how to remain cooler in bed and feel more comfortable. This includes how a pregnancy and maternity pillow can contribute to enhanced nighttime comfort.

Why pregnancy can leave you waking up soaked

Night sweats pregnancy attacks usually sneak up on you. One night you’re snug as a bug, and the next you’ll be waking up sweating and with a damp sheet. That’s because your body is racing into overdrive, both physically and hormonally, to sustain your developing baby.

These are the usual reasons why it occurs:

• Increased Blood Volume: Your body is circulating up to 50% more blood, and that excess blood produces the excess heat.
• Immune System Adjustments: Along with a lot of changes in your body, your immune system reacts in some way due to the pregnancy, it can cause sudden changes on your body temperature or a slight warming of your body as a reaction to everything that is happening inside you. 
• Hormonal Changes: Fluctuations in levels of estrogen and progesterone may make your body’s temperature regulation sensitive.
• Increased Metabolism: Even when you’re at rest you are still burning energy that causes heating of the body.

The good news is that night sweats you have are transient and can easily be controlled with some life modifications. 

Hormones in play: estrogen, progesterone, and your body thermostat

Night sweats during pregnancy are mainly caused by hormonal changes and pregnancy could create a havoc with regards to your hormones.

• Progesterone that is supportive of the pregnancy can also relax blood vessels, which makes more blood rush to the skin and you feel hotter.
• The estrogen controls your body temperature. It can shift and fluctuate which confuses your body thermostat that produces the unexplained heat and perspiration.
• Prolactin and other hormones prepare your body to lactate and heal from giving birth, which also influences your comfort sleeping and body temperature control.

These hormonal changes usually happen in cycles, meaning there would be weeks that the sweating will be so much worse than the other weeks.  

Simple ways to cool your bedroom

Your surroundings can make a huge difference regarding night sweats and pregnancy comfort. Here is what you can do:

• Close your curtains in your room during the day, this would keep sunlight’s heat from entering the room, the heat from the sun can be trapped inside the room throughout the day and makes it hotter during the night.
• Keep your room temperature at round 18 to 20 degrees Celsius, this is a generally cool temperature when you’re feeling a bit hot.
• Use a fan or an Air Circulator, this makes the air circulate much better in your room and prevents the heat from accumulating around you.
• Choose breathable and light bed clothes like cotton, bamboo or linen sheets, this will more easily absorb sweat or moisture than other man-made materials.

You can never be wrong with a cool room, and adding to it the supportive comfort of a pregnancy and maternity pillow will enable you to get a snug yet temperature-contented sleeping pose.

What to wear (and avoid wearing) to bed while pregnant

How you dress at night can also have an effect on the comfort level with night sweats and pregnancy moments.

Some of the top choices are:

• Loose-fitting, lightweight fabrics such as cotton or bamboo.
• Sleeveless or short-sleeve shirts to promote dissipation of heat
• Lightweight, breathable sleeping underwear for maternity purposes.

Where possible, avoid:

• Tight-fitting or constrictive clothing, which tends to retain heat
• Synthetic materials that are not breathable
• More heavy layers are far better than wearing a single breathable layer and a thin blanket.

Hydrating without overburdening your bladder

It’s a good idea to replace all the fluids you lost through sweating, but in pregnancy, too much liquid consumed before bed will have you running to the bathroom all night. To balance sleeping with hydration, you can:

• Drink water throughout the day and avoid “catching up” all at once at night.
• Experiment with coconut water or herbal teas because they may be able to replenish electrolytes naturally, but be sure to check with your healthcare provider first.
• Skip Sugary or caffeinated beverages at night; they’ll dehydrate you or disturb sleep.

This way, you can stay hydrated without running a lot of midnight bathroom trips.

When night sweats may be worth investigating

Although nighttime pregnancy sweats are usually harmless, there are some times when you need to call your doctor. If you find yourself feeling:

• Fever and chills might indicate there is an infection.
• Mild high blood pressure or Preeclampsia symptoms such as swelling, headaches, or vision changes.
• Sudden appearance with other symptoms such as a racing heart, dizziness, or feeling of being short of breath.
• Chronic or heavy swelling that disturbs sleep or daily comfort.

Always go with your gut if something doesn’t feel right; don’t brush it aside. It’s worth asking your healthcare provider to look at it for your peace of mind.

How a Pregnancy and Maternity Pillow Can Help

You may not believe that a pillow can accomplish so much to cool down, but a pregnancy and maternity pillow can really make a big difference during night sweats and pregnancy attacks.

Here are a few reasons why:

• This keeps you in a side-sleeping position with support, allowing for optimal circulation and keeps you from curling up in heat-gathering positions.
• It lifts sections of your body, which can enhance air flow slightly and diminish heat retention.
• This minimizes the use of heavy bedding, and proper support allows you to often sleep with fewer blankets, which helps keep you comfortable and cooler.

Conclusion

Night sweats pregnancy are typically a normal response of your body to a lot of changes that is happening due to the pregnancy such as increased blood circulation, hormonal changes, and of course a growing baby inside you. It gets so frustrating sometimes, feeling all the sweat and sticky bedding, but there’s something you can do to alleviate it and get more comfortable with sleeping at night even being too hot. 

These adjustments can help you stay cooler during the night, such as wearing more breathable sleepwear, maintaining your sleeping environment cooler, drinking water moderately to remain well-hydrated, and sleeping with a supportive pregnancy and maternity pillow will make a huge difference.

Listen to what your body is telling you, don’t hesitate to contact your health care provider if you are uncomfortable and suspect that there is something amiss, if your night sweats are excessive, sudden or are followed by other symptoms.