“If hot flashes and night sweats are disrupting your
daily activities and sleep, HT may improve sleep and fatigue,
mood, ability to concentrate, and overall quality of life”.1

Umbrella

What may the Night Sweats Umbrella include?

Depending on the Source (DotS) this Umbrella may include:

  • Hot Flashes/Flushes At Night
  • Hot Flashes/Flushes That Occur During Sleeping
  • Night Sweats
  • Nighttime Hot Flashes
  • Vasomotor Symptoms

Definition

What are night sweats?

DotS the definition of night sweats may vary. The Menopause Society’s (formerly the North American Menopause Society) definition is:

Night sweats are hot flashes that occur during sleep. Chills can also occur, resulting in shivering”.2

Vasomotor Symptoms

What are vasomotor symptoms?

DotS the definition of vasomotor symptoms may vary. The Menopause Society’s definition is:

Vasomotor symptoms. Also known as hot flashes and night sweats, common symptoms during perimenopause and early postmenopause”.3

Impact

What can be the impact of night sweats?

In Hot Flashes: Symptoms & Causes – Overview the (United States) Mayo Clinic note:

“Night sweats are hot flashes that happen at night. They can disturb sleep”.4

Preventative Steps

What are some preventative steps to improve sleep quality?

In Night Sweats: Care and Treatment – What Can I Do At Home To Treat Night Sweats? the (United States) Cleveland Clinic suggest:

“Regardless of what’s causing your night sweats, you can take preventative steps to improve your sleep quality. To keep cooler during bedtime:

  • Sip cool water throughout the night
  • Use pillows and mattress covers that contain cooling gels
  • Wear loose-fitting, lightweight, cotton or linen pajamas to bed
  • Exercise daily by walking, swimming, dancing, bicycling, etc.
  • Use lightweight, layered bedding that you can remove as needed at night
  • Unwind before bedtime using deep breathing, relaxation and meditation techniques
  • Use a bedroom fan, sleep with your windows open, or crank up the air conditioning
  • Keep a cold pack under your pillow, then flip your pillow to rest your head on a cool surface
  • Avoid common night sweat triggers such as alcohol, spicy foods, caffeine and cigarettes or exercising immediately before bed”.5

Hormone Therapy

What may hormone therapy (HT) improve?

On page one in Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use: Potential Benefits published February 2025, the Menopause Society elaborate on:

Night Sweats“If hot flashes and night sweats are disrupting your daily activities and sleep, HT may improve sleep and fatigue, mood, ability to concentrate, and overall quality of life”.6

On page two in Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use: Hormone Therapy Options, the Menopause Society also note:

“Each woman must make her own decision about HT with the help of a healthcare professional. If you decide to take HT, the next step is to choose between the many HT options available to find the best dose and route for you. With guidance from your healthcare professional, you can try different forms of HT until you find the type and dose that treats your symptoms with few adverse effects”.7

On page two in the Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause first published online 10 June 2022, is:

  • “The decision whether to take HRT, the dose and duration of its use should be made on an individualised basis after discussing the benefits and risks with each patient. This should be considered in the context of the overall benefits obtained from using HRT including symptom control and improving quality of life as well as considering the bone and cardiovascular benefits associated with HRT use. Discussions with women should also cover aspects such as when to consider stopping HRT and how this can be done (by gradually reducing the dose of HRT). No arbitrary limits should be set on age or duration of HRT intake”.8

Health Care Provider

What if I would like help with my night sweats?

If you would like help with your night sweats, it may be in your best interest to choose to talk to your health care provider about this. In Menopause: Diagnosis & Treatment – Treatment the (United States) Mayo Clinic encourage us to seek help explaining:

“Before deciding on any form of treatment, talk with your healthcare professional about your choices and the risks and benefits of each. Review your choices yearly. Your needs and the treatment choices may change”.9

Health Topics A-Z

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Links

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Sources

Where may I find the Sources quoted?

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Sources

  1. Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use: Potential Benefits. 2025:1. Menopause Society https://menopause.org/wp-content/uploads/default-document-library/MenoNote-Deciding-About-HT-2025.pdf Accessed: 27 July 2025
  2. Symptoms: Hot Flashes and Night Sweats. Menopause Society https://menopause.org/patient-education/menopause-topics/symptoms Accessed: 27 July 2025
  3. Menopause Definitions: V – Vasomotor Symptoms. Menopause Society https://menopause.org/patient-education/menopause-glossary Accessed: 27 July 2025
  4. Hot Flashes: Symptoms & Causes – Overview. 04 March 2025. Mayo Clinic https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hot-flashes/symptoms-causes/syc-20352790 Accessed: 27 July 2025
  5. Night Sweats: Care and Treatment – What Can I Do At Home To Treat Night Sweats? Last Reviewed 06 September 2022. Cleveland Clinic https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/16562-night-sweats Accessed: 27 July 2025
  6. Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use: Potential Benefits. 2025:1. Menopause Society https://menopause.org/wp-content/uploads/default-document-library/MenoNote-Deciding-About-HT-2025.pdf Accessed: 27 July 2025
  7. Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use: Hormone Therapy Options. 2025:2. Menopause Society https://menopause.org/wp-content/uploads/default-document-library/MenoNote-Deciding-About-HT-2025.pdf Accessed: 27 July 2025
  8. Hamoda, H., Mukherjee, A., Morris, E., Baldeweg, S. E., Jayasena, C. N., Briggs, P., Moger, S. Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause. First Published Online 10 June 2022:3-4. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20533691221104879 Accessed: 27 July 2025
  9. Menopause: Diagnosis & Treatment – Treatment. 07 August 2024. Mayo Clinic https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menopause/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20353401 Accessed: 27 July 2025
Topic Last Updated: 27 July 2025 – Topic Last Reviewed: 27 July 2025