# Night sweats: what is normal?

> Damp sheets decoded

Category: Movement & sleep · 2 min read · Written by the Splash team · Sources checked October 2026
URL: https://splash.care/learn/movement-sleep/night-sweats

## Quick answer

- Night sweats have many causes, including hormones, anxiety and medicines.
- A cool room and breathable bedding help.
- Regular night sweats, or ones with weight loss or fever, need a GP.

Waking up hot and clammy is not fun. The NHS says most people sweat during the night, and it is normal if your room or bedding is making you too hot. **Night sweats** are when you sweat so much that your night clothes and bedding are soaking wet, even though where you [sleep](https://splash.care/learn/movement-sleep/sleep-cycle) is cool.

## Common causes listed by the NHS

- [Menopause](https://splash.care/learn/glossary/menopause) symptoms ("[hot flushes](https://splash.care/learn/perimenopause/hot-flushes)")
- [Anxiety](https://splash.care/learn/mind-mood/luteal-anxiety)
- Medicines, such as some antidepressants, steroids and painkillers
- Low blood sugar
- [Alcohol](https://splash.care/learn/nutrition/caffeine-alcohol) or drug use
- A harmless condition called hyperhidrosis that makes you sweat too much all the time

Sometimes the cause is unknown. Some people also feel warmer in the days before their period, when [Progesterone](https://splash.care/learn/glossary/progesterone) has nudged body temperature up.

## Things that can help

- Keep your bedroom cool and use light, breathable bedding
- Wear loose cotton nightwear
- Keep a glass of cold water by the bed
- Cut back on alcohol and caffeine in the evening

> **Splash says:** log night sweats in the app. If they line up with your cycle, that is a helpful clue for a doctor. If you take new medicines, note the dates too.

### When to see a doctor

See a GP if you have night sweats regularly that wake you up or worry you, or if you also have a very high temperature (or feel hot, cold and shivery), a cough, diarrhoea, or weight loss you cannot explain. If you think a medicine is causing them, a GP may be able to prescribe a different one.

## Sources

1. [NHS: Night sweats](https://www.nhs.uk/symptoms/night-sweats/)
2. [NHS: Insomnia](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/insomnia/)
3. [NHS Every Mind Matters: How to fall asleep faster and sleep better](https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-wellbeing-tips/how-to-fall-asleep-faster-and-sleep-better/)

This is general information, not medical advice. Splash can’t diagnose. If you’re worried, talk to a GP, pharmacist or sexual health clinic. In an emergency call 999 (UK) or 911 (US).