Night Sweat Help Needed

I am 3 1/2 weeks post op from a BSO (had TAH in July '03). I am unable to take HRT due to endo. So far, I haven't had many problems with hot flashes but night sweats are starting to become a problem. I have always tended to get warm at night but I could usually just kick off the covers and be fine. The past few nights I woke up pretty sweaty.

My solution last night was to turn down the heater to 60 degrees and then I moved out to the couch and turned the overhead fan on. That worked okay, but I don't want to have to do that everynight. I want to be able to sleep in my bed with my DH without freezing him out. We are going to see about installing a programable thermastat so I can be cool at night (he can bundle under the covers). We would program it to turn the heat on a hour or so prior to the time we need to get up.

Do you have any other suggestions for me to try so I can sleep comfortably without freezing my poor DH out of the house?!

You could try putting a small fan near your side of the bed so that you when you wake up you could switch the fan on. Keep some ice water nearby, wear lightweight clothing to bed, and sleep with the window open several inches, even in the winter. These are things that I do that have helped.

Hi Cali. What works for me is cotton. Cotton mattress pad, cotton sheets, cotton blanket, thin cotton undershirt. My DH keeps warm with a fleece blanket on top of all that cotton. I find that what bothers me more than being hot is being wet, so I keep some extra undershirts by the bed. Like Catherine, I also like to sleep with the window open. I arrange the pillows on the bed so that my head is as close to the window as possible. Sometimes the cool breeze on my head is enough to keep me very comfortable throughout the night.

I was reading the book Sudden Menopause by Debbie DeAngelo which has a lot of good hints. One was to stick only your feet outside of the covers. This worked for me the other night when I was in a hot-cold frenzy. The author also advises against wearing cotton (which soaks up perspiration) but recommends clothing that wicks perspiration away from the body - available in sporting goods or travel clothing stores. I haven't tried that yet. What usually wakes me up from a sound sleep is the soaking wet pajamas which have gone cold.

Louise

Have you tried a Chillow? It's a patented pillow that has an insert that you chill in the fridge. Lasts for years. Look for where to buy it online or look through a gadgets type catalog.

I sleep on top of the quilt in light, loose pj bottoms and a cotton tee shirt. If it gets colder (as now in autumn/winter) I make those bottoms sweat pants. I always wear cotton socks. My cover is a cotton blend "throw"-the fringed kind with designs. I keep the ac on or the window open and a small fan circulating air in the room. If I get really warm, I go to cotton loose shorts and tee or just tee and lose the throw too.

Keeping your feet (or foot) out of the covers really does help!