34 MENOPAUSE SYMPTOMS

Night sweats are a common and particularly unpleasant symptom of menopause, but a new study suggests that night sweats are in fact a prevalent symptom of aging, regardless of gender. According to a study conducted by James Mold et al., night sweats (as well as day sweats and hot flashes) are a common complaint of both men and women over the age of 50.

In order to investigate night sweats in older patients, the research team questioned 2,767 patients, 41% of whom had had night sweats within the month. Of those patients, 23% complained of night sweats alone, while 18% reported diurnal as well as nocturnal sweating.

Although both men and women reported their worst and most frequent symptoms from the ages of 41 to 55, this study focused on older patients in order to isolate the effects of night sweats themselves from the effects of menopause and its associated symptoms. Night sweats during menopause are typically caused by estrogen deficiency, but because both elderly men and postmenopausal women suffer from night flashes, in this older group that is less likely to be the case. In this study, 30% of patients over the age of 65 reported night sweats.

The investigators asked subjects about the frequency and degree of intensity of their night sweats, as well as to what degree the patients found them bothersome. 10.3% of questioned patients reported that they were noticeably bothered by night sweats: 70% described night sweats as causing them some trouble, "20% a fair amount of trouble, and 10% a great deal of trouble."

Night sweats in older patients were also associated with bodily and visceral pains: 97% of patients reporting night sweats also reported body pain (in the muscles, joints or bones), while 68% reported visceral pain (in the stomach or chest, genitals, oral pain, headache or eye pain). Fever, muscle cramps and tingling were also associated with night sweats, possible due to dehydration and mineral and potassium loss. Anxiety and nervousness were also associated with patients reporting night sweats.

The researchers concluded that night sweats are a common symptom of both men and women in their fifties, sixties and above, independent of menopause. The causes of night sweats in these patients as well as the connection to accompanying symptoms remains unclear, but night sweats appear to be prevalent enough to warrant more attention from doctors caring for seniors.