Night sweats aren’t pleasant. Sometimes the cause may be as simple as using a blanket that’s too heavy. Other times it may be a sign of an underlying illness. If you’re feeling hot at night after eating carbs or sugar in particular, your diet may be the cause.
How Eating Sugar at Night Can Cause Sweating
Carbohydrates are a type of macronutrient. They include starches, fiber, and sugar. Carbs are a key source of fuel for your body.
How Your Body Processes Carbs
The amount and types of carbs you eat have a direct influence on your blood sugar level. For example, sources of starchy and fibrous complex carbohydrates, like whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables, provide a slower release of sugar into the bloodstream for sustained energy.
On the other hand, the body quickly digests and absorbs simple carbohydrates, like refined or processed grains, sugar, honey, and candy.
This causes your blood sugar to spike quickly. In response, your body produces a lot of
insulin to control your blood sugar level.
In turn, your blood sugar level drops rapidly, perhaps to a level that is too low (
hypoglycemia), resulting in a sudden drop in energy, or a “sugar crash.” One side effect of hypoglycemia is sweating.
Diabetes Medications Can Cause Low Blood Sugar and Sweating After Eating
This can happen to anyone, but it’s more common in people who are taking medications to treat diabetes.
“Sweating after eating is not considered a sign of diabetes,” says Seogeun Hong, MD, a primary care physician practicing in Orange, California. “However, if a patient who takes diabetes medications has sweating, it can be a sign of hypoglycemia.”
Sweating and feeling hot at night aren’t the only symptoms of hypoglycemia. Other nighttime symptoms include:
- Having nightmares or crying out
- Feeling tired the next morning
- Feeling disoriented when you wake up
- Irritability
How to Deal With Night Sweats
You can manage night sweats in several ways that can help you feel cool and comfortable while you sleep.
What (and When) You Eat Matters
Because eating sugar- or
carb-rich foods before bed can lead to night sweats, stop eating about three hours before bedtime to give your body time to digest the food you ate properly.
If you feel really hungry before bed, raw or steamed vegetables are your best bet, according to Cleveland Clinic. These other options can give you healthy fat and protein while promoting fullness:
- Vegetables with hummus
- Steamed or raw legumes, like snap peas
- An apple with 1 tbsp of peanut butter
- Fruit and a small piece of dark chocolate
- Greek yogurt
You may also want to avoid other foods and beverages that can trigger sweating and disrupt sleep, such as alcohol, caffeine, and spicy foods.
On the other hand, if you have diabetes and are feeling symptoms of hypoglycemia, eating or drinking something sugary, like fruit juice, candy, or glucose tablets, can help stabilize your blood sugar level quickly.
Tips for Staying Cool During Sleep
Whether you’re feeling hot after eating carbs or having night sweats for another reason, Dr. Hong says the following tips can also help you stay cool while you snooze:
- Sleep with a fan
- Wear loose cotton pajamas
- Use cotton bed linens
- Stay hydrated
If you’re experiencing night sweats along with other symptoms like fever, cough, or weight loss, an underlying illness may be to blame, says Steven Reisman, MD, a cardiologist at the New York Cardiac Diagnostic Center in New York City. If this is the case for you, visit your doctor to identify the cause and begin treatment, if necessary.
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