Know thyself. There is a wealth of meaning to these two words. For those of you who aren't so familiar with the etymology of this phrase, you'd have to thank Ancient Greece for the teachings that it has bestowed on the world.
Modern Greece however has "blended in", instead of standing out as it should have… watch this video to find out more! But I digress…
Yet this small phrase can be difficult to carry out because each of us are so unique (read as: complex) in our own ways. An effort to understand what makes us tick and who we are has been devised by psychologists, astrologers, soothsayers and even the shaman/ God men that you often hear about in the news.
Yet there's one thing that even after the research that you do (and which fascinated Freud) is the subconscious component of your mind. Yes, we're talking about dreams here… and who hasn't woken up in the middle of the night all anxious and sweaty from that bad dream that you had, and can't seem to make sense of…
In its extreme forms, this anxiousness manifests itself in the form of sleep hyperhidrosis, which is at least not as embarrassing as its manifestation in the day, otherwise known as hyperhidrosis.
(If all this jargon is something that you can do without, watch AXL at the very end of the song "November Rain" by the incorrigible band of Guns N Roses. Perhaps that is what will give you a good idea…)
Sleep Hyperhidrosis
If you are afflicted with sleep hyperhidrosis, you'll normally struggle with this during the night time but NOT during the day as that's something you might worry about.
What happens if you have sleep hyperhidrosis is that the excessive sweating (for whatever reason) will drench your nightclothes and bedsheets that you sleep with.
However, why this occurs is not just due to anxiety and panic attacks since there are several medical causes related to this physiological reaction, and so here are is a list of reasons why it occurs in humans:
#1: Menopause in women, and which is also accompanied by hot flashes.
#2: Endocarditis, Osteomylelitis, Brucellosis and abscesses (all bacterial infections) along with tuberculosis can be reasons why you might experience excessive sweating at night.
#3: Idiopathic hyperhidrosis – an ailment where you sweat excessively for no reason at all.
#4: Antidepressants, antipyrectics, psychiatric drugs, hypoglycemic agents and medication related to hormone therapy can be another reason why people sweat so much at night.
#5: Cancer – excessive sweating is known to be one of the early symptoms of most cancers but is also an indicator that you are dealing with Hodgkin's and Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (along with unexplained fevers and weight loss).
#6: Diseases such as HIV/AIDS, Hyperthyroidism, Leukemia, Myelofibrosis,
Pheochromocytoma, Stroke and Syringomyelia also have excessive sweating at night as one of their early symptoms.
Here's another article that gives more information about sleep hyperhidrosis.
Now, your next question is how you can "remedy" the situation which can be very annoying especially if you value a good night's sleep.
Night Sweats – Remedies
If you suffer with mild sweating, fewer blanket and lighter nightclothes (if any at all) can be excellent ways to deal with night sweats. But if you are dealing with a chronic night sweats, there here are a few remedies that might help:
#1: Soy products
#2: Flaxseed oil
#3: Herbal teas – sage, red clover and black cohosh flavors can work as an excellent remedy
#4: Evening primrose – Available in both the oil and capsule form, this is also considered to be one of the best remedies.
In Closing
And if you knew yourself better, and how irritating night sweats can be, you should be able to ease your chronic night sweats by using these remedies along with consulting a doctor as well.
