A Guide to What to Eat to Reduce Night Sweats

According to a study published in the journal Menopause, women who ate a low-fat vegan diet that included soybeans experienced a significant reduction in night sweats. Discover the key foods to incorporate and avoid in your diet to help manage night sweats and achieve a more restful night's sleep.

Quick Summary

Manage nighttime sweating through strategic dietary choices. Incorporating plant-based foods rich in phytoestrogens, cooling foods, and omega-3s can provide relief. Limiting triggers like caffeine, alcohol, and spicy foods is crucial for better sleep.

Key Points

• Incorporate phytoestrogens: Eat soy products, flaxseeds, and lentils to help balance hormones and reduce night sweat frequency.

• Choose cooling foods: High-water-content foods like cucumber, watermelon, and leafy greens can help regulate your body temperature.

• Increase magnesium intake: Almonds, avocados, and dark chocolate are rich in magnesium, which can calm the nervous system and improve sleep.

• Limit or avoid triggers: Steer clear of alcohol, caffeine, spicy foods, and high-sugar snacks, especially before bed, as they can induce sweating.

• Stay hydrated: Drinking plenty of cool water throughout the day is essential for effective body temperature regulation.

• Time your meals wisely: Avoid heavy meals close to bedtime to prevent your body from working harder to digest food, which can raise your temperature.

• Track your intake: Keep a food diary to identify specific foods that trigger your night sweats and adjust your diet accordingly.

Understanding the Diet-Night Sweat Connection

Night sweats are often caused by fluctuations in hormones, particularly during perimenopause and menopause. These hormonal shifts can alter the body's temperature regulation, leading to episodes of excessive sweating during sleep. However, diet plays a significant, though often underestimated, role in influencing these symptoms. Certain foods can act as thermogenic agents, increasing your body's heat production and triggering a sweating response. Conversely, other foods can help stabilize hormones, regulate blood sugar, and provide a calming, cooling effect on the body.

Foods and Nutrients to Incorporate

To help reduce the frequency and intensity of night sweats, consider adding these foods to your daily diet. Focusing on a Mediterranean-style or plant-based diet has shown positive results for many.

• Phytoestrogen-Rich Foods: These plant-based compounds mimic estrogen in the body and can help balance hormonal fluctuations.

  • Soy Products: Tofu, tempeh, miso, and edamame are excellent sources of isoflavones, a type of phytoestrogen. Research has shown that a diet rich in soy can significantly reduce hot flashes and night sweats.
  • Flaxseeds: Ground flaxseeds contain lignans, which also act as phytoestrogens. Adding them to oatmeal, smoothies, or yogurt is an easy way to increase your intake.
  • Legumes: Lentils, chickpeas, and other beans are good sources of plant-based estrogen.

• Cooling and Hydrating Foods: Keeping your body's core temperature stable is key. Incorporate foods with high water content and natural cooling properties.

  • Cucumber and Watermelon: Their high water content helps keep the body hydrated and cool.
  • Leafy Greens: Spinach, kale, and other leafy greens are water-dense and rich in magnesium, which supports thermoregulation.
  • Fruits: Apples, pears, and berries can help regulate temperature.

• Magnesium-Rich Foods: Magnesium, known as “nature’s relaxant,” supports nervous system function and can help regulate sleep and stress, which are often linked to night sweats.

  • Almonds and Cashews: These nuts are packed with magnesium and healthy fats.
  • Avocados and Bananas: Both provide a good dose of magnesium, promoting restful sleep.
  • Dark Chocolate: A small piece can offer a magnesium boost.

• Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Found in fatty fish and some seeds, omega-3s are known for their anti-inflammatory effects and may help reduce the frequency of night sweats.

  • Fatty Fish: Salmon, mackerel, and sardines are top sources.
  • Chia Seeds and Walnuts: Excellent plant-based sources of omega-3s.

Foods and Drinks to Avoid

Just as some foods can help, others can act as powerful triggers for night sweats. Limiting or avoiding these can make a noticeable difference.

• Caffeine: As a stimulant, caffeine can increase heart rate and body temperature. Its diuretic effect can also lead to dehydration, another potential trigger. This includes coffee, energy drinks, and some teas.
• Alcohol: Alcohol consumption, especially before bed, is a common trigger for night sweats. It dilates blood vessels, causing a sensation of warmth and flushing. It can also disrupt blood sugar levels, causing a drop that triggers the release of stress hormones.
• Spicy Foods: The capsaicin in spicy foods has thermogenic properties, temporarily raising your body temperature. Avoiding spicy meals, especially in the evening, can prevent an overheating response during sleep.
• Sugary and Processed Foods: Foods high in simple sugars and processed carbohydrates can cause rapid spikes and crashes in blood sugar. The subsequent drop in blood sugar can trigger the release of adrenaline, a common cause of flushing and sweating. This includes candy, sugary drinks, and ultra-processed snacks.
• High-Fat Meals: Fatty foods, particularly those high in saturated fats, take longer to digest, which can raise your body temperature. Opt for lighter, easily digestible meals, especially in the hours leading up to bedtime.

A Comparative Look: Cooling Foods vs. Trigger Foods

Choosing the right foods can significantly impact your nighttime comfort. Here is a simple comparison to guide your meal planning.

Feature	Cooling Foods (To Eat)	Trigger Foods (To Avoid)
Mechanism	Help regulate body temperature, provide hydration, and support hormonal balance.	Increase body heat, stimulate the nervous system, or cause blood sugar instability.
Examples	Cucumber, watermelon, leafy greens, soy products, flaxseeds, almonds, bananas, salmon.	Alcohol, caffeine, spicy peppers, high-sugar snacks, processed foods, heavy fatty meals.
Best Time	Incorporate throughout the day and evening for sustained benefits.	Limit, especially in the hours leading up to bedtime.
Key Effect	Calming, stabilizing, and hydrating effect on the body.	Stimulating and heat-generating effect, potentially disrupting sleep.

Practical Strategies for Success

Beyond what you eat, how and when you eat can also help manage night sweats. Here are a few practical tips:

1. Maintain a Food Diary: To identify your specific triggers, keep a log of what you ate and when. This can help you pinpoint any foods or drinks that consistently lead to night sweats.
2. Time Your Meals: Avoid eating heavy, fatty, or sugary meals close to bedtime. Eating at least three hours before you sleep gives your body ample time to digest.
3. Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of cool water throughout the day. Dehydration can impair your body's temperature regulation. Sip cool water at your bedside during the night if you wake up sweating.
4. Try Herbal Teas: Opt for cooling herbal teas like peppermint or sage, which have natural calming properties. Avoid hot drinks in general before bed.
5. Consider the Mediterranean Diet: This diet, rich in fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats, has been shown to reduce night sweats.

Conclusion

While a variety of factors can contribute to night sweats, making strategic dietary adjustments can significantly improve your symptoms and lead to better sleep. By focusing on phytoestrogen-rich foods, hydrating fruits and vegetables, and magnesium sources, while limiting common triggers like alcohol, caffeine, and spicy foods, you can actively work toward a more comfortable night. For persistent or severe night sweats, it is always recommended to consult a healthcare provider to rule out underlying medical conditions and determine the best course of action. Small, consistent changes in your diet can lead to big improvements in your quality of life.

Further reading on the link between diet and menopausal symptoms can be found at the Cleveland Clinic.(https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-to-eat-when-you-have-hot-flashes)

Frequently Asked Questions

What foods contain phytoestrogens to help with night sweats?

Phytoestrogens are plant-based compounds that can mimic estrogen and potentially help with hormonal fluctuations. Good sources include soy products (tofu, tempeh), flaxseeds, lentils, and other legumes.

Which drinks should I avoid to reduce night sweats?

To reduce night sweats, it is best to avoid alcohol, caffeinated drinks (coffee, tea, energy drinks), and very hot beverages, especially before bedtime, as they can all trigger a warming response in the body.

Can processed and sugary foods make night sweats worse?

Yes, ultra-processed foods and those high in simple sugars can cause blood sugar levels to spike and then crash. This instability can trigger an adrenaline response that leads to flushing and sweating.

Why is hydration important for night sweats?

Staying well-hydrated is crucial because it helps your body regulate its temperature. Dehydration can hinder this process, while sipping cool water can help keep you cool throughout the night.

Does magnesium help with night sweats?

Magnesium is known to promote relaxation and help regulate sleep. Some studies and theories suggest it may help with night sweats, possibly by affecting the nervous system and hormonal balance. Foods rich in magnesium include almonds, spinach, and avocados.

Can eating spicy food at night trigger night sweats?

Spicy foods contain compounds like capsaicin that can temporarily raise your body's temperature. Eating them, particularly in the evening, can provoke a sweating response that may contribute to night sweats.

Is keeping a food diary a helpful strategy?

Yes, keeping a food and symptom diary can be highly useful for identifying your personal triggers. Every individual's response is unique, and tracking your intake can reveal patterns between certain foods and night sweats.

Are there specific fruits that help with night sweats?

Fruits with high water content, like watermelon, cucumbers, and berries, are particularly helpful. Apples and pears are also considered cooling foods that can aid in temperature regulation.