Natural Remedies For Night Sweats That May Surprise You

Do you suffer from night sweats or hot flashes? If so, then you know just how miserable they can be! But, instead of talking about what causes night sweats--and the frustrations of excessive sweating--I'm going to offer you some natural remedies. Some may surprise you!

I myself suffer from night sweats and hot flashes, and, to me, the most annoying part of them is waking up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat and having to scoot over to a "dry spot" because my sheets are soaked. The next morning is no fun either, because, quite frankly, I don't always have time to do laundry on a daily basis--nor do I have a week's worth of linens!

I'm saving the best for last, so let's start with several herbal (plant) remedies that can cool your system and increase oxygen, while replacing vitamin B, vitamin C, magnesium and potassium (which can be depleted by hot flashes). Some of these nutrients can also be found in food or by taking supplements. You might try:

• Dong Quai: An emmenagogue that has been reported to help relieve menopausal problems such as hot flashes, as well as mental and emotional upset.


• Black Cohosh: Used for the treatment of dysmenorrheal and menopause. Clinical studies have shown it to relieve hot flashes and depression.


• Licorice Root: Believed to reduce estrogen while increasing progesterone. This root is very powerful and useful in treating a number of conditions such as female hormonal problems, abdominal pains, insomnia, infection, peptic ulcers and malaria.


• Motherwort: Relieves many symptoms such as frequency and duration of hot flashes, stressed nerves and insomnia and anxiety.Sage & Alfalfa: A 2005 study at the School of Public Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, found that in a controlled trial, sage and alfalfa reduced severe hot flashes by 60% compared with a placebo.


• Evamist Spray: Developed by Dr. John Buster, a reproductive endocrinologist at Women and Infants Hospital, Buster's spray is made naturally and is an alternative to estrogen patches, pills and gels. You simply hold the spray to your skin, the hormone absorbs in the body, and the hot flashes will likely fade.

(Editor's note: If you have a nutritionist or herbalist, discuss your options before testing herbal remedies. As with any medicine, herbs are quite powerful and a particular one may be more suited for you than another.)

And, now for the most exciting remedy of all! Bamboo Sheets! I know it probably sounds a little crazy, but if you understand the properties of bamboo sheets, then you'll realize why they'll make all of the difference in the world when you're suffering from night sweats.

As I mentioned above, my frustration comes when waking up in the middle of the night covered in sweat, but bamboo sheets have brought me great comfort and peaceful sleep. Why? Even though I still have night sweats, my sweat is absorbed and wicked away so quickly that I don't wake up in a puddle. Instead, I wake up with a damp coating of sweat and the sheets above and below me are about 10% damp compared to 100% drenched. I simply roll over to the other side of the bed and within an hour the sweat is literally gone--evaporated into thin air!

You might think, "But you still have to wash your sheets since they're damp. They'll smell like sweat!" You'd be wrong. Another wonderful trait of bamboo sheets is that they are odor resistant! (We've done case studies on bamboo socks, t-shirts and sheets and found this fabric to resist odors under the worst of circumstances.) They also:

o Absorb sweat and wick it away. Bamboo fabric is made from viscose from bamboo. The individual fibers have cross sections filled with micro-holes and micro-gaps, which gives bamboo fabric the ability to absorb 3-4 times the moisture of cotton. The same characteristic gives it its amazing wicking abilities.

o Thermal regulate. Bamboo fabric stays 2-3 degrees cooler in warmer temperatures and 2-3 degrees warmer when it's cold.

These qualities alone make bamboo sheets the best natural remedy for night sweats, but you'll also find bamboo sheets to be the softest sheets you have ever slept on, and they are antimicrobial and hypoallergenic! Give them a try!