Sweating

Sweating and night sweats are fairly common in people with cancer. They can be a distressing symptom and affect the quality of life, particularly when they frequently interrupt sleep.Sweatingcan be described as the body suddenly feeling hot. They typically begin with an uneasy feeling, then feeling intensely hot in the face and/or upper body, then feeling hot all over. Before or during the sweating, people may feel nausea, anxiety, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, and headache. There may be flushing andSweating. According to the National Cancer Institute,Sweatingand night sweats may be side effects of cancer or its treatment.

Causes of Sweating

The hypothalamus gland is the body's thermostat. When it senses that the body is too hot, the hypothalamus causes a reaction similar toSweating. When you have a fever and become flushed (red), feel hot, and start sweating, the hypothalamus is doing its job.

Sweating can be caused by the following:

• Chemotherapy
• Hormone therapy
• Surgical removal of ovaries or testes
• Radiation damage to the ovaries, testes, or the hypothalamic region of the brain.
• Menopause
• Alcohol
• Drugs such as opioids
• Tricyclic antidepressants
• Steroids

Managing Sweating

Conventional Approaches

Hormonal, drug, and non-drug approaches are available to manageSweating. Even though estrogen replacement therapy seems to be the most successful therapy for natural or treatment-induced menopause, this therapy is contraindicated in women who have or have had breast cancer, high-risk endometrial cancer, or some ovarian cancers. In some of these cancers, suppressing estrogen's growth-promoting effects on the cancer cells is crucial.

Sweating in men withProstate Cancermay be treated with estrogens, progestin, antidepressants, and anticonvulsants. However, certain hormones (such as estrogen) can make some cancers grow or increase your risk of other cancers.

Integrative Approaches

A number of complementary approaches can help relieve or reduce the frequency of sweating:

• Dietary strategies such as sipping on ice-cold drinks, or reducing or avoiding alcohol, caffeine, and spicy foods

Mind-Body approaches such as:

• Hypnosis
• Progressive muscle relaxation
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)

Approaches for managing sweating

• Sleeping well by creating a more comfortable environment such as wearing light cotton clothing and running a fan or opening a window to cool the bedroom
• Acupuncture

Before starting any of these therapies, either consult a physician or talk to us to find safer ways to practice this.