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What Are Common Causes of Headache and Night Sweats?
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  • Written By: Laura M. Sands
  • Edited By: Heather Bailey
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Headache and night sweats may be caused by a variety of different physical and mental conditions. A few of these include stress, anxiety, dehydration, menopause and HIV infection. Remedies for headache and night sweats are often helpful in alleviating symptoms. Such may include hormonal therapy, psychotherapy or traditional home remedies.

Individuals who are experiencing stress and anxiety may suffer from headache and night sweats as a result. Other symptoms associated with these conditions may also include mood changes, depression, attention deficits, unintended weight changes and a loss of appetite. Learning how to cope with stress and anxiety usually stops nighttime sweating and frequent headaches. For some, speaking to a therapist may help, as will building a network of individuals willing to help a person cope with stressful circumstances.

One of the most frequent causes of headache is dehydration. A person who is not taking in enough fluids is likely to experience this side effect. Hydrating with water, fresh fruits and vegetables will help alleviate this symptom. Temporary pain relievers, such as aspirin or ibuprofen, will also help with pain management.

When headache and night sweats are experienced at the same time, this may be the sign of an underlying illness. Some illnesses likely to cause these side effects are flu, brucellosis, pneumonia or HIV infection. When an underlying illness is the cause, other symptoms are likely to exist, such as fever, loss of appetite, fatigue, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Certain medications may also cause headache and night sweats. For instance, duloxetine, a drug frequently prescribed for the treatment of depression, diabetes, fibromyalgia and certain types of urinary incontinence may cause headache and night sweats. Other antidepressant medications may also cause these symptoms. When a doctor changes a prescription or dosage levels, headache and night sweats often disappear.

In women, menopause is the most common cause of headache and night sweats. As a woman matures, hormonal changes in her body cause her to experience sudden rises in body temperature. These symptoms are often referred to as hot flashes and will produce intense night sweats as well as intermittent daytime sweating. While headache is not a common symptom of menopause, women who are experiencing stress symptoms or who are not getting enough sleep due to the onset of night sweats may also experience headache symptoms. Hormone replacement therapy, vitamin supplements, acupuncture and meditation are all helpful in eliminating night sweats in women with menopause.

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trekker
Post 3

My daughter got sick last month. The poor thing had a heck of a time with chills and fever. It’s so sad so see your little one all wrapped up in blankets, cold and breaking a sweat. We took her to the doctor, but there wasn’t much to do except give her Tylenol. That helped bring her fever down and in turn eased the symptoms.

OhDeDoh
Post 2

As if menopause wasn’t fun enough all on its own, how about adding some profuse night sweats? Not my idea of a good time. The headaches and sweating that come with the hormonal shift is enough to make anyone crazy. I started taking bioidentical hormones, which has made a big difference.

I will be glad when the night sweats are gone for good. I have had to change sheets in the middle of the night after a good bout of night sweats. Yeah, also not my idea of a good time.

I would encourage anyone going through this to keep an open dialogue with their doctor. Even if your night sweats are not hormone related, there can be relief.

Andras
Post 1

My sister suffers from night sweats and relief has not been easy for her to find. She isn’t sure why she gets them, but she has tried a lot of home remedies. She talked to her doctor, but they haven’t found an underlying cause. She thinks it is probably stress related.

One of the remedies that helped her is a tea with chamomile and sage. She brews it quite strong and lets it cool. I don’t think drinking a hot beverage before bed would be a great way to cool off.

The best way seems to be to brew it in the morning so it is fresh for the night to come. She doesn’t use sweetener. If you can tolerate that way, it’s not a bad idea to skip the sugar. She is looking for other remedies, but the tea has helped.

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