Menopause is the main issue associated with night sweats, but middle aged women are far from the only sufferers.
There are many diseases, reactions and disorders that cause people to suffer from night sweating.
Night sweats are an uncomfortable and often embarrassing issue.
Sufferers wake with their bedclothes and oftentimes sheets soaking wet.
As said earlier, menopause is the most common medical cause of night sweats.
Andropause, the male version of menopause, is another trigger.
People who suffer idiopathic hyperhidrosis, or overactive sweat gland disorder, not only sweat excessively during the day but also sweat at night.
Many infections also cause excessive sweating at night as the body fights back.
Tuberculosis is a common cause, but bacterial infections, abscesses, bone inflammation and HIV all also cause night sweating.
Oftentimes, cancer patients suffer from the sweats, particularly in the early phases before diagnosis.
They also suffer weight loss and are frequently feverish.
Many medications cause nighttime sweats, particularly anti-depressants.
If you've recently begun or changed anti-depressant medication, talk to your doctor about the sweats as a possible side effect.
Though this is a list of possible medical issues that could cause your night sweat problems, they do not always mean that you have a problem that needs medical attention.
Nighttime sweating is often attributed to heavy comforters or too many blankets on a warm night.
Sweating is your body's way of regulating temperature; more often than not it is actually healthy to have a midnight sweat once in a while.
That said, if you are having them regularly, seek medical attention.