What Happens When You Sweat At Night
In this week’s column we are taking a deep dive into sweating at night and how that could be responsible for your filthy pillow! Going beyond the surface and uncovering what lives in your pillow when you sweat at night, I will share how often we should repurchase and clean our pillow and a few tips to help avoid a pillow full of who-knows-what.
Do You Sweat At Night?
Sweating at night is quite common. One study found that out of 2000 patients, 41% suffered from excess sweating at night. Here are three factors that may be triggering this nightly perspiration.
1. Environment
When the environment temperature rises above 85-degrees Fahrenheit (around 30-degrees Celsius), the average person could lose about two liters of sweat over an eight-hour night sleep.
2. Hormones
When on your period, it is common to have increased sweat levels. Changes in estrogen and progesterone levels are common PMS symptoms that lead to hot flashes and heavy sweating at night.
3. Clothing
Common sleepwear materials are wool, fleece and flannel however these materials can lead to overheating and a high production of sweat. I recommend natural fabrics such as, cotton or bamboo as they allow the skin to breathe, reducing the chances of overheating.
So, What's Really Living Inside Your Pillow?
When was the last time you cleaned your pillow? No, not your pillowcase – your pillow! A study done by the University of Manchester discovered the average pillow contains around one million fungal spores! These pillows that were tested were only one to two years old. Can you image what’s living in your favorite pillow that you’ve had forever?
To get more specific, your pillow does contain a lot of bacteria. This includes bacteria from your own sweat and drool, leftover product from your hair and skin, thousands of dead skin cells and skin flakes, fungi, dust mites and dust mite feces. Not only is this unhygienic to be sleeping in, if these particles are left for too long they can lead to allergy-like symptoms like itchy eyes or stuffed sinuses.
How Much Do You Sweat At Night?
Night sweats are very common and are often led on by stress. The average person sweats out about 200 mL per eight hours of sleep. Due to high stress levels in your everyday life, you may actually sweat up to 30 times more than you normally would during a calm resting state.
This sweat can travel through your hair as you sleep and spread oils and dirt through your scalp, making hair look oily by morning. Sweaty scalps are a warm, moist area where dandruff-causing fungus can grow and be absorbed by your pillow.