What should you know about caffeine night sweats?

Coffee, tea, energy drinks and some supplements can make you feel warmer, more alert or restless, especially when taken later in the day. A hot room, heavy bedding, alcohol, illness or hormonal changes can also cause sweating. Night sweats that come with fever, swollen glands, weight loss or ongoing tiredness may occur with infections, hyperthyroidism, menopause or other conditions; the sweat itself does not identify which one is present.

Avoid caffeine close to bedtime and keep the bedroom cool with breathable bedding. Note when sweating happens, what you drank, your temperature and any accompanying symptoms. Drink normally during the day, and avoid replacing sleep with more stimulants. If symptoms improve after changing caffeine timing, continue the adjustment while watching for recurrence.

Arrange a medical appointment if sweats repeatedly soak clothing or bedding, disturb sleep, or continue after caffeine changes. Seek urgent help for severe breathlessness, confusion, fainting, chest pain or a very high fever. Fever with shaking chills, persistent cough, swollen glands or marked weakness also deserves prompt assessment.

Ask whether your pattern suggests caffeine stimulation, menopause, an infection or thyroid overactivity; which examination or tests may help; and how to protect sleep while symptoms are investigated.