What Are Postpartum Night Sweats?

Giving life is a true miracle. But it’s a culmination of many trials and tribulations that your body must face. And even after the little one has arrived a few after-effects can linger for some time.

Postpartum night sweatsOpens in a new window are an example, and perhaps one of the easiest to control.

Excess sweating after childbirth is caused by your hormones flushing the body of the excess fluids that gave you and your baby vital hydration during pregnancy. Because of the 9-month store, your body can take up to 2 weeks to regulate hormonal activity and water levels.

The good news is that postpartum sweats aren’t an indication of underlying conditions – and they’ll go away in due course. They are uncomfortable, though, and they can play havoc on your bed sheets and PJs.

Luckily, there are a few things you can do to manage postpartum night sweats. Then the only thing you’ll need to focus on in the night is keeping the new little addition comfy and happy.

There’s not really anything you can do, medically, to chase those postpartum night sweats away. As mentioned, it’s a delicate biological process brought on by the monumental changes in the body caused by pregnancy.

But there are a few things you can do, to manage your symptomsOpens in a new windowwhile your system works to get back to normal. Try these tips:

Drinking water plays a two-part role: firstly, a nice cool drink before bed will do a lot to cool the inner workings of your body and leave you that much less likely to have a sweaty night. Secondly, sweating, as we all know, is water leaving the body, and that often results in dehydration at night. Drink water to replace the fluids that keep you cool, and that aid in healthy breastfeeding.

The material you surround yourself with – your pyjamas and your bedsheets – can be serious disruptors of body temperature regulation, during the night.
So, try not to wear anything too restrictive or tight.

Natural fabrics are the way to go, for both pyjamas and bed sheets. Try cotton, linen, or silk - they all allow heat to escape much faster.

Some food and drinks can disrupt the natural temperature regulation of the body and exacerbate its sweat production processes

Stay away from the obvious triggers, like:

• Caffeine
• Alcohol
• Spicey food
• Hot drinks

It can be a pricey purchase, but a good air conditioner in the bedroom quickly regulates temperatures, so the levels of comfort it can bring make it definitely worth it.
If you’re not keen on shelling out too much, a good quality floor fan is a great second option.

If you’re having a little bit of a sweaty time after your pregnancy, these top tips should help you regulate a little faster. Remember, it’s simply the process of your body working to get you back to your old self, after the life-changing, and body-changing, event of pregnancy. You’ll soon be right as rain.

In the meantime, visit Shield’s Sweat ZoneOpens in a new window for more on how to handle too much sweating.