Night Sweating & Back Pain

If you have experienced night sweats, you know how unpleasant they can be. You awaken drenched with sweat, and you're sometimes hot and other you're times cold. Your sleep is affected and if you add back pain to the mix, your nights could become debilitating instead of restive.

Significance

Experiencing night sweats and back pain simultaneously might be a matter of bad timing or could represent symptoms of a serious systemic disease. If you are a woman in the menopause or perimenopause stages or you're a man with andropause, you will know that night sweats are an unwelcome companion. If your night sweats and back pain are also accompanied with unintended weight loss, swelling of the lymph nodes, high blood pressure and any neurological abnormalities, you should contact your health care provider, according to Infectious Diseases in Clinical Practice 1.

Considerations

According to an article in Infectious Diseases in Clinical Practice in June/July 2002, Volume 11, Issue 5, your body's normal temperature follows a diurnal or day vs night pattern 1. Your body temperature is highest between 3 and 4 p.m. and lowest between 3 and 4 a.m. Your body cools by sweating and evaporation, so increased night time sweating is necessary. If your sleeping environment is overly warm, you might experience more night time sweating.

Expert Insight

An article titled "Upper Lobe Fibrocavitary Disease in a Patient With Back Pain and Stiffness" in the medical journal Chest, described an individual with night sweats and back pain. After a medical workup, doctors discovered that the man had a condition called apical fibrobullous disease with ankylosing spondylitis. This is a respiratory condition in addition to a spinal problem. If you have fever, unintentional weight loss, coughing or other symptoms of respiratory illness in addition to night sweats and back pain contact your health care provider for guidance.

Theories

Certain types of cancer have night sweats and back pain as symptoms. Cancers including lymphomas and leukemia, as well as spinal tumors and others can cause these symptoms. If you or your child are experiencing these symptoms, in addition to exhaustion, lack of appetite, bruising, swelling and weight loss, talk with your health care provider to determine a course of action.

Time Frame

If you experience back pain and night sweat symptoms, and they last for more than a week or if they are also accompanied by unintended weight loss, fever, abdominal pain, vomiting and swelling in your in your neck or under your arms, do not delay in contacting your health care provider. These symptoms alone or together can be a sign of diabetes, heart disease, hormonal disorders, thyroid disease and other issues, according to Emergency Medicine on the Web.