can anyone tell me why or how to stop waking up sweating profusely???? almost every night usually around 3-5am i wake up sweating. I can never remember my dream but i do know i wanted to get out of it.....it seems i always wake up too late to remember and to stop myself from sweating. It's winter here,, and rather cold so it's not an over heating factor, and usually i get really cold when i try to get back to sleep...i end up shaking till i fall asleep....

if anyone knows anything about this, or knows how to stop it, or has had similar experiences...i would like to know
thnks

When in REM sleep, a person's body stops regulating it's temperature. In your
case, it must lead to excess heat or perhaps your body naturally sweats
alot in response to various stiumli (i.e. dreaming). The latter case is called
hyperhydrosis. I don't know of any reasonable treatments.

Are you sleeping on your back? or on your side? Try changing positions.

Try and do something to remember your dream. If you remember it, then maybe it will stop. Its just thoughts.

Are you taking any medications? SSRI's sometimes cause exactly what you explained.

Or you could get to a therapist and find out what's bothering you so badly. Or maybe it's just the temperature inside your room making you uncomfortable and messing with your dreams.

Usually if a panic insues its because of how the body is "paralysed" by sleep to stop you thrashing about during a dream, otherwise you would be attempting to run or walk etc.

So its possible that at a particular point within your sleep where you get to a transition of how deep the sleep is, and you realise that your paralysed and can't get up so panic. The panic is increased because it's really difficult to come out of the sleep and therefore when you do comeout your sweating.

Another potential reason for sweating is "holding your breath" while you sleep, this can cause alot of disturbing dreams since your body starts to increase with toxins from carbon monoxide poisoning, so you'll probably awake needing deep breaths from suffocating.

Also mentioned Medication can causes these events to occur (along with smoking Cigarettes, Marijuana and drinking alcohol.)

You could also note that the temperature of the room does have an affect, notibly some native American Indians used a method of Steaming in a Sauna environment to get Spiritual guidance where the overheating from the Sauna actually caused them to hallucinate while staying conscious. It can also be said that Fevers are restless.

If you can get your room cooled and ventilated, if you've got blankets on the bed just use sheets etc.