Night sweats and hot flashes may be very intense and cause heavy sweating, including while the woman is sleeping. Many women also are genetically disposed to sweating while sleeping.

During the period of menopause, estrogen levels fluctuate. The hypothalamus (a region of the brain that regulates body temperature and is affected by hormones) can become confused by these changes in estrogen levels. So the hypothalamus may respond to the changes in estrogen as if it senses an increase in the body's temperature.

How to Reduce Night Sweats:

1. Flip your pillow over so you're sleeping on the cool side
2. If you are experiencing a hot flash during the night, practice deep breathing
3. Keep a cold pack handy on your night stand and use whenever necessary
4. Wear cotton pyjamas
5. Use a battery-operated fan
6. Use cotton sheets
7. Keep the temperature in your bedroom cool

If you have a night sweats while sleeping, you may want to consider trying some of the many home night sweats treatments. If these do not work, your doctor may be able to provide you with medical night sweats treatment to offer your relief.

If you suffer from menopausal symptoms, you may include soy products in your diet. Some recent study found that women dealing with mild night sweats found relief from dang gui bu xue tang, a Chinese herbal remedy that includes dong quai, a popular herb from the celery family that is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat gynecological symptoms. Some of us have just survived our sleep-deprived child rearing years only to be confronted with midlife insomnia.