So scared- DRENCHING NIGHT SWEAT. Please help.

[Mav]

It's 5:10am and 20 mins ago, I woke up to my back, neck, stomach all wet.

I have been worrying about lymphoma for a while so it seems unreal I actually have a serious symptom apart from the swollen node. I'm so upset and scared

What's calming me is I know that one night sweat doesn't equal cancer.

But what if it happens consecutively now for days?

My ENT appointment is on the 30th and I've lost hope, I thought it would it fine but with what just happened I'm positive I have something wrong with me.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Sweating at night is a common anxiety symptom too. People often don't realise what Serotonin is involved in, one of it's actions is temperature control. We can be low on Serotonin.

Just having a nightmare can mean anyone wakes up sweating. Did you suddenly wake feeling stressed?

Right now you've woken in a panic so things are a bit raw. When you calm down more you will be more able to rationalise it.

You said you actually have a symptom of lymphoma. But sweating is a symptom of many things. So, why is it a confirmation of lymphoma? Why is everything else not considered? Because your fear is the focus and you're applying Confirmation Bias due to Cognitive Distortions.

Try to get back to sleep and rest. It may help to get up and walk around a bit first to burn off some of the adrenaline.

[Mav]

Sweating at night is a common anxiety symptom too. People often don't realise what Serotonin is involved in, one of it's actions is temperature control. We can be low on Serotonin.

Just having a nightmare can mean anyone wakes up sweating. Did you suddenly wake feeling stressed?

Right now you've woken in a panic so things are a bit raw. When you calm down more you will be more able to rationalise it.

You said you actually have a symptom of lymphoma. But sweating is a symptom of many things. So, why is it a confirmation of lymphoma? Why is everything else not considered? Because your fear is the focus and you're applying Confirmation Bias due to Cognitive Distortions.

Try to get back to sleep and rest. It may help to get up and walk around a bit first to burn off some of the adrenaline.


So I went back to sleep after reading this so thankyou.

I'm still stressed and scared it will happen tonight.

I link it to that because of the swollen node in my neck which I found 3 months ago without explanation.

I really hope last night won't be repeated

[Carnation]

Terry is right. I get night sweats with anxiety and so does my partner.
I wake from disturbed sleep and I am absolutely drenching.
Sometimes it will be for a couple of days and sometimes it is random.
Mr partner has been like it for years.
So you don't have to link it with something more serious.

[MyNameIsTerry]

HA feeds on skewed linking and sweating is a general thing to experience. There could be absolutely no link whatsoever. It could be as simply as it being about your anxiety, as anxiety is obviously present.

There will be a reason for the lymph node enlarging, it's just not apparent. Your GP might never find the reason because it's months on and because they are sure it's nothing to worry about, will settle with ruling things out and making a guess at a situation that has passed like colds, flu, infection, etc.

[Mav]

HA feeds on skewed linking and sweating is a general thing to experience. There could be absolutely no link whatsoever. It could be as simply as it being about your anxiety, as anxiety is obviously present.

There will be a reason for the lymph node enlarging, it's just not apparent. Your GP might never find the reason because it's months on and because they are sure it's nothing to worry about, will settle with ruling things out and making a guess at a situation that has passed like colds, flu, infection, etc.


Okay so I managed not to completely lose my shit today. I am
A bit scared to go to sleep incase I wake up even more drenching and sweaty.

But I believe a few things could have contributed to the sweating, one is that it was warm under the covers and I woke up abruptly so I must have been having some kind of a stressful sleep.

You last sentence is most likely what is going to happen, that's why I was given the referral anyway. Not to "investigate" but rather to eliminate since I think doctors take a lot of precaution with things like this. Although my doctor was pretty care free at the time and insisted it was "benign feeling"

My lump seems smaller than before and much less prominent. It's around the size of my finger tip

I wish I didn't wake up with such a sweat because it really ruined the good progress I was making, but I guess not completely losing my shit today is progress in itself.

Thanks for the wise words.

[PASchoolSyndrome]

Hey Mav,

When I went through my scare I had a few night sweats. I would worry every night before I went to bed that I would wake up wet and every night I did.

Until I got through my spiral.. now I sleep like a baby.

[Toaster]

I thought I had Leukemia a few years ago because I had high white blood cells. Thought I read somewhere that night sweats were a symptom. Shortly after that I got night sweats. Drenched the bed. Bought a window air conditioner even though my house has central air.

Once my next blood test came back okay the night sweats magically went away. Totally caused by anxiety.

[Mav]

Hey Mav,

When I went through my scare I had a few night sweats. I would worry every night before I went to bed that I would wake up wet and every night I did.

Until I got through my spiral.. now I sleep like a baby.

I was doing really well and coping so well and not very anxious. The sweating came out of absolutely no where and I really wish it hadn't happened. I'm going to convince myself it's normal(which more often than not it is) and try and get some sleep.

It was the most sweaty I've woken up however I wasn't completely and entirely drenched. My clothes were not entirely soaked through and my hair wasn't wet or anything and it all dried off very quickly when I went up to go to the toilet.

[Fishmanpa]

I know this won't help but it is at least worth mentioning for the record. You've been in this spiral for close to four months or longer. In that time, if this were sinister, you'd be quite ill. What you describe is not typical of the drenching sweats associated with cancer.

Everything points to anxiety IMO. Go to your appointment and let us know how you make out. I have an "I told ya so" all ready ;)

Positive thoughts

[Mav]

I know this won't help but it is at least worth mentioning for the record. You've been in this spiral for close to four months or longer. In that time, if this were sinister, you'd be quite ill. What you describe is not typical of the drenching sweats associated with cancer.

Everything points to anxiety IMO. Go to your appointment and let us know how you make out. I have an "I told ya so" all ready ;)

Positive thoughts

I have, thats true. My mum said it was warm this morning and even she woke up feeling a bit damp so I'm going to take her word for it (although I wouldn't put it past her to lie to make me feel a bit better).

I sort of got over it today because I had too many errands to run and far too much to do, but now that it's time to sleep again, some anxiety is trickling back. I'm going to try not to worry. I am pretty exhausted so that helps.

Thankyou, it will be alright I hope. I should try and sleep it's half past 12 :blush:

[Chris 614]

My dad had cancer. He would wake up drenched. Pajamas soaked through. It sounds like you were sweaty, not drenched.

[MyNameIsTerry]

It hasn't ruined your progress, this is where you have to accept that knock backs are expected. As another member always wisely said (MrAndy), recovery isn't a smooth upward line. Blips are expected and actually, they are part of the learning process because they will test you and you will learn to handle them better.

Worrying about sleeping is often a cause of insomnia. Don't put too much effort into focusing on not having something you fear happen because it just gives it importance and the subconscious will work harder to try to prevent it which means your mind is more active. It's the old polar bear experiment, tell yourself to not think of bears and the mind thinks of bears.

This can be a stage to work though for some. I has various issues with bedtime such as waking with high anxiety, not sleeping enough, feeling rough do the day was harder, having breathing issues, etc. It's not easy to not worry about them as they are scary to us but the more you work towards not thinking "I hope X doesn't happen tonight", the more you intuitively just won't care anymore and won't experience things.

Mine went. My attitudes to sleep and how I feel are healthier. I no longer let them take me over. The result is I'm less bothered by it all and accept how things go or not without the catastrophizing.

I've woken plenty of times from nightmares like you describe. You also were a bit warm anyway. The days are getting milder (I've been sweating some days in bed recently). And vivid dreams are very common in mental health conditions or when taking antidepressants.

I've woken from vivid dreams with my chest pounding and the bed clothes all over the place.