Worrying about my husbands night sweats

[snowflake293]

Hi all

Not posted in a while cause I am doing a bit better with my HA, but tonight I am worrying :( not me, but my husband.

He is 33 and relatively fit and healthy, doesn't smoke or drink and is a healthy weight and does a physical job. He does have an under-active thyroid and is on medication for it.

Where he works lots of his colleagues have been off with a cold/flu virus and now he has it. I am worried cause he seems really bad and it has triggered my anxiety off (I am terrified of him becoming seriously ill).

On Saturday night and again tonight he has been sweating heavily in his sleep. He wasn't wringing wet, but his clothes felt damp and his forehead was sweaty. This has happened a few times before too but not for ages. He suffers with anxiety and takes citalopram (I take sertraline and get the occasional night sweat, especially if I have a cold)

Typing all this out, I feel like an idiot for worrying :( but I can't shake the fears tonight. I am having CFT at the moment and working on trying to stop my worries using a technique called 'worry time/thinking time' but right now I am really struggling :(

Does anyone else get like this over loved ones? I know deep down he is ok, but my brain is wired to worry.

[Weasley123]

I've no advice but I sympathize

[WiseMonkey]

Hi all

Not posted in a while cause I am doing a bit better with my HA, but tonight I am worrying :( not me, but my husband.

He is 33 and relatively fit and healthy, doesn't smoke or drink and is a healthy weight and does a physical job. He does have an under-active thyroid and is on medication for it.

Where he works lots of his colleagues have been off with a cold/flu virus and now he has it. I am worried cause he seems really bad and it has triggered my anxiety off (I am terrified of him becoming seriously ill).

On Saturday night and again tonight he has been sweating heavily in his sleep. He wasn't wringing wet, but his clothes felt damp and his forehead was sweaty. This has happened a few times before too but not for ages. He suffers with anxiety and takes citalopram (I take sertraline and get the occasional night sweat, especially if I have a cold)

Typing all this out, I feel like an idiot for worrying :( but I can't shake the fears tonight. I am having CFT at the moment and working on trying to stop my worries using a technique called 'worry time/thinking time' but right now I am really struggling :(

Does anyone else get like this over loved ones? I know deep down he is ok, but my brain is wired to worry.

Hi,

My partner has had this from time to time. Stress from work can do it, anxiety can speed up the metabolism making you sweat at night. My partner is also very fit and goes to the gym 3-4 times a week. He's had blood tests over the years and they've all been fine.

You say your husband has under active thyroid (Hashimotos), which is an autoimmune condition. People with autoimmune conditions can get night sweats from time to time. Having a virus like the flu, can further intensify the sweats.

Make sure he drinks plenty of water (men don't like drinking water), and that he is not over heated by bed clothes while sleeping.

[snowflake293]

Thanks for replies. I can't sleep cause I am worrying so much. His sweats have happened a few times and I am just so fearful something is wrong. When I rationalise, I KNOW its a virus and nothing serious. Its just horrible. Hate feeling like this :( I am still sat awake! Can you get night sweats from having a cold/flu?

[WiseMonkey]

Hi,

Yep that's the most common cause, as the body is fighting the virus.

[snowflake293]

Thank you. I feel silly needing reassurance like this.

I worry about his health more than I do my own, and I have to be SO careful as he has recovered from his own health anxiety and it is so easy for me to set it off again for him if I am worrying.

Hes having a blood test next week for his thyroid anyway and I think they normally check other stuff too.

You hear horror stories about people getting really sick with flu and I just worry so much, either than or worry its something worse than flu.

I really, REALLY need to work on my CFT techniques. I'd been doing so well!

Thanks for listening to me. I'm going to try and get some sleep now as staying up late wont do me any good.

[Annaboodle]

Hi, it is totally normal to sweat more than usual when you have a virus. What you're describing is not night sweats - it's just sweating a bit. Damp forehead and clothes a bit damp is just normal sweating. Try to remind yourself that sweating is a normal thing anyway. The function of sweat is that as it evaporates it leaves the surface of the skin cooler in order to bring body temperature down so when the body is fighting a bug it's the natural way of cooling you down.