Can COPD cause a person to sweat while sleeping?
Sometimes I wake up with a very damp t-shirt and the sheets are very wet from my sweat.
Hi Bill111 and thanks so much for your interesting question. It's difficult to determine online what is responsible for sweating at night in your particular situation.
We know people can develop fevers with COPD (which can result in sweating), and have anxiety with COPD (which can result in sweating). There are also other causes of sweating at night ('night sweats'😉, which range from the simple (too many blankets), to the more complex (persistent coughing or localized pain). If this is a new symptom for you, and it seems to persist, or worsen, I would suggest you bring it to the attention of your physician.
Please do check back with us and let us know how you're doing.
All the best,
Leon (site moderator)
I didn't see this the last time I was online, but I do experience the same thing. What I've done is placing a fan (preferably small) in my direction and turning it on at the lowest setting. I think this trick's my brain into thinking my body is cool, although I'm under a blanket.
Hi Edi - thanks so much for sharing what works for you. If it works for you, others in our community may read of your experiences and try it for themselves. Hopefully, if they have success (or not) they will let us know how they fared with a fan.
Warm regards,
Leon (site moderator)
I do the same
I often sweat when I am breathing very heavily during the day. I have also had sweating while asleep, so I have assumed that I must have been breathing hard while asleep. I do,occasionally use a fan, and have switched to lighter weight pjs, and lightened up my blankets.
Hi Lynnilene and thanks for sharing your experiences with COPD and sweating. You can see that you are not alone as others in our community have expressed similar situations for themselves. If your sweating during the day when you're breathing heavily, that is something that can be expected. You may be exerting yourself more than usual when breathing heavily (with COPD) - this extra exertion may cause you to sweat.
All the best,
Leon (site moderator)
I was freaking out because I would get cold and thought I was having cold sweats then I realized that it was the sweat making me cold. It takes so little exertion to get sweaty and breathing hard. I thought my heart was bad for a long time, but Drs say my heart is fine.
Hi walt555 and thanks for your post. Glad to hear you were able to analyze this for yourself and get past it. It's also good to hear your physician has said there are no cardiac issues. Keep up the good work - we appreciate your input. Leon (site moderator)
I also do the same is it from COPD
