By Kurt Tompkins
 Sweating At Night is a very common problem for many people. Regardless of the reason, sweating at night is tied to one specific trigger.
I will try to address the general reason why people are sweating at night. This information is not tied to one specific cause for sweating but it is related to them all. For sweating at night can be explained in a logical manner that will allow you to eliminate this sleep depriving problem.
Sweating at night is simply due to our inability to cool itself down. As uncomplicated as that may sound, there is more to it than that clear-cut fact. We must understand how the body cools itself down before we can address the problem successfully.
Sweating at night is the very last action that the body takes in its effort to cool down. Anything past that stage becomes a health risk commonly known as heat exhaustion. Prior to sweating the body attempts to eliminate heat using three preferred methods. If the required coolness can not be obtained with the three main methods of cooling, the body
has no choice but to sweat.
The three methods the body uses prior to sweating at night or sweating any time are the following in this order:
Radiation
Conduction
Convection
Radiation is when you radiate heat energy like an oven, or a light bulb, You can feel the heat without touching the source.
Conduction is the heat that you will feel when you touch the source of radiant heat. That heat that is transferred to your hand by conduction.
Convection is the heat that you can feel when hot air is blown upon you. Like the heat of a hair dryer. That is an extreme example of convection but simple to understand. The heat that is generated within the hair dryer is transferred to the air via convection. Thus the air is conveying the heat from the heat source inside of the dryer. The heat is moved from inside the hair dryer, out to your hair using air.
So what dose all this have to do with sweating at night? Lets remember that sweating is the very last phase of cooling that the body will go through prior to just shutting itself down. We are attempting to eliminate sweating at night. so to accomplish this we must realize that we must cool the body before we reach the sweating stage.
Radiation and condition are the two cooling methods that are normally used wile we are in bed. Your body radiates heat and your bed absorbs that radiation. You are laying in your bed, surrounded by material, that material is also absorbing your body heat.
Sweating at night happens because we reach a point in our bed where the bed is no longer able to absorb more heat. The next step the body takes to cool itself down is sweating.
But wait, you say, what about the third step in cooling, Convection?
You are absolutely right. How could we forget about convection? Remember the description of convection, where the air moves next to the source of heat and conveys that heat away. That is exactly what you will need to do. And a simple fan that will blow between your sheets will cool your body and your bed at the same time, using convection will help you will remain cool and your sweating at night will be over for good.
Kurt Tompkins is the founder of Tompkins Research, a specialty engineering firm concentrating on real life issues and logical methods to resolving problems. Let us show you how sweating at night can be stopped. See what our clients are saying about the methods implied in this article. Menopause Is Coming - Be An Informed Consumer
By Tom Nuckels
 Menopause is a natural part of life and does not necessarily require treatment. You need to be informed of your options. Symptoms and health risks associated with low estrogen can be treated, often, in natural ways that don't include drug related risks.
Definition
When a woman's menstrual period ceases, and the ovaries permanently stop releasing eggs, a woman has entered the time in life called menopause. It is considered complete when a woman has been without her period for a full year. Menopause can occur anytime between the ages of 40-58, however, the average age is 51 years old.
The Cause
Menopause is a natural part of life and is a gradual process. The ovaries begin producing lower amounts of hormones prior to menopause during a phase called perimenopause.
If menopause occurs before the age of 40 it is called premature menopause. Premature menopause can occur naturally but can also be the result of several conditions, including:
* Family history of premature menopause
* Autoimmune diseases
* X-chromosome abnormalities
* Medical treatments (pelvic surgery, surgical removal of ovaries, chemotherapy,
or pelvic radiation therapy)
* Medications that lower estrogen levels
* Smoking
The Risk Factors
A risk factor is something that increases your chance of getting a disease or condition. Since menopause is a natural process associated with aging, there are no risk factors, but risk factors for premature menopause include:
* Family history of premature menopause
Symptoms
A number of physical and emotional symptoms may occur as menopause approaches. Women entering menopause often experience:
* Irregular menstrual periods
* Hot flashes and night sweats
* Disturbed sleep patterns, insomnia
* Anxiety
* Depression
* Dry skin
* Irritability
* Vaginal dryness and pain with sexual intercourse
* Difficulty concentrating
* Trouble remembering things
* Diminished interest in sex
* Frequent urination or leaking of urine
* Headaches
* Achy joints
* Fatigue
* Early morning awakening
The Diagnosis
Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and medical history, and perform a physical exam. Blood tests, a pelvic exam, and a Pap smear may also be performed. Natural menopause is usually diagnosed when a woman has not had a menstrual period for 12 consecutive months.
If a woman had a hysterectomy before menopause, and no longer has periods, menopause may be suspected. It can be confirmed by an FSH test. This test is considered the most accurate for the diagnosis of menopause. It is the measurement of follicle stimulating hormone. High levels of FSH (greater than 40) may indicate menopause.
Treatment
Menopause is a natural part of life and does not automatically require treatment. Symptoms and health risks associated with low estrogen can be treated. These include hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and osteoporosis.
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
Be sure you completely understand the benefits and risk before starting HRT.
A number of different types of hormones are available. These include natural, synthetic, and plant-derived estrogens and progesterone. Combined therapies may include combinations of estrogen and progesterone; or the addition of small amounts of male hormones. Hormone preparations are available as tablets, gels, skin patches, vaginal rings, vaginal tablets, injections, and pellets inserted into the skin.
There is significant scientific evidence that the global health risks associated with combined estrogen and progesterone HRT on a long-term basis (more than 3-5 years) outweigh the benefits for many women. The average age of the women in these research studies is over 60 years old.
Use of combined HRT at the time of menopause (around age 50) may pose less risk. Also, most of these studies used conjugated estrogens and medroxyprogesterone. Other evidence suggests that use of estradiol and natural progesterone may pose less risk.
Phytoestrogens
A high intake of phytoestrogens (or plant estrogens) may help menopausal women. Phytoestrogens are found in soybeans, black cohosh, whole grains, legumes, tempeh, and flax seed. They are also found in concentration in capsule form. Phytoestrogens may reduce the risk for diseases associated with estrogen.
Healthful/Helpful Diet
Diet can play an important and beneficial roll. A healthful diet during menopause can improve a woman's sense of well-being, and may also reduce the risk of heart disease, osteoporosis, and certain cancers. The diet should be low in fat and high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, calcium, and vitamin D. Low-fat does not mean no-fat. Some fats, especially the Omega-3 fats are essential.
Limit Caffeine and Alcohol
High use of caffeine or alcohol is never a good choice. Cutting back on caffeine and alcohol may reduce symptoms of anxiety, insomnia, and loss of calcium.
Quit Smoking
There are no health benefits derived from smoking. Giving up smoking can reduce the risk of early menopause, heart disease, and osteoporosis.
Regular Exercise
A healthy lifestyle should embrace regular exercise. It may reduce hot flashes. Weight-bearing exercises such as walking, climbing stairs, and resistance exercises such as lifting weights help strengthen bones and decrease the risk of osteoporosis.
Stress Management
Stress management may help ease tension, anxiety, and possibly other menopausal symptoms. Deep breathing, massage, warm baths, and quiet music are relaxation techniques that may lessen stress.
Over-the-Counter Medications
Moisturizers and lubricants are used to help vaginal dryness.
Non-hormonal Medications
Certain blood pressure medicines (like "Catapres" and "Aldomet") taken in lower doses than are used to treat high blood pressure have been somewhat helpful in relieving some menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes.
SSRI medications (serotonin reuptake inhibitors like "Prozac", "Paxil", and "Effexor") have shown a modest benefit on hot flash severity scores. These medications should not be used if you are taking tamoxifen to reduce risk of breast cancer recurrence.
Prevention
Menopause does not need to be prevented. It is a natural biological event.
If you smoke, quitting could slightly delay the onset of menopause.
Tom Nuckels is health article author and owner of the LpVitamins.com website. His customers range from children to the elderly and from carpenters to doctors. To learn what liquid vitamins and phytonutrients can do for you, visit www.lpvitamins.com . Menopause Share Your Opinion. (0 posts)
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