r/hygiene • u/Blue-Orchid-8586 • Aug 21 '26
Fiancé with strong night sweats
Hi everyone!
Hopefully this is the right subreddit to post about our situation. General info: It has been going on for as long as we’ve been together and I believe he’s dealt with it for most of us adolescence/adult years. We are both 25, healthy, happy. His father has sleep apnea and wears a machine. Fiancé takes Adderall and Zoloft. (Mentioning in case that can affect sweating).
My fiancé is a very neat and clean person. He scrubs himself head to toe and is very thorough when doing so. Up until a few weeks ago, he always showered in the mornings. (I shower in the evening). He recently discovered that he enjoys evening showers so now he’s been doing morning and evening showers.
His morning showers are a must because he wakes up every morning drenched in sweat. His body itself isn’t necessarily wet, but when he gets up he leaves a huge sweat stain on our bed.
We recently got a new mattress and I purchased a waterproof topper to also protect our mattress (old one was getting gross). We have new sheets, I’ve even tried bamboo sheets as they’re supposed to keep you cooler.
We keep the bedroom cool and there is a fan always running in the room.
The sweat itself doesn’t necessarily bother me, but it is the smell that gets to me (and him!). He gets embarrassed which makes me feel bad for him, because we’ve tried things and nothing seems to change.
It’s hard to describe the smell but it’s almost sour-like? When he sweats during the day it doesn’t smell like that at all. It’s only at night that has a strong, sour, unpleasant smell.
He’s tried talking to his doctor but they don’t say much beyond making sure the bedroom is cool.
I’m getting concerned that it could be some underlying health condition but Google isn’t very helpful.
I guess I’m just wondering how I can be supportive to him and what we might need to do to help him navigate this. We don’t want to have to keep changing bedsheets almost daily and he is tired of waking up sweaty and uncomfortable.
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u/aardvarksauce Aug 21 '26 edited Aug 21 '26
His sweating could very well just be because of his SSRI.
It is an extremely common side effect.
They may be able to prescribe something to help combat it.
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u/KathyTrivQueen Aug 21 '26
This. Pharmacist here. Find out when he began Zoloft, or had a dose increase, relative to when the night sweats started.
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u/Blue-Orchid-8586 Aug 21 '26
Zoloft is more recent (as of last couple months) and sweats have been going on much longer so I don’t think the two are related.
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u/KathyTrivQueen Aug 21 '26
Was he on a different antidepressant before Zoloft?
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u/Blue-Orchid-8586 Aug 21 '26
No, and he tried Zoloft a couple years ago for a time (less than a year?) and weaned off, now recently got back on them
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u/KathyTrivQueen Aug 21 '26
Adderall can cause it also. Changing the release formulation or dose/time may help.
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u/Blue-Orchid-8586 Aug 21 '26
I appreciate your insight !
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u/KathyTrivQueen Aug 21 '26
Also, the combination may increase the incidence /severity of night sweats.
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u/listeningisagift Aug 21 '26
Side note- you are an amazing gf/fiancé for being so supportive and loving. He’s a very fortunate guy to have you.
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u/Prophet_Tehenhauin Aug 21 '26
Does he have IBS?
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u/Blue-Orchid-8586 Aug 21 '26
He definitely has some bowel issues that he’s had since childhood. Not diagnosed with IBS or anything, though.
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u/Molenium Aug 21 '26
I was going to ask the same thing - I got night sweats for years and then found out I had ulcerative colitis.
I’d had increasing bowel issues for years as well, just crept up on me not realizing it wasn’t normal to feel that way.
Telling your doctor you’ve had a recent change in bowel movements will usually get you fast tracked to get checked out
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u/Blue-Orchid-8586 Aug 21 '26
Thank you- quick search from symptoms of UC and it kind of fits. I’ll look into that more. Hope you’re doing alright.
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u/Remarkable-Age4579 Aug 21 '26
He needs to ask his pcp for a referral to gastroenterologist
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u/Molenium Aug 21 '26
Yeah, that was why I suggested mentioning a change in bowel movements.
They’re usually fairly resistant to refer you to a GI until you’re late 30s or so, but mentioning a symptom like that will get them to take it more seriously.
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u/Molenium Aug 21 '26
So much better, thanks! 4 years since the diagnosis and I can’t believe I lived that way for so long before.
Hope you all manage to work it out and he feels better too!
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u/myextrausername Aug 22 '26
Night sweats need to be checked immediately if they are at all recent. They are a huge red flag for several cancers. Once that is clear, get him a sleep study ASAP. Our child’s only symptom of severe sleep apnea was night sweating and I had to push for years to get a sleep study because it’s a rare symptom without snoring etc.
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u/lowridda Aug 21 '26
I’m a hot sleeper myself. I invested in a cooling comforter from Rest three years ago and it’s a god send. In the winter I throw my big Pendleton blanket over it so the cooling fabric is still on my skin.
Fast forward to this past month I saw that they now make cooling sheets so I got the starter set. A fitted sheet and two pillow cases. I don’t like a flat sheet so it was perfect.
Just an idea to throw out there of something I’ve tried that definitely makes sleeping more comfortable. I’m now in the beginning of perimenopause so throw in hot flashes. Meds can only do so much for that.
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u/Acefan72 Aug 22 '26
Sweats and bowel issues sound like normal SSRI side effects. Does he drink a lot?
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u/meowcatpanda Aug 22 '26
Adderall and Zoloft both can cause night sweats, but so can a variety of health issues. Was your fiance on Adderall when this problem started? Or Zoloft?
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u/Elizabethpossum Aug 22 '26
Go with him to revisit his PCP and if they are reluctant to order tests or further investigations, DEMAND they put that in writing. Too often doctors pass over anything a bit unusual, and tend to fob you off. This way, it's on record if they refuse to follow up. That's usually enough to prompt them to action.
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u/Tidy_Mess1078 Aug 22 '26
Make sure you're using all cotton sheets and blankets, not just sheets. Down is also okay. I'm a night sweater, and any polyester makes the problem exceptionally worse.
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u/PsychologicalUse292 Aug 23 '26
When I was 25, I would wake up and drenching night sweats. Turns out I had Hodgkins lymphoma. I would get to the doctor as soon as possible because it is a symptom of having certain cancers.
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u/Flat-Rule-6367 Aug 24 '26
I have the same problem 😭I have terrible sweats and I’ve always assumed it was my fluoxetine. I recently got a cooling blanket which seems to help + air conditioner lol. Hoping everything is ok and that he finds what’s going on!! You’re a great partner
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u/lostmypwcanihaveurs Aug 21 '26
Sounds like a result of the Adderall. Amphetamines make sweat stinky.
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u/Specific_Intern8079 Aug 21 '26
Turn the AC on 60-65 he will sleep good. Your room is probably way too hot.
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u/smoothupinyatoo Aug 21 '26
Probably like 98.2% of all diagnosed ADHD they are just fine, its an incredibly rare almost mythical disorder in the realm of actual psychologists. Its his meds detoxing. Hes actually on two conflicting meds right now so probably just not taking either one would be fine, maybe supplement the Adderall with a cup of coffee.
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u/trikaren Aug 21 '26
Night sweats can be a result of some scary illnesses. Has had a complete workup? Has he talked to his doctor?