Vitamins and Night Sweats

Vitamins and Night Sweats
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Night sweats can be experienced by anyone from time to time, even when your bedroom is not extremely hot. Menopause, medications, problems with your endocrine system, infections and cancer can all trigger night sweats. While night sweats may be uncomfortable, they are often not cause for concern. Vitamins may be able to help control your night sweats.

Vitamin D

According to "The Vitamin Book," vitamin D can be beneficial for women suffering from night sweats as the result of menopause. Vitamin D allows for the proper absorption and use of calcium. Vitamin D and calcium combined are believed to help alleviate leg cramps, hot flashes and night sweats. Vitamin D can be supplemented or absorbed through sun exposure -- as little as 10 minutes per day. Vitamin D is found in few foods, such as liver, fish and egg yolks. A number of products are fortified with vitamin D, including bread, cereal and milk.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant. "The Vitamin Book" indicates that vitamin E can help reduce night sweats when taken regularly. Vitamin E also helps to promote the flow of oxygen and blood throughout your body, helping your body to function properly. It may take vitamin E up to six weeks to begin reducing your night sweats. "The Vitamin Book" states that vitamin E should be consumed in doses of 400 international units to 800 IU per day. Vitamin E can be taken by supplement. You can also find vitamin E in whole grains, wheat germ, egg yolks, seeds, olive oil, nuts and leafy green vegetables.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that helps to boost your immune system. According to "The Vitamin Book," vitamin C can help to increase the effectiveness of vitamin E when it comes to preventing night sweats. This is done by allowing your body to more effectively absorb and use vitamin C. For menopausal women, vitamin C can also help to reduce hot flashes. Vitamin C can be found in oranges, red peppers, kiwi, strawberries and tomatoes. You can also take vitamin C supplements.

Vitamin B-5

Vitamin B-5 -- or anthothenic acid -- can help maintain normal function of your adrenal glands, according to "The Vitamin Book." Vitamin B-5 is part of the vitamin B complex -- which is a group of eight B vitamins that help to metabolize food into sources of energy that can be used by your body. This vitamin helps to synthesize hormones and regulate the release of hormones such as estrogen and progesterone. By regulating hormones, vitamin B-5 can help to reduce the likelihood of night sweats and hot flashes in women. Sources of vitamin B-5 include nuts, cheese, milk, bananas, eggs, potatoes, poultry, fish and whole grains. Vitamin B-5 can also be supplemented.

References

Article reviewed by Christine Brncik Last updated on: Jul 14, 2011

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