It’s 3:00 AM, and you wake up feeling damp and uncomfortable. The sheets cling to your skin, and when you turn over, you realize the person beside you has left you in a puddle of their sweat. You’re exhausted but know you won’t be able to fall back asleep on damp sheets. What’s happening—and what can be done about it?
Affecting an estimated 33% of Americans, night sweats are not necessarily dangerous, but they can take a serious toll on relationships. While they disrupt sleep and comfort in the moment, their long-term consequences can extend into emotional and relational well-being. Couples often report keeping a physical distance in bed to avoid discomfort, which, over time, can diminish intimacy. Yet, research consistently shows that closeness during sleep benefits both emotional connection and overall sleep quality. According to the Better Sleep Council Report on Sleep and Partners, 83% of participants agreed that cuddling helped them feel closer to their partner, providing comfort, security, and more restful sleep.
The science behind these benefits is clear. According to Tennova Healthcare, cuddling with a partner can reduce stress and anxiety, support weight loss, improve relationship satisfaction, and enhance sleep quality. Their research notes, “Cuddling increases oxytocin, sometimes called the ‘love hormone.’ When the levels of this hormone increase, so do your endorphin levels. What's even nicer is that it decreases your cortisol levels (or stress hormones).” The burst of oxytocin also reduces food cravings and can lower blood pressure, thus assisting in weight loss. Additionally, 61% of participants in the Report on Sleep and Partners stated they slept better after cuddling with a partner.
However, when one partner experiences night sweats, this closeness becomes difficult to maintain. Clinical psychologist Wendy Troxel explains that disrupted sleep can lead to “irritability, low energy, and depressive symptoms—all of which may be detrimental for functioning within close relationships.” Sleep interruption can lead to a buildup of resentment in relationships over time. The inconvenience of being woken up is only one part of this issue; factor in the side effects of poor sleep listed above, and you end up with a person who is not in their most patient or empathetic state. Interrupting their partner’s sleep is typically not intentional, but it can add considerable strain to otherwise healthy relationships.
I’ve experienced this challenge firsthand. In the three years my husband and I have been together, I have had the best sleep of my life—most nights. There is nothing I love more than falling asleep cuddled up next to him. But in recent months, I’ve been woken up more times than I can count to find the sheets soaked through with sweat. When this happens, I can’t go back to sleep without cleaning up, laying a towel down over the sweaty sheets, and getting a new blanket. Logically, I know it is not my husband’s fault, but in the middle of the night, while I am running around trying to clean up and he is sleeping soundly, it can be incredibly frustrating.
Fortunately, there are practical solutions. The most common suggestions for this problem are lifestyle and environmental changes. Limiting alcohol and caffeine consumption has been shown to reduce the frequency of night sweats; additionally, lowering the temperature at night or using a fan can be helpful.
However, the best solution seems to be specialized bedding designed to manage moisture. Wicked Sheets are a great example of this; made from cooling, sweat-wicking materials. This fabric uses technology that draws moisture away from the body and dries quickly, allowing both partners to stay comfortable throughout the night. Wicked Sheets are rated 4.8 out of 5.0 by consumers, with most wondering how they survived before sleeping Wicked.
Wicked Sheets is a better sleep company, dedicated to providing products and information to deal with night sweats and hot flashes. Check out the rest of the site and our products to learn more.