Is Sweating Normal During Pregnancy?
Did ever feel like your temperature’s soaring and there’s a sweaty feeling at night while you were down with periods?
Well then, now that you’re pregnant, it’s time to fasten your seatbelts!
You might be in your 7th month of your pregnancy, and if you’re suddenly feeling very hot, moist, and uncomfortable (whether or not it’s warm weather), then it’s definitely not your imagination.
Sweating is surely a part of your pregnancy routine. And studies have claimed that up to 35% pregnant women feel hot during pregnancy, particularly at night.
Now the question you’d like to know is why this happens and how to deal with it… Right?
So, read on.
Know The Reasons
When Your Hormones Are The Culprit
Undeniably, the pregnancy challenges (like morning sickness, bleeding gums, skin rashes, haemorrhoids, etc) that you’ve been experiencing till now, is because the hormones are playing that roller-coaster ride with you. Adding on to these challenges is the hot and sweaty feeling. And surely, you’re supposed to blame it on your shifting hormones this time too. The pregnancy hormones basically confuse the hypothalamus (the area of the brain that contributes in regulating the body temperature), thus triggering your body temperature, to make you feel hot, resulting in perspiration1.
When the Blood Flow is High
During pregnancy, blood has a lot of work to do for you. It filters through the placenta and delivers the all-essential nutrients and oxygen to the growing baby and helps in removing the waste material. The extra blood increases the heart rate, making your blood pressure rise in the second half of your pregnancy2. Moreover, to handle that extra blood, the blood vessels dilate slightly, bringing the blood closer to your skin, thus causing you to feel warmer3.
When You Gain Weight
Since your baby needs a continuous supply of nutrients and calories for a healthy growth during the stay inside your womb, a gradual weight gain in all the areas of your body is a necessity for you. However, during your third trimester you might find your weight to be differing a little. You might gain a few extra kilos, during this time. And you might be needing a little effort to move around. And this extra effort generates more heat from your body.
Moreover, your body’s center of gravity changes while your baby is growing inside you, thus making you feel hot, while you work hard to keep a balance.
When You Burn Your Calories
The doctor will advise you to involve yourself in physical activities, (like brisk walking or performing yoga) so as to keep your weight on target for your health as well as your baby’s health, till such time that you’ve given birth to your baby. However, if your body is working too hard to burn calories, it might make you feel pretty hot, thus giving rise to excessive sweating. Not just that! When you participate in any other physical activity within your house (maybe cleaning your house), it might strain your body to the extent of making you feel hot.
When You Have An Illness
Since your immune system is week during pregnancy, you’re more susceptible to catching a cold, and flu, thus making your body temperature rise, to make you feel hot and sweaty.
When You Feel Anxious
When you’re pregnant, you might be feeling worried and anxious about the healthy growth of your baby inside your womb, till such time that you’ve delivered the baby. Therefore, sweating is a natural response to your stress and anxiety.
When Your Thyroid Is Overactive
If you check with your doctor, you’ll find that your thyroid activity, while you’re pregnant, is normally high. This will not just cause your body temperature to rise, but it will also make you feel hot and sweaty. Plus, overactive thyroid or hypothyroidism might speed up your heart rate, thus making you sweat excessively.
When You’ve To Take Medicines
For nausea, pregnancy, depression or fever, those medicines can give rise to several changes in your body temperature, making you sweat, as a result, especially in the night.
Quite interestingly, it doesn’t have to be a hot sweltering day, during pregnancy, to make you feel hot. You might feel damp and moist even during the cold winters, while you’re. Actually, there’s nothing much you can do about your shifting hormones and the peripheries attached to it. However, in case excessive hot flashes make you feel itchy, your temperature soars (may be up to 100.20F) and you might be feeling dizzy or uncomfortable, follow up with your doctor. Otherwise, there are ways like drinking plenty of water and other fluids to keep you hydrated, dressing in light and breathable clothes (mostly cotton fabrics), taking a daily shower in lukewarm water, and staying away from food and drinks might help you find some sense of relief.
After all, embracing motherhood is a blessing of a kind and taking care of your health is your primary concern, most importantly for your unborn baby.
Happy pregnancy to you!