Entering a recovery center like Olalla Recovery Centers to get treatment for your drug or alcohol addiction is one of the best ways to begin to better your life. However, while you detox from these addictions, you may experience many unpleasant symptoms and side-effects. Preparing yourself for these things will help you better deal with them.
One symptom many people experience in a recovery center is night sweats. When you sleep, you may become extremely hot and uncomfortable, sweating to the point that your pajamas and sheets can become soaked. Here are a few tips to help minimize the sweats and your discomfort during them.
Limit or Avoid Caffeine
Caffeine stimulates the brain and the nervous system. This can can cause many symptoms, including anxiety, aggression, increased heart rate, irritability, restlessness and even sweating. While avoiding caffeine during the detox process will not stop you from having night sweats, the last thing you want to do is possibly make the night sweats worse or more frequent. It is advised you limit or avoid items with caffeine in them, such as chocolate, cola and coffee.
It is important to note that if you consume a large amount of caffeine normally, you can experience withdrawal symptoms when you begin to avoid it. So, it is recommended you slowly begin to cut back on caffeine, rather than go cold turkey, to minimize these symptoms, and to ensure you aren't making alcohol or drug withdrawal more challenging by experiencing caffeine withdrawal at the same time.
Avoid Vigorous Exercise and Exercising In the Evening
When you exercise, your body temperature rises as you heart rate increases. And while it may feel like you cool after you complete your workout, your metabolic rate still remains high. For extremely vigorous activities, that rate can remain high for up to 24 hours following a workout, though it is much less for less vigorous exercises.
When your metabolic rate is higher, you may feel warmed and be more prone to night sweats. As such, if you are in a recovery center for drug or alcohol treatment, you will want to avoid vigorous exercise which can raise your metabolic rate for prolonged periods of time, and any type of exercise right before bedtime. Jogging in the morning or yoga or a walk in the afternoon will allow you to remain active without causing your body temperature to rise, which could increase the intensity of the night sweats you may experience during withdrawal.
Watch Your Diet
Another key tip to dealing with night sweats in a recovery center is to watch what foods go in and out of your mouth. Certain foods can increase your body temperatures, while others can help to decrease it. Avoiding foods that raise your body temperature can help you maintain your body temperature, which can reduce the intensity of the night sweats you experience in rehab. Some foods that increase your body temperature include:
- Carrots
- Cinnamon
- Fennel
- Ginger
- Lychee
- Mustard
- Onions
- Peppers
- Potatoes
- Turnips
- Spicy foods
- Hot foods, such as soup and hot tea
Some of the foods that can cool your body and slightly decrease your body temperature include:
- Chinese cabbage
- Duck
- Honey
- Ice Water
- Kelp
- Oranges
- Oysters
- Peaches
- Pears
- Radishes
- Tomatoes
- Water Chestnuts
Paying close attention to what you eat can help to regulate your body temperature, which can help decrease the intensity of the night sweats you experience.
Unfortunately, when you are withdrawing from alcohol and drugs, there is a good chance you will experience night sweats. This is a normal reaction to getting these toxins out of your body. While there is nothing you can do to stop them, there are things you can do to make yourself more comfortable, such as wearing thin pajamas and using breathable cotton sheets. Limiting caffeine, evening exercise, and foods that raise your body's temperature can also help to keep your body a bit cooler, which can decrease the intensity of the night sweats and keep you just a little more comfortable.
Share