Night sweats sleep remedies help!!

Difficult as not sleeping is (I am a long term insomniac, nothing to do with bc or treatment), take your oncologist's advice on any herbal 'remedies' as they may interfere with medication. Unfortunately not sleeping leads to
more not sleeping as your anxiety about not getting adequate rest makes it nigh impossible. Sleeping pills for a couple of nights may break the pattern, give you some rest and therefore reduce the anxiety. Talk to your medical team. No-one wants to be taking them all the time, but it can be beneficial occasionally. Sorry, not sure what can be done about the night sweats themselves. Best wishes. 

Thanks Afraser

Hi Megs. Black Cohosh has not been definitively proved to assist with menopausal symptoms. If you are taking Tamoxifen it is advised against as it can lead to liver toxicity. It's also not advised during chemo.

If you are looking at herbal supplements you can run them through the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre About Herbs website/app. It is recommended by BCNA, and my oncologist also gave me the web address.

https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/diagnosis-treatment/symptom-management/integrative-medicine/herbs

I'm afraid there's no magic bullet here. I've been looking for one for almost a year now... I have a chilly towel by my bed for relief. Some people find sleeping with the window open or air-conditioning on helps, even in the winter. You can work out if there are triggers (hot drinks, alcohol, spice, stress) and try to avoid them. Sleep naked, or in cotton. Sleep under layers, on a towel. When you get into bed, don't cover up straight away, just bit by bit from the feet up as you get cold.

I get hot flushes multiple times a day, and the ones at night especially are sweaty. I've have had one massive full blown night sweat. The full cliché, woke thinking I'd wet the bed, mopping up with towels. Horrible.

They stop me from falling asleep, and they wake me up, one to three times a night now. They've ruined my sleep. I lie there and of course the whale of doom arrives as I stare at the ceiling. I am always tired as a result, which makes my entire life harder. Many to most of us here have the same problem.

Hot flushes aren't properly understood by scientists. It's a female thing, and so of course it's not been researched as much as if it would have been if men got them (I mean normally, as some men get them on hormone therapies as well).

Speak to your oncologist or GP about menopause clinics in Adelaide. But I warn you, you're going to be told about dressing in layers, meditation, and cognitive behavioral therapy...

If I had a magic wand I'd wave it over all of us. K xox

Hot flushes are the absolute pitts and they can hang around for quite a while unfortunately. 

If your cancer was hormone positive they will tell you to avoid anything with phytoestrogens in them.  That includes black cohosh and red clover as they don't know if they interfere with Tamoxifen or AI's and of course nobody is studying that so you just get told to avoid them.  I had the pharmacy ring swisse about their menopause ease tablets and they said not to take them.  There was someone put on here a while ago (can't remember who it was though) that the evening primrose and starflower tablets helped.
 I've just started taking them and couldn't find any contraindications with those two things. We'll see if they help knock out the few night flushes I still get.

All the best lovely,  flushes sure do suck big time.

Be very careful with any herbals.
I am (was) addicted to licorice tea pre BC.
Out of curiosity I asked my Oncologist if I could still have, she consulted with the pharmacist, and it was a big fat NO.
One of the concerns was it messes with your potassium levels which in turn has a domino affect on the rest of your readings which in turn means a possible mess up of your treatments.
All of read through this forum gives me the impression we are all stuck with this horrible affliction.
But if you find something that gets the green light by your Oncologist and Pharmacist please, please let us know.

Good luck!!!

Yes, please let us know if you find something that helps!

This isn't going to help - but this is what I have experienced.  I went through natural menopause 3 years ago (ie no periods for 12 months). I had the worst sweats during that three years but could only blame menopause.  I only could go with the wave so to speak, after all it was menopause.  Really thought it would never end.

Then I was diagnosed with breast cancer and after the first lumpectomy (had two then a mastectomy) - no more sweats.  Zippo, still nothing now other than an occasional flush once a week.

I have turned away from AI's until I speak to someone who can give me more definitive answers that it will stop bc returning (big ask) I know but will still push with research.  AI's were making have sweats again.  J

I’ve found having a fan going in the room next to me, and allowing my feet to be cool helped (no doona over feet).  My night sweats hit towards the end of my AC cycle and continued during taxol.  It’s better now that the weather (at night) is cooler and I’m able to manage my room temperature more.

@Harvey1903 stiplid question but what are Als. Do you mean alternative remedies 

@Megs04. AI stands for Aromatase Inhibitors. There are a number of them and they suppress estrogen in people who have cancer that feeds on estrogen.