Night sweats can be alarming, especially when they appear suddenly during a cold. While colds are usually mild, the body sometimes reacts with unexpected symptoms, including sweating at night. Understanding why this happens can help you determine whether it’s a normal immune response or a sign of something more serious.
If you’re feeling under the weather, you can count on AFC Urgent Care Attleboro for accurate symptom diagnosis and rapid treatment. Our walk-in clinic is open 7 days a week from 8am to 8pm. Simply walk in when it’s convenient, or save your spot online in advance below.
What Does It Mean to Get Cold Sweats?
Cold sweats happen when your body begins to sweat despite feeling cold, chilled, or feverish. During a cold or mild viral infection, your immune system releases chemicals that raise your internal temperature to fight off germs. As your fever rises and falls, your body may produce sweat to cool itself down. This cycle can lead to nighttime sweating, damp clothes, or waking up feeling chilled and uncomfortable.
Cold sweats may also be triggered by stress, pain, or sudden drops in blood pressure, so it’s important to consider the full picture of your symptoms.
Mental Health Reasons for Cold Sweats
Mental and emotional triggers can also cause cold sweats. Anxiety, panic attacks, and chronic stress activate the body’s “fight-or-flight” response. This leads to increased heart rate, tense muscles, and sweating, even at night. If your cold is causing discomfort, interrupted sleep, or worry, mental stress may be contributing to the symptoms.
Children and teenagers, in particular, can experience cold sweats from stress or fear when they are unwell. Adults may notice this when dealing with work pressure, poor sleep, or dehydration during an illness.
Physical Reasons for Cold Sweats
Several physical factors can lead to cold sweats during a cold:
- Fever fluctuations: A fever spike followed by a sudden drop can activate heavy sweating.
- Dehydration: Reduced fluid intake during a cold makes temperature regulation harder.
- Blocked sinuses: Difficulty breathing at night can increase restlessness and sweating.
- Body aches: Pain from viral infections can activate stress hormones that cause sweating.
However, cold sweats are also linked to more serious conditions, including flu, pneumonia, low blood sugar, and infections outside the respiratory tract. That’s why monitoring other symptoms is important.
When Cold Sweats Require Medical Care
Cold sweats are concerning when paired with symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, confusion, dizziness, or a persistent high fever. These may indicate a more serious medical issue such as severe infection, dehydration, or complications from a virus. If night sweats happen repeatedly, worsen over time, or occur alongside significant weakness or swelling, professional evaluation is necessary.
Visit AFC Urgent Care Attleboro for Rapid Illness Treatment
If cold sweats appear suddenly or are accompanied by severe symptoms like difficulty breathing, high fever, or chest tightness, AFC Urgent Care Attleboro can help you get fast answers. Our team of board-certified medical providers can check for infections, dehydration, or flu-related complications and provide treatment that brings quick relief.
Our walk-in clinic offers same-day care for patients of all ages. We accept most medical insurance plans, and have competitive rates for self-paying patients. Our clinic has a laboratory on-site for advanced diagnostic testing at the time of your visit. Walk into the clinic today, or give us a call to learn more at (774) 254-9500.
