Why Do I Overheat at Night?

By Peter Bunting

2 min read

It's a strange thing, but every time I go to bed, about an hour or so in, I feel my whole body burning up. I never go to bed with my central heating on, and bear in mind that it includes the middle of winter, and yet, I still seem to get so hot. Just for the record, I'm not overweight (126Ib), and I'm 5ft 4" tall or short, depending on how you view it! I sleep in my boxer shorts only, so It’s not like I have loads of layers on at night.

Overheated and itchy at night

The overheating causes me to sweat and then the itching begins. You might say just to throw off the covers and sleep without anything over me, but this is not practical. As soon as I take the covers off within a few minutes, I start to get cold. I don't know what the answer is. Has anyone got any tips? I have an air conditioning unit but this is only good for the summer. The problem here is the overheating, not in the room but under my duvet.

Am I experiencing topical steroid withdrawal?

Right now, I am going through a bad time with my eczema. I think it’s because I am no longer applying steroid ointments to my skin. They are always just a short fix and don't get to the root of the problem. So I guess my body is going through withdrawal symptoms, one of which may be overheating. I don't know, though, because I have always felt hot during the nights, so I'm unsure whether I'm focusing on it too much now because I have stopped the steroid application.

I sometimes imagine, if I pressed a magic button on the side of my bed, deep within my mattress, cold air would instantly be activated and rise, cooling my body temperature. That would be nice, wouldn't it?!

Relief from my morning shower

I have been waking up every morning around 10 am. When I rise from my bed, I feel like the Tin Man in Victor Fleming's 1939 classic - The Wizard Of Oz. My skin feels so dry and sore and any movement can cause certain areas to crack and bleed. It mainly occurs behind my knees, in the joints of my elbows, and across my neck. This uncomfortableness vanishes as I get into my nice hot shower. Sure, there is the initial stinging from the first drops of water onto my skin, but after a minute or two, it is absolutely glorious. I never want to get out. It brings me such relief. It makes me feel so privileged to have access to hot water. I try never to take this for granted. Applying my moisturizer just after I have patted myself dry is essential in keeping that water locked into my skin, and again, it feels lovely after a nice hot shower. I am able to move freely and without pain. It means I can enjoy the morning with a good healthy breakfast.

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Peter Bunting Moderator & Contributor
Hey <inline-mention username="Linette Roungchun" user-id="2026492"/> - thanks so so much for your shared experiences and tips for me!!! I will definitely check out the Cureve ice pack, for sure. You sound like you have had it far worse than I have, but it's so nice that there are others out there who can totally empathise with the side effects of having this condition. Great news about the Cosi Care site too, which I will also take a look. Best wishes to you! Pete 
1. Brandi65 Member
 <inline-mention username="Peter Bunting" user-id="2030051"/> I've been overheating for years. I have so much inflammation and histamine in my body. 
2. Peter Bunting Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="Brandi65" user-id="4186115"/> - sorry you are going through the same things. What do you do to try and combat? Pete
Linette Roungchun Moderator & Contributor
Excellent article, Peter! Ugh I know, I hate the overheating too. I wish I had the magic answer or rather that magic button for you, but instead let me offer up what I have learned in my lifetime with atopic dermatitis and TSW. First of all, I was born with clear skin. I stepped on an iron at age 3 and was brought to the doctors and diagnosed with atopic dermatitis. Topical steroids were applied to my skin and after completely clearing up and ceasing use of the steroids, my "eczema" came back tenfold which we all now understand is actually TSA/TSW. I have always overheated as far as I can remember. Bedtime was always a nightmare and for years I relied heavily on Benadryl to knock me out and quell the itchiness a bit. That being said, I do want to be clear that not everyone who uses steroids(be it topical, oral, from nasal sprays, eye drops, etc.) will become addicted to them. I know warriors in my personal life that are able to use them without any problem. That being said, I am one of the warriors who did get TSA and are now going through TSW. To my knowledge, you can also have this overheating with just severe eczema. But if I had to make an educated guess, it does sound like TSW. I of course am not diagnosing you and I know you know this because we have spoken before. But I'm just writing this for the benefit of anyone else reading this. The good news is that the further you get along in your withdrawal, the symptoms lessen. Which ones? It depends on each warrior. Ever warrior's journey is unique. And who knows what might have helped someone with certain symptoms? For example, the Pfizer Clinical Trial I did at the beginning of 2019 completely irradiated my itch within a week of starting it, but then I ended up being a non-responder and then went through an insane withdrawal. But after the withdrawal stabilised and I was just let with TSW, I noticed that my itchiness was just not as intense. Don't get me wrong, I still itch every single day. But why has the itch lessened in intensity? Did the oral JAK inhibitor from the clinical trial help? Is it my collagen and supplementation? Is it my stress management? Wa it ridding of all the toxic relationships in my life? Or was it merely time? We will never know the answer, but this was jut my long-winded way of saying that if it is TSW you are going through, then it really does get better!! My opinion is that your body gets to a certain point where it is just sick of being sick so it does everything it can to heal haha! Another thing I want to mention is that I purchased a Cureve ice pack to help with the overheating(totally affordable on Amazon). The nice thing about this pack is that you can either heat it in the winters or freeze it, and it remains malleable rather than hard and stiff. And it also comes with a sleeve so you can lie directly on it. Oh and it doesn't sweat(minimal to no condensation), and is quite big, so for me it covered the majority of the surface area of my back. I hope this helps, Peter! And maybe just having multiple small fans pointed at you from all directions lol. If I think of anything else I'll dm you! Again, totally feel you on the overheating- in my life it has happened at the worst times as well, not just bedtime. So I always loved having my car around so I could just jump in and blast that AC directly in my face!! Or grab ice packs from the freezer. Oh yes I forgot to mention that an exciting product is coming out soon, kinda like a rechargeable and portable ice pack. The creator has mild eczema and her brother deals with harsher eczema than hers. It's called Cosi Care! You can find them at Cosi_care on IG. Good luck! Again, the symptoms do lessen eventually and apparently completely disappear for some! -Linette Roungchun (atopicdermatitis.net Moderator)