Night sweating, also known as "寝汗," refers to sweating during sleep that stops upon waking. The "Mingli Lun" of "Cold-Damage Disease" states: "Night sweating refers to sweating that occurs during sleep."

This symptom is referred to as "寝汗" in the "Suwen" ．Liuyuan Zhengji Da Lun, and later in the "Jingui Yaolue" ．Blood Impediment Deficiency Fatigue Abnormal Pulse Syndrome and Treatment," it is called "night sweating." Since then, it has been commonly referred to as night sweating in various medical texts. Jingyue Quanshu．Sweating Syndrome" states: "Sweating as a symptom includes spontaneous sweating and night sweating... Night sweating refers to sweating all over the body during sleep, which gradually stops upon waking."

bubble_chart Pattern Analysis

1. Heart Blood Deficiency︰Night sweats are frequent, palpitation and insomnia, dull complexion, shortness of breath, mental fatigue, pale tongue with thin coating, and weak pulse. Due to overstrain and blood deficiency, excessive consumption of heart blood, sweat being the fluid of the heart, insufficiency of heart blood leads to floating of heart qi, and heart fluid fails to be stored and leaks outward, hence frequent night sweats, palpitation and insomnia; deficiency of qi and blood results in dull complexion, shortness of breath, and mental fatigue; a pale tongue and weak pulse are also signs of blood deficiency. The treatment should focus on tonifying blood and nourishing the heart to stop sweating. The recommended formula is Returning to Spleen Decoction with Fossil Bone, oyster shell, and Schisandra Fruit.
2. Yin Deficiency︰Night sweats occur frequently, afternoon tidal fever, flushed cheeks, vexing heat in the chest, palms, and soles, emaciation, women experience menstrual irregularities, men suffer from nocturnal emission or spermatorrhea, a red tongue with scant coating, and a thin, rapid pulse. The signs of deficient heat are evident. Due to blood loss or seminal emission, or pulmonary tuberculosis and chronic cough disease, leading to depletion of yin-blood, yin deficiency resulting in internal heat, and excessive deficient fire preventing the retention of yin fluids, night sweats occur frequently, afternoon tidal fever, flushed cheeks, vexing heat in the chest, palms, and soles; insufficient yin-blood causes women to experience menstrual irregularities; yin deficiency with frenetic stirring of ministerial fire leads men to suffer from nocturnal emission or spermatorrhea; depletion of yin-essence results in emaciation; a red tongue with scant coating and a thin, rapid pulse are signs of yin deficiency with internal heat. Treatment should focus on nourishing yin and reducing fire to stop sweating, with the formula selection Angelica Six Yellows Decoction plus glutinosae rice root and light wheat.
3. Spleen Deficiency with Dampness Retention︰Night sweats are frequent, headache feels like being wrapped, limbs are fatigued, anorexia with a greasy mouth, tongue coating is thin white and greasy, tongue texture is pale, and the pulse is soggy and slow. This is often caused by excessive consumption of raw and cold foods, medicinal wine, or rich and sweet foods, irregular eating habits, injury to the spleen and stomach, spleen deficiency leading to impaired transportation and transformation, internal generation of dampness turbidity, obstruction of qi movement, and disruption of ascending and descending functions, resulting in frequent night sweats accompanied by symptoms such as headache feeling like being wrapped, limb fatigue, anorexia with a greasy mouth, thin white and greasy tongue coating, pale tongue, and soggy slow pulse. The treatment should focus on resolving dampness to harmonize the middle and unblock qi movement. The recommended formula is Patchouli, Magnolia Bark, Pinellia and Poria Decoction with Bitter Apricot Seed, Polyporus, Fermented Soybean, and Alisma removed, and glutinosae rice root, Atractylodes Rhizome, and Dried Tangerine Peel added.
4. Evil Blocking Half-Exterior Half-Interior︰Night sweat, with a short course of illness, alternating chills and fever, fullness and oppression in both hypochondria, bitter taste in the mouth, desire to vomit, thin white or thin yellow tongue coating, and wiry-slippery or wiry-rapid pulse. It is commonly seen in the initial or intermediate stage [second stage] of febrile sexually transmitted diseases. Mostly caused by the invasion of external pathogens, failure to relieve the exterior pathogen, which then transmits to the shaoyang, obstructing the half-exterior and half-interior, unable to be expelled, leading to the struggle between healthy qi and pathogenic qi, forcing fluids outward, thus manifesting as sweating upon closing the eyes, accompanied by alternating chills and fever, fullness and oppression in both hypochondria, bitter taste in the mouth, desire to vomit, thin yellow tongue coating, wiry-rapid pulse, and other symptoms. Treatment should focus on harmonizing the shaoyang, and the prescription of choice is Minor Bupleurum Decoction with Tangshen and Chinese Date removed, and Coptis Rhizome and Bi Tao Gan added.

1. Suwen-Cangqi Fashi Lun: "Kidney disease patients experience night sweats and aversion to wind."
2. Suwen-Qijiaobian Da Lun: "When the water element is excessive in the year, it can lead to night sweats and aversion to wind."
3. Zhubing Yuanhou Lun．Deficiency Fatigue Disease: "Night sweating is caused by yang deficiency. If it persists for a long time, it can lead to emaciation and thinness, due to insufficiency of heart qi and fluid exhaustion. When diagnosing the pulse, a healthy man's pulse that is weak and fine indicates night sweating."
4. Yanshi Jisheng Fang．Spontaneous Sweating Theory and Treatment: "Sweating during sleep is also caused by heart deficiency."
5. Yixue Zhengzhuan．Sweating Syndrome: "Night sweating occurs when one sweats profusely during sleep, only realizing it upon waking. It belongs to yin deficiency and is governed by nutrient-blood. Night sweating should be treated by tonifying yin and reducing fire."
6. Leizheng Zhicai．Sweating Syndrome: "Night sweating is spontaneous sweating during sleep, caused by the imbalance of water and fire, the predominance of yin-yang, and the deficiency of heart yang."
7. Zhangshi Yitong．Miscellaneous Diseases: "When the fire of the pericardium stagnates and the yin of the kidney cannot retreat and hide, night sweating occurs."