Experts have warned of a little-known cancer symptom that you can spot when you wake up in the morning.
There are more than 200 types of cancer that can affect the human body. The disease occurs when abnormal cells divide and spread in an uncontrolled way, reaching nearby tissue and organs.
Typically symptoms of cancer will often depend on where in the body it is growing. As examples, lung cancer can lead to a persistent cough and bowel cancer can cause blood to appear in your poo.
However, others can be less specific and could be easily dismissed as something not to worry about. According to health bodies one such sign could be spotted on your sheets and pillows when you wake up.
Sweat in your bedding could mean you are suffering from heavy sweating overnight.
Many people experience some form of sweating at night. The temperature of the room and whether you share a bed with a partner could influence this.
But if you wake up regularly to find yourself drenched in sweat this could be a red flag sign of cancer.
“Most people sweat during the night,” the NHS says. “If you regularly wake up with soaking wet sheets you should get it checked by a GP.
“Night sweats are when you sweat so much that your night clothes and bedding are soaking wet, even though where you’re sleeping is cool.”
Cancer Research UK lists “very heavy night sweats” as one of the general signs of cancer.
However, it could also be a side effect of medications or less serious illnesses.
The charity says: “Sweating at night or having a high temperature (fever) can be caused by infections or a side effect of certain medications.
“It’s also often experienced by women around the time of the menopause. But speak to your doctor if you have very heavy, drenching night sweats, or an unexplained fever.”
According to the NHS, some cancers can cause you to sweat more than usual.
These include:
- Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
- Hodgkin lymphoma
- Carcinoid tumours
- Leukaemia
- Mesothelioma
- Bone cancer
- Prostate cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Germ cell tumours
- Advanced medullary thyroid cancer.
Leukaemia Care notes night sweats as a symptom experienced by around 30 percent of patients with the disease.
“It is certainly not unusual to sweat during the night, especially in the summer when your room or bedding becomes too hot,” it says.
“However, severe night sweats that occur to an extent that your bed sheets or pyjamas become soaking wet, despite sleeping in a cool environment, can sometimes be a sign of leukaemia.
“Out of over 2,000 leukaemia patients asked in our survey, 31 percent reported night sweats as a major symptom before their diagnosis.”
It shares the difference between regular night sweats and those caused by cancer.
“You regularly have night sweats that wake you up at night – you may wake up drenched in sweat, unable to cool down even if your room is cool,” Leukaemia Care adds.
“Many describe the feeling as if they had just got out of a swimming pool and laid down in bed.”