Night Sweats and Alcohol Withdrawal: How Long Do They Last?
Night sweats are one of the most common and most uncomfortable symptoms people run into after quitting drinking. If you’ve been waking up soaked in the first days or weeks of sobriety, it’s a normal part of alcohol withdrawal, and it does pass.
In this article, we’ll cover how long night sweats last, why they happen, what makes them worse, how to manage them, and the warning signs that mean you should get medical help rather than wait it out.
Night Sweats: A Key Withdrawal Challenge
If you, or someone you care about, is struggling with alcoholism, quitting is the most important step toward recovery. It’s also frequently the hardest, because the first week brings withdrawal symptoms that are uncomfortable at best and dangerous at worst.
Night sweats are episodes of heavy sweating during sleep, often enough to soak through sleepwear and sheets. They are one of the most frequently reported alcohol withdrawal symptoms, and because they break up sleep night after night, they make it harder to focus on everything else recovery asks of you.
They happen during the detoxification stage, when the body is learning to run without alcohol. That readjustment is one of the main reasons people quitting alcohol experience sleep disturbances of all kinds in the first couple of weeks.
How Long Do Night Sweats Last After You Stop Drinking?
For most people, night sweats after quitting drinking last about 3 to 7 days. They usually begin within 6 to 24 hours of the last drink, peak somewhere in the first 72 hours, and ease over the rest of the first week as the nervous system settles.
Heavier or longer-term drinkers often have them on and off for 1 to 2 weeks. A smaller number of people keep getting occasional night sweats for a few months as part of post-acute withdrawal, especially during periods of stress or poor sleep. How long they last for you depends on how much and how long you drank, your general health, and whether you’re detoxing with medical support.
Why Night Sweats Happen
Night sweats and alcohol withdrawal go hand in hand because of how alcohol affects the body. Alcohol is a powerful depressant, which means it slows down the brain and the central nervous system, the system that regulates your body temperature, heart rate, and sweating.
Over time, the body of someone who drinks heavily adapts to that constant slowing and treats it as the new “normal.” It compensates by running its own systems faster to keep up.
When that person quits, the alcohol is broken down and cleared within a day or two, but the body is still compensating for a depressant that’s no longer there. The result is a nervous system running harder and faster than it’s used to: a faster heart rate, higher body temperature, restlessness, and sweating, all of which are most noticeable when you’re trying to sleep.
The Timeline of Night Sweats During Alcohol Withdrawal
Night sweats follow the same arc as alcohol withdrawal itself: they start early, peak in the first three days, and then taper. Here’s what most people can expect.
| Stage | When | What You Might Notice |
|---|---|---|
| Onset | 6 to 24 hours after the last drink | Restlessness, a faster heartbeat, and the first sweaty, broken night of sleep. Mild anxiety and shakiness are common alongside it. |
| Peak | 24 to 72 hours | Sweating is heaviest, often soaking through sheets. Sleep is most disrupted. This is also the window when severe withdrawal (seizures, delirium tremens) can develop in heavy drinkers, so watch for the warning signs below. |
| Resolution | Days 4 to 7, tapering over 1 to 2 weeks | Night sweats ease for most people by the end of the first week. Heavier drinkers may have lighter, on-and-off sweats into the second week; occasional episodes over the following weeks or months are part of post-acute withdrawal. |
Every recovery is different, and people quitting alcohol should try not to compare their timeline to anyone else’s. What matters is the direction: night sweats should be getting less frequent and less intense week over week.
Factors Affecting Night Sweat Duration and Severity
Many factors influence how long night sweats last and how bad they get. The most influential are:
- The severity of the alcohol addiction: People who drank more heavily and for longer are likelier to experience severe night sweats that last longer, because the body needs more time to readjust to having no alcohol in the system.
- Co-occurring medical conditions: Pre-existing problems like diabetes, thyroid or hormonal issues, and some medications can make night sweats worse or keep them going longer.
- Stress and anxiety: High stress during the day feeds directly into sweating and broken sleep at night, especially when healthy coping strategies aren’t in place yet.
- Overall health and lifestyle: Eating well, regular physical activity, and drinking enough water reduce the severity of night sweats and many other withdrawal symptoms.
Managing Night Sweats
Night sweats are uncomfortable and disruptive to the sleep you need most right now, but there are things that help:
- Keep it cool: Use light, natural bedding. Keep the room ventilated, run a fan or the AC, and consider a cooling pillow cover.
- Wear breathable, moisture-wicking sleepwear: Natural fibers like cotton or bamboo help keep you cool and dry, and keep a spare set by the bed.
- Stay hydrated: Heavy sweating loses fluid and electrolytes. Drink water through the day and keep some by the bed; a sports drink or electrolyte mix is fine in the first few days.
- Practice relaxation and mindfulness techniques: Deep breathing, meditation, and progressive muscle relaxation before bed reduce the stress and anxiety that feed night sweats.
- Consider medically supervised detox: Medications used in a supervised detox calm the overactive nervous system that causes sweating, shaking, and racing heart, and they protect against the dangerous complications of withdrawal.
When to Seek Medical Attention for Night Sweats During Alcohol Withdrawal
Night sweats on their own are unpleasant but not dangerous. Night sweats together with certain other symptoms can be a sign of severe alcohol withdrawal, which is a medical emergency. Go to an emergency room or call 911 if sweating comes with:
- Confusion, disorientation, or hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren’t there)
- A seizure, or a history of withdrawal seizures
- A fever, a very fast or irregular heartbeat, or severe shaking
- Vomiting that won’t stop, or chest pain
These can signal delirium tremens (DTs), which typically develops 48 to 72 hours after the last drink in people who drank heavily for a long time. Alcohol withdrawal can be life-threatening, and anyone who has been drinking heavily every day should talk to a medical professional before stopping rather than quitting cold turkey at home.
Separately, see a doctor if night sweats continue for more than a few weeks after your last drink, or if they come with unexplained weight loss, severe pain, or fever, since those can point to something other than withdrawal.
Recovery from alcohol addiction is an ongoing process, and it usually works best with a well-rounded plan that can include medication-assisted treatment, a partial hospitalization program, outpatient treatment, and aftercare. The Massachusetts Center for Addiction can help you build a program around your situation. Call 844-486-0671 for a free, confidential conversation. If you are in crisis, call or text 988, or call 911.
Night Sweats and Alcohol Withdrawal FAQ
For most people, about 3 to 7 days. They start within 6 to 24 hours of the last drink, peak in the first 72 hours, and ease over the first week. Heavier or long-term drinkers may have them on and off for 1 to 2 weeks, and occasionally for a few months as part of post-acute withdrawal.
Alcohol is a depressant that slows the central nervous system, which controls body temperature and sweating. A body used to heavy drinking compensates by running faster. When the alcohol is gone, that overactive nervous system raises heart rate and body temperature and causes sweating, which is most noticeable during sleep.
Not in the sense of sweating alcohol out. Alcohol is broken down by the liver, not released through sweat. Night sweats are a symptom of the nervous system readjusting during withdrawal, so they are a sign that detox is happening, not the mechanism of it.
When they come with confusion, hallucinations, a seizure, fever, a very fast heartbeat, or severe shaking. Those can signal delirium tremens, a medical emergency that usually develops 48 to 72 hours after the last drink. Call 911 or go to an emergency room. Night sweats alone are uncomfortable but not dangerous.
Sources
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Alcohol Withdrawal. niaaa.nih.gov
- Bayard M, McIntyre J, Hill KR, Woodside J. Alcohol withdrawal syndrome. American Family Physician. 2004;69(6):1443–1450.
- MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine. Alcohol withdrawal. medlineplus.gov
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About Diabetes. cdc.gov
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