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7. Night Sweats
One of the most annoying symptoms often reported by patients with leukemia is night sweats. Adding up to their low energy levels, they often have sleep problems because night sweats make them feel uncomfortable and they may even wake up in the middle of the night drenched in their own sweat, even if the room temperature is not hot.
Night sweats often result from an immune response our own body has against cancer cells. As a defense mechanism, our temperature threshold is modulated to increase body heat and destroy cancer cells in the process. Patients with infections would have even more frequent night sweats along with fever and chills. All of these are still defense mechanisms trying to counter the effects of cancer. Additionally, those undergoing chemotherapy often raise their core temperature as thousands of cells are destroyed and start releasing chemicals to the interstitial tissue.
If you don’t show other symptoms featured in this list, your doctor might need to rule out metabolic imbalances, hormonal changes, menopause symptoms, and common ailments before turning their attention to leukemia and other types of cancer.
