There have been plenty of strange symptoms reported since the beginning of the pandemic and when the Omicron variant emerged. One potential symptom is particularly bad news for your bed sheets
Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Since the Omicron variant took over, there have been many different symptoms reported by people with the coronavirus.
The NHS still lists the three main symptoms as a continuous cough, high temperature and loss of taste or smell, but this has not changed since the early days of the pandemic when there was a different dominant variant.
Omicron, the current dominant mutant strain, has had people report all kinds of symptoms generally different to the Delta variant, another strain of concern, that came before it.
One particular symptom occurring during sleep may also be a sign to look out for, according to experts.
So what is it?
Are night sweats a symptom of Covid?
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‘Cold-like’ symptoms have been recorded by people with Covid and night sweats are included in this.
NHS doctor Dr Amir Khan said that people had been reporting the symptom since the variant emerged and was discovered.
He said on ITV’s Lorraine that the symptom was the sort of “drenching night sweats where you might have to get up and change your clothes”.
South African expert Dr Unben Pillay said in November when the variant began to emerge : “We’ve seen a sharp increase in cases for the past 10 days. So far they have mostly been very mild cases, with patients having flu-like symptoms: dry coughs, fever, night sweats, a lot of body pains.”
Meanwhile, the five most common Omicron symptoms, as reported by the ZOE Covid study, are as follows:
- Runny nose
- Headache
- Fatigue (mild or severe)
- Sneezing
- Sore throat
What are night sweats?
Plenty of people can expect to sweat a bit when they sleep; this is entirely normal. The night sweats that are believed to be a symptom of Omicron occur when a person sweats to the point where they wake up drenched.
The NHS explained: “It’s normal to sweat during the night if the room or your bedding is making you too hot.
“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.”
Are my night sweats definitely Covid?
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It is probably worth taking a Covid test anyway, particularly if you have other symptoms like a runny nose, sore throat, a headache or a cough.
Night sweats on their own might not be a symptom of Covid, though, as they can be caused by a number of things.
Menopause symptoms include night sweats and it can also be caused by anxiety, certain medicines, alcohol or drug use or low blood sugar, according to the NHS.
There is also a symptom called ‘hyperhidrosis’ that makes a person sweat often.
If you are worried about night sweats and don’t think it is due to Covid as you are testing negative for the virus, you should contact your GP.
Brits will be well aware of the three main symptoms of coronavirus – a new, continuous cough, a fever and a loss of taste and/or smell.
These are the officially recognised symptoms according to the NHS.
However, with the new Omicron variant, symptoms have been described as being more similar to a common cold.
It’s important to be aware of the symptoms in order to limit the spread of Covid.
