People are being urged to look out for two fairly common symptoms that can appear first thing after you wake up that could signal a deadly disease. According to experts at Cancer Research UK, these signs can indicate cancer.
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 uncontrollable way.
Quite often the symptoms will depend on the area of the body that is affected.
However, some signs can be more general and could be easily mistaken for something else.
Two such signs can become apparent in the morning. These are heavy night sweats that leave your sheets “soaking wet” and fatigue that doesn’t go away even after a good night’s sleep.
Night sweats
It’s not uncommon to experience some form of sweating at night. This could be caused by factors such as room temperature and whether you share a bed.
But if you constantly wake up to find yourself, your pillow, or your sheets soaked in sweat, this could be a warning sign of cancer. The NHS explains: “Most people sweat during the night. 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 also lists “very heavy night sweats” as a general symptom of cancer. However, it could also be a side effect of medication or less serious illnesses.
“Sweating at night or having a high temperature (fever) can be caused by infections or a side effect of certain medications,” the charity says. “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.”
The NHS adds that some cancers can cause you to sweat more than usual. These include:
- Germ cell tumours
- Hodgkin lymphoma
- Prostate cancer
- Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
- Leukaemia
- Carcinoid tumours
- Kidney cancer
- Bone cancer
- Mesothelioma
- Advanced medullary thyroid cancer.
Fatigue
Again, fatigue is something that can be influenced by a number of factors such as not getting enough sleep or a seasonal illness like flu. But constant, debilitating fatigue despite how much sleep you’re getting could be a sign of something much more serious.
According to Cancer Research UK, fatigue that “doesn’t go away” even with sleep or rest is a red flag for cancer. This fatigue can be caused by both the cancer itself and its treatment, leaving patients “feeling very tired, exhausted and lacking energy”.
The charity continues: “Cancer related fatigue can affect you physically, emotionally, and mentally. How long it lasts, how severe it is, and how often you might have it is different from person to person.”
If you have cancer-related fatigue, you might experience:
- Lack of energy – you may just want to stay in bed all day
- The need to rest even when you’ve done little or no activity
- Feeling you just cannot be bothered to do much
- Sleeping problems such as unable to sleep or disturbed sleep
- Finding it hard to get up in the morning
- Feeling anxious, sad or depressed
- Pain in your muscles – you may find it hard to climb stairs or walk short distances
- Feeling breathless after doing small tasks, for example, having a shower or making your bed
- Finding it hard to concentrate, even just watching TV or talking to a friend
- Finding it hard to think clearly or make decisions easily
- Loss of interest in sex
- Loss of interest in doing things you usually enjoy
- Negative feelings about yourself and others.
Cancer Research UK adds: “Some people feel like fatigue is a constant reminder of their cancer and this can be hard to accept. You might worry that because you feel so tired all the time your cancer could be getting worse. But it is more likely to be a side effect of treatment, or due to the fact that cancer can cause fatigue.”
If you experience any of these unexplained symptoms you should speak to your GP.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
