The other night I went out for the most fantastic catchup dinner with three girls I used to work with. We ate delicious food, laughed til our stomachs hurt, toasted a new baby on the way and generally had a lovely time.

The danger of where we went, is that they sell incredible cakes.

I bought a slice of gluten free chocolate cake which whispered to me from my handbag the whole way home, and once I’d got in the door I kicked off my shoes, grabbed a fork and snuggled into bed next to my boyfriend with an artisan box of cake and a book. Having smashed the pudding with absolutely no grace, I happily fell asleep in a sugar stupor.

Well. I was actually up most of the night dripping with sweat, unable to sleep and feeling generally quite bizarre. Having done a bit of research into it, eating sugar and sweet treats can actually cause night sweats in a surprising number of people – and from everyone to youngsters to menopausal women. It makes your heart race, your body temperature increase, and generally makes you have a pretty shitty time, all for indulging in a post-dinner treat.

Whilst eating sugar during the day makes me hyper and gives me energy, having it at night made me feel like I was working in slow motion, even though my heart was racing. It was a strange feeling – I was hot and cold, sweaty and agitated, awake and lethargic all at once. I kicked off the duvet, praying my boyfriend wouldn’t roll over and try and hug me (he’s an actual human radiator) and then found myself freezing and shaking just minutes later.

So all in all, whilst the cake was probably one of the best I’ve ever had – I’m not in a hurry to eat one before bed any time soon. Lesson learnt.