For generations, women have been sharing tips and tricks for natural relief from hot flashes so they can get on with their busy days. While a bag of frozen peas on the neck is an oldie-but-goodie, you have many more options to consider these days.
What Causes Hot Flashes and Night Sweats?
Hot flashes and night sweats, technically called vasomotor symptoms or VMS, are part of the wide range of symptoms that women experience in the years leading up to and following menopause. As your reproductive hormones change, your body reacts and adjusts in various ways.
During a hot flash, you might sweat to the point of waking up to soaked sheets. You may also experience:
- An intensely warm feeling throughout your upper body
- Faster heart rate
- Flushing of your face, neck and chest
- Higher than normal body temperature
- Increased blood flow
Hot flashes at night are called night sweats. It’s common to wake up drenched in your sheets and shivering as your body returns to normal.
How to Get Hot Flash Relief
Not all women get hot flashes, but they are the most common perimenopause and menopause symptom. While they don’t bother everyone who gets them, many women find them uncomfortable, embarrassing or even debilitating.
Some lifestyle changes can help, including:
- Avoid triggers: Over time, you may notice that certain triggers worsen your hot flashes symptoms. Drinking caffeine or alcohol often falls into this category, as well as eating spicy foods and smoking cigarettes
- Consider mind-body practices: For some women, relaxing before bed with deep breathing or journaling exercises helps improve their hot flashes symptoms.
- Get enough physical activity: Maintaining an active lifestyle, including exercising regularly, can help your hot flashes symptoms.
- Keep cool at night: Before bed, sip some cold water and keep a water bottle on your nightstand. Lower the temperature in your room and get the air moving with a fan. Wear lightweight, loose-fitting pajamas
- Be prepared: You may want to wear layers in the morning to peel off the top layer when you feel a hot flash coming on. Keeping a small fan handy will give you access to a welcome blast of cool air when you need it
Can You Prevent Hot Flashes?
You might not be able to prevent hot flashes and night sweats entirely, but you can avoid triggers that worsen them. The common hot flash triggers are caffeine, alcohol, spicy foods and cigarettes. Stress and heat can also trigger hot flashes in some women, as can wearing tight-fitting clothing.
Treatment Options for Hot Flashes
If lifestyle changes and avoiding triggers don’t bring you natural relief from hot flashes, you can also talk to your doctor about treatment options, including hormonal or nonhormonal therapies — such as hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
You can take hormone treatments in various forms, such as pills, patches, gels, creams and more. These treatments can be effective for some women but may not be appropriate for everyone since it depends on your health history and risk factors.
Nonhormonal medications such as antidepressants can treat hot flashes. Talk to your doctor about the benefits and risks of these treatment options to learn what might be a good option.
When to Contact Your Doctor
Hot flashes and night sweats are common during menopause, but if you have them along with other symptoms, such as fever and fatigue, check in with your health care provider since they can also be a sign of other medical conditions. You'll also want to check in to see if your symptoms make it hard to sleep at night or throughout your day.
Every woman's menopause transition is different. Sometimes, it helps to talk to someone who is knowledgeable about this stage of life and who cares about helping you learn to live more comfortably.
Our experts at AdventHealth are always here to help. If you have questions about your hot flash symptoms or need support, you can learn more about women’s health care on our website or schedule an appointment with one of our providers. You deserve to feel whole.
