Feeling hot? Here's how to reduce hot flushes
Hot flushes are probably the most common and most well-known of menopause symptoms, with approximately three-quarters of women experiencing them at some point during perimenopause, menopause, and even post-menopause. They can come on suddenly at any time of the day and are sometimes accompanied by other symptoms such as sweating, dizziness, or even heart palpitations. For some women they are so severe that they affect their quality of life, especially when they interrupt sleep or daily activities.
It isn’t known exactly why they happen, but it is thought to be due to falling oestrogen levels which can affect an area of the brain called the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus controls the body’s internal thermostat and regulates body temperature. When you experience a hot flush, it is because the body incorrectly thinks it is overheating, and therefore the hypothalamus triggers a response to try to cool you down, e.g. by sweating.
Hot flushes at night, or night sweats, often result in disturbed sleep, and many women report having to get up and change their sleepwear, and even their bedding, during the night. Some women also experience cold flushes.
And whilst some women experience only occasional hot flushes, for others they experience multiple hot flushes each day. Like all things to do with the menopause, everybody's experience is unique.
Hot flushes are sometimes described as a feeling of fire, starting in the belly and spreading up through the body into the face. The result can be a change in skin colour and profuse sweating, both of which can cause feelings of embarrassment or shame.
What can trigger hot flushes?
There are a few things that are believed to exacerbate hot flushes, including:
Increased stress can contribute to frequency and severity of hot flushes. (Whilst the uncertainty of when a hot flush might occur can further increase anxiety).
Strong emotions, such as anger or frustration.
Enclosed spaces – e.g. a packed meeting room where there’s little opportunity to easily escape.
Tiredness. (Which in itself will be fuelled by disturbed sleep as a result of night sweats).
Dehydration.
Eating certain foods.
What can you do to prevent hot flushes?
HRT can be very effective in helping to reduce hot flushes as it should correct the hormone imbalance that is causing them.
However, if for whatever reason HRT isn’t right for you, or you are still experiencing hot flushes despite being on HRT, there are some other things you can do:
Managing your stress effectively can help to reduce the frequency and intensity of hot flushes. Regular practice of a deep relaxation technique, such as the ones outlined here can be very beneficial.
Breathing exercises can be useful, both to help manage other stressors, but also to use when you first start to feel the onset of a hot flush. Try inhaling to the count of 4, hold for a count of 7 and then exhale slowly and softly through slightly parted lips to a count of 8. Repeat several times. This will stimulate the body’s relaxation system, reducing any anxiety, and focus the attention on the breath rather than the rising heat.
Some mindfulness/attention control techniques can also be useful to help keep your focus in the present moment when experiencing a hot flush.
Wearing layers can be helpful so that it is easy to adjust clothing when a hot flush does arrive. If you have long hair, keeping a hair bobble handy so you can quickly sweep your hair out of the way can also be very helpful.
Carrying a small fan and a cooling spray.
As with all things, eating a healthy, well-balanced diet is likely to be beneficial. You may find it useful to keep a food diary and see if there are any foods in particular that trigger a hot flush. Minimising caffeine and alcohol can also be beneficial.
Hypnotherapy - a highly effective treatment for hot flushes
Finally, hypnotherapy has been shown to be effective in reducing the frequency and intensity of hot flushes. In fact, it is more effective than any other treatment for hot flushes, other than HRT, and clinical studies have found that it can reduce hot flashes by up to 80% Clinical hypnosis in the treatment of postmenopausal hot flashes: a randomized controlled trial - PubMed (nih.gov) As well as hypnotherapy being generally helpful for reducing stress (which as I’ve already discussed, can have a positive impact on the occurrence of hot flushes), the use of mental imagery for coolness during hypnosis (for example, imagining stepping into a cool lake), can help you to regain control over your body temperature. With repeated practice, you will be able to regulate your body temperature so that hot flushes bother you much less.
Hypnotherapy can also help improve sleep and mood, two other factors that in turn can reduce the occurrence of hot flushes.
Want to know more?
If you'd like to see whether hypnotherapy could help you with hot flushes and night sweats, click here to get in touch. I offer a free, no obligation call to discuss whether this might work for you.
There can be other causes of hot flushes that aren't related to hormonal changes , so it’s always best to get things checked out with your GP.
