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What Can I Do About Hot Flashes & Night Sweats?

Hot flashes and night sweats are common among women approaching menopause. Many women will experience this phenomenon a decade before the onset of menopause. Conditions other than menopause, such as medications or a hormone imbalance, can also cause hot flashes and night sweats. Whatever the cause, they are more annoying than serious, but it is always a good idea to seek the advice of your physician if the condition persists.

  1. Causes of Hot Flashes

    • No one knows what definitely causes hot flashes or night sweats. Hot flashes are the sudden onset of heat, generally around your face and neck, that produces a red flush. Night sweats are profuse sweating, usually at night.The culprit may be the hypothalamus, which is located at the base of your brain and regulates body temperature, according to the Mayo Clinic.

      Hot flashes are common in menopause and generally are caused by low estrogen levels. Low estrogen levels, however, can't explain all hot flashes, because children with low estrogen levels don't seem to experience hot flashes.

      During menopause or perimenopause, estrogen levels become erratic, dropping and rising at different intervals. Low estrogen levels may trigger the hypothalamus to overreact by dilating blood vessels, because it perceives the body as receiving too much heat and reacts to cool your body down, according to wdxcyber.com.

    Remedies

    • Many doctors recommend hormone replacement therapy, which is effective for women who are extremely bothered by hot flashes or night sweats to the point it disrupts their lives. However, natural remedies, such as vitamins and soy products, may help alleviate the symptoms, according to power-surge.com.

      Soybean products' reactions are similar to estrogen, and many women use soybean products to help with hot flashes and night sweats. Increasing intake of B vitamins, C, magnesium and potassium is helpful because hot flashes deplete these vitamins in our bodies.

      Herbs, such as black cohosh, ginseng, and evening primrose oil helps alleviates hot flashes as well as helping you sleep. Eliminate hot food items in your diet, as hot spices cause your body to heat up and drink more water than usual to keep hydrated. Sweating may leave you dehydrated.

    Alternative Relief

    • Increasing your exercise, even if it is just walking also helps to alleviate hot flashes. Take time to relax by deep breathing or just taking an hour or so just for yourself.

      Hypnotic relaxation therapy is effective in treating and alleviating hot flashes, according to a Baylor University Study headed by Dr. Gary Elkins in Waco, Texas, and published in the online Journal of Clinical Oncology on September 22, 2008. Hypnotic relaxation therapy alleviates the severity and the frequency of hot flashes.

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