What Can Cause Severe Hot Flashes?

The majority of women suffer mild to severe hot flashes at some point in their lives. The exact cause of hot flashes is unknown, but researchers link them to sex hormones, particularly during pregnancy or menopause.

Identification

• Hot flashes are described as rushes of warmth to the upper body, which can cause excessive sweating. This reaction can last seconds or minutes. When it happens at night, it is called a "night sweat."

Considerations

• Severe hot flashes are often suffered by women who have undergone breast cancer treatment or those who have a speedy transition from normal menstruation to menopause. They can occur if menopause is caused surgically or chemically.

Effects

• Severe hot flashes can cause increased heart rate or pounding, perspiration, dizziness or other reactions that can be mistaken for a heart attack.

Prevention/Solution

• Cutting down on some activities or avoiding some situations can prevent or lessen the severity of hot flashes: smoking, high-stress situations, alcohol, caffeine, spicy foods and chocolate.

Expert Insight

• Researchers have concluded that severe hot flashes are linked to the hypothalamus, the region in the brain that controls body heat. When overheating occurs, the brain releases chemicals, causing blood vessels to expand to allow release of the excessive heat, in the form of hot flashes.

Misconceptions

• Severe hot flashes are not strictly a women's issue. Men also experience hot flashes when their testosterone levels are reduced by aging, loss of testes or as a result of certain prostate cancer treatments.

Fun Fact

• Episodes of severe hot flashes will last, or repeat, until excessive body heat has been removed and normal body temperature returns.