How to Get Relief From Hot Flashes & Night Sweats

Hot flashes are a very intense feeling of body heat and profuse sweating, followed by chills. Night sweats are hot flashes that occur at night and may result in saturating your pajamas and bedding. Hot flashes and night sweats are caused by hormonal fluctuations that occur during the menopausal years or in certain medical conditions.

Women often feel hot flashes as an intense build-up in body heat, followed by sweating and chills. Some women report accompanying anxiety as the sensation builds. In most cases, hot flashes last for three to five years, although they may linger in some women for years after menopause. Women who have surgical removal of both ovaries and who do not receive hormone replacement therapy may have more severe hot flashes than women who enter menopause naturally

Things You'll Need

• Water
• Ice packs

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Instructions

• 1

  See your doctor. Your doctor will examine you to make sure your hot flashes and night sweats are hormonal in origin, and not related to another serious medication condition. Certain conditions such as tuberculosis or cancer can cause night sweats. Your doctor may recommend further studies, such as blood tests.

• 2

  Ask about hormone therapy. Hormone replacement therapy will relieve your hot flashes and night sweats very effectively. You should not take replacement hormones unless your hot flashes are disruptive to your life. Hormone therapy can increase your risk of breast and uterine cancer, so discuss this option thoroughly with your doctor before deciding.

• 3

  Drink plenty of water. Keep yourself hydrated throughout the day. Drinking cool water can diminish the incidence of hot flashes and night sweats and prevent dehydration.

• 4

  Start exercising. Ask your doctor to recommend an exercise program. Consistent exercise of 30 minutes a day can reduce your incidence of hot flashes and night sweats. The weight loss you will incur may also minimize your hot flashes.

• 5

  Sleep with ice packs. Apply ice packs to your neck, behind your knees and forehead to keep you cool at night. Small sandwich bags filled with crushed ice make effective ice bags.