What Are the Causes of Hot Flashes and Overheating?

Overheating and hot flashes leave you red-faced and sweaty. While these can happen at any time to anybody, depending on the body’s hormonal adjustments, overheating and hot flashes are most common in menopausal women.

Estrogen Levels

• Menopausal women suffer from estrogen withdrawal. The sudden reduction of estrogen results in a hormonal imbalance, which leads to hot flashes and overheating.

Role of the Hypothalamus

• The hypothalamus at the base of the brain controls the temperature of your body along with the functioning of other bodily processes. The lessening of estrogen in menopausal women disturbs the hypothalamus’ function, resulting in hot flashes and overheating.

How It Happens

• The heat-controlling region of your brain thinks that the body has to give out heat. This leads to blood vessel dilation, increase in heart rate and the opening of sweat glands--resulting in unpleasant hot flashes and overheating.

Other Factors

• New studies at the University of Illinois, University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University have shown that women who are obese or those who smoke or drink alcohol regularly are more likely than others to suffer from hot flashes and overheating during menopause.

Trigger Foods

• Some foods--such as sugars, hot spices and caffeine--can set off hot flashes in some women as well.