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Hot flashes and night sweats are a very common problem among women in menopause. The sudden, and often, unexpected heat can creep up on any middle-aged woman even when they are asleep; and can cause a lot of stress and discomfort.
Going through menopause is a challenge for many women, but there are many at-home and medical remedies to help ease the discomfort from hot flashes to help you go back to fully living your life.
Hot Flashes During Menopause
Menopause happens when the menstruation period becomes irregular, to the point of it stopping completely. It is completely natural to happen to middle-aged women and almost always comes with hot flashes and sweating.
Before we tackle the remedies, let’s take a look at the questions most women in menopause have while they are experiencing hot flashes.
What Age Do Hot Flashes Start
Hot flashes typically occur for women in menopause. For most, it can be around 45-55, but it can also happen to women in their early 30s.
Being in menopause in your 30s can most likely be caused by genetics. Getting menopause and hot flashes pretty early in life is not something a woman should be ashamed of.
What Triggers Hot Flashes
It’s hard to completely prevent hot flashes during menopause but there are several triggers you can avoid.
Heat
Being in a warm room can make your body temperature go up and cause a hot flash to trigger. Shed off a few layers and make sure to have a fan nearby so you can cool yourself down.
Stress
Like many discomforts, hot flashes can flare up in a high-stress situation. If you need a quick remedy, remove yourself from the situation and practice deep breathing.
Spicy Foods
Spice can cause a hot flash to trigger as it can make your body temperature go up. If you can’t help but bite into spicy food, make sure you are ventilated and have a fan nearby.
Caffeine, Alcohol, and Cigarettes
These three are considered stimulants and can cause your hot flashes to trigger. It’s best that you stay away from the three of these if you don’t want to feel discomfort
Tight Clothes
Tight clothing can limit the air travelling in and out of your body. This lack of ventilation can cause your body to heat up and have a hot flash. Wear something loose more often, it can help air travel in and out your body easily.
How Many Hot Flashes per Day is Normal?
On average, a hot flash lasts about five minutes and happens once to thrice a day. If you are having near 20 hot flashes a day, it might be a good time to seek professional treatment.
When to Be Concerned about Night Sweats?
Night sweats are a part of hot flashes. It’s annoying to be woken up in the middle of the night and covered in sweat, but most of the time, night sweats pose no threat to your health.
How to Cure Hot Flashes and Night Sweats
There’s a wide variety of treatment that can be used to help alleviate the discomfort of night sweats and hot flashes. Here’s how you get your precious hours of sleep back
Home Remedies for Hot Flashes
Before you go calling your doctor, there are a few easy and natural ways you can do to ease the discomfort caused by hot flashes.
Exercising
Besides the benefit of looking and feeling great, regularly doing a cardio routine can make the discomfort caused by hot flashes more manageable.
Studies have also shown that weight is one factor that causes discomfort during hot flashes. So losing a few pounds would be a good idea.
Deep Breathing
Practice 15 minutes of deep breathing regularly. Do it once in the morning, after waking up, and once in the evening, before you go to sleep.
If you happen to feel a hot flash coming, deep breathing right before it hits you can also be effective as it helps circulate the heat out of your body.
Eat Soy
Menopause and hot flashes start to happen when a woman’s body doesn’t produce as much estrogen as it used to. One great way to naturally supplement yourself with estrogen is to eat soy.
Soy contains a nutrient that acts similarly to the hormone, estrogen. Incorporating this protein-rich legume into your diet can help ease the discomfort. Experts have said that it is better when eaten as tofu, rather than being taken as a vitamin supplement.
Medical Treatment for Hot Flashes
If the above methods don’t seem to be working for you, you can approach your doctor for a medical treatment instead. Here are some of the treatments your doctor can prescribe.
Duavee
This medicine is formulated for women who suffer frequent hot flashes. This drug is also used to prevent osteoporosis.
Duavee contains conjugated estrogen, a mix of estrogen hormones, which can supplement your estrogen production and can stop hot flashes from triggering.
Antidepressants
If a doctor prescribes an antidepressant, don’t worry, they’re not only used to treat mental illness. The active ingredients in antidepressants can help ease the discomfort caused by night sweats and hot flashes.
Some brands that are committed to easing the pain from hot flashes, like Brisdelle, have paroxetine in their pills, which is commonly used in antidepressants. Ask your doctor before you get these antidepressants, as they can still react with other medication.
Anti-seizure medication
Like antidepressants, anti-seizure drugs like Gabapentin aren’t just used to prevent seizures, they contain an ingredient that can ease chronic pain, hot flashes and night sweats.
Hormone Replacement Therapy
Since menopause and hot flashes are caused by the estrogen production decreasing, undergoing HRT can help stop hot flashes completely. Your doctor can prescribe HRT for up to five years.
This treatment is often considered a last resort because after undergoing HRT, your hot flashes may still come back, along with the risk of cancer, blood clots, and inflammation.
Final Words
Menopause, hot flashes, and night sweats are a natural part of aging and being a woman. It’s better to embrace it by improving your health with exercise and a great diet. Menopause can last up to seven years on average.
Encourage yourself to improve your health and get plenty of sleep and exercise, consider eating more soy and make sure to regularly check in with your doctor.