Hot Flashes
What It Is // Causes // Symptoms // Relief // Conclusion
If intense, hot, and sweaty sensations have you kicking your sheets off in the middle of the night or frantically fanning yourself randomly throughout the day, you may be experiencing hot flashes.
Known clinically as vasomotor symptoms, hot flashes can be caused by certain drugs and medical conditions, but the most common culprits are menopause and perimenopause. In fact, 75 to 80 percent of menopausal women will experience them.
While hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and medications are often prescribed to help with hot flashes, relief may be possible with specific changes in lifestyle. Learn more about hot flashes, why they happen, and ways to help manage them.
What Are Hot Flashes?
Hot flashes are sudden and profound episodes of heat and often intense sweating that typically affect the upper body, particularly the face and chest.
They’re common during menopause, which is officially reached once a woman has missed 12 consecutive periods. But women of reproductive age can experience hot flashes at any life stage, including the years leading up to menopause, a phase known as perimenopause.
What does a hot flash feel like?
Hot flashes don’t feel the same for everyone, but they’re often described as a sudden surge of heat or warmth that spreads through the upper body.
For some people, hot flashes are just a minor nuisance that creates a few seconds of warmth; for others they can be intense, anxiety-inducing, and often accompanied by profuse sweating.
How long do hot flashes last?
While each episode only lasts a few seconds to a few minutes, hot flashes can be a recurring presence for a few years to more than a decade, and on average last longer for Black and Hispanic women.
When do hot flashes start?
In the United States, menopause typically starts between the ages of 45 and 55, with 52 being average, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). But perimenopause can start up to 10 years before menopause, meaning some women may begin experiencing hot flashes in their mid-30s.
Why are hot flashes worse at night?
Hot flashes aren’t worse at night, per se, but they can certainly feel that way.
The body’s temperature naturally decreases during sleep, so when you’re awakened by hot flashes that can be swiftly followed by chills as the body quickly cools back down, the sensation can be especially jarring. Trying to fall back to sleep when you’re sweaty and wired can also make them feel worse than when they strike during the day.
Hot flashes and night sweats
Hot flashes and night sweats during menopause are essentially the same, except that night sweats are widely considered hot flashes that occur during sleep.
Menopausal night sweats can cause all the same symptoms as daytime hot flashes and wake you from your sleep. You may awaken so drenched in sweat that you feel the need to change your sheets, your sleepwear, or both.
What Causes Hot Flashes?
While hot flashes are most often attributed to menopause, there are a number of possible causes, each of which affects the body’s ability to regulate temperature.
Since they can be triggered by certain medications and medical conditions, it’s important to speak to a healthcare professional if you’ve begun experiencing them.
Hormonal changes
Hot flashes are most often related to fluctuations in hormones, particularly a decrease in estrogen. Among its many functions, estrogen helps regulate body temperature, specifically cooling through the dissipation of heat.
While researchers are still trying to understand the mechanisms involved, it’s believed that drops in estrogen affect the way the brain perceives temperature, causing the hypothalamus — our body’s internal thermostat — to malfunction.
Misinterpreting normal body temperature as overheating, the hypothalamus widens the blood vessels (vasodilation) in the skin and sweat glands to disperse heat and cool the body. The result brings a surge of warm blood to the skin’s surface, which can create a flushed sensation and appearance.
A drop in estrogen may be a symptom of menopause or perimenopause, or simply signify cyclical hormonal changes in the days leading up to or during your period.
Medication side effects
A number of drugs can cause hot flashes as a side effect of their use, particularly those that disrupt hormone levels. This can be an issue for both women and men.
Types of pharmaceuticals that can cause hot flashes include:
- Opioids
- Steroids
- Certain antidepressants
- Chemotherapy drugs
- Some hormonal treatments
Medical treatments
Certain medical procedures can affect the production of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone, potentially leading to hot flashes. These include:
- Reproductive organ removal
- Radiation therapy
- Chemotherapy
Thyroid function
Hot flashes and increased perspiration are common when the thyroid gland isn’t functioning properly — particularly when it is producing too much thyroid hormone. Other symptoms may also appear, like palpitations and accelerated heart rate, anxiety, nervousness, and weight loss.
Low blood glucose
Science has found a relationship between hot flashes and blood sugar levels, in particular the period between meals when glucose levels dip most. Additionally, with an increase in time between meals came an increase in the frequency of hot flashes, suggesting a metabolic component to their rate, if not intensity.
Researchers hypothesize that when blood sugar drops, the body may act to quickly deliver glucose to the brain, resulting in increased blood flow, sweating, and vasodilation, amounting to a sensation similar to a hot flash. This can be compounded by drops in estrogen, which helps regulate delivery of glucose to the brain.
Can blood sugar spikes cause hot flashes?
Research has also linked hot flashes and insulin sensitivity.
In a study, it was found that high blood sugar and insulin levels were linked to more severe hot flashes in postmenopausal women. The exact mechanism by which insulin sensitivity affects hormone levels is not fully understood, but it is believed that high blood sugar can activate the sympathetic nervous system, leading to symptoms like increased heart rate, sweating, and vasodilation, which are characteristic of hot flashes.
Hot flashes are usually easy to recognize, with symptoms including intense heat in the upper body, anxiety, rapid heartbeat, sweating, and red blotchy or flushed skin. They can last anywhere from 30 seconds to five minutes and vary in severity.
If you suspect that your hot flashes may indicate a more serious issue, it is recommended to consult a physician for a proper evaluation.
To find relief from hot flashes, it is important to manage stress levels, engage in regular exercise, and incorporate certain foods into your diet. Additionally, targeted supplements such as vitamin E, evening primrose oil, red clover, ginseng, and hops may also help alleviate hot flash symptoms. Prioritizing sleep, staying hydrated, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can also contribute to managing hot flashes effectively.
Identify and steer clear of triggers
If you monitor your episodes of hot flashes, noting your activities leading up to them, you can pinpoint potential triggers. This awareness allows you to avoid these triggers, ultimately reducing the frequency of hot flashes.
Triggers for hot flashes differ from person to person, but here are some common ones to watch out for:
- Stress
- Alcohol
- Caffeine
- Spicy food
- Smoking
- Hot beverages
- Heavy clothing
- Hot baths and showers
- Hot weather and environments
8. Opt for breathable fabrics
Choosing natural, breathable materials like cotton for your clothing and bedding can help maintain a cooler and more comfortable body temperature during hot flashes, and may even prevent them entirely.
Additionally, dressing in layers that can be easily removed and using lighter bedding can also aid in managing hot flashes.
Conclusion
Once you’ve identified the cause of your hot flashes, often related to menopause, you can effectively manage them through lifestyle adjustments focused on nutrition, exercise, stress reduction, and improved sleep. If needed, seek guidance from your healthcare provider or other qualified professionals.
For a convenient at-home healthcare solution, consider reaching out to Hello Alpha. They connect you with experienced medical professionals specializing in women’s health, offering 24/7 messaging with licensed clinicians, medication prescriptions and delivery, and personalized advice on weight management, mental health, and hormone health.
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