Introduction
Hot flashes are short episodes in which the blood vessels in certain parts of the body dilate and are flooded with warm blood. In most cases, the heat wave begins in the chest and then spreads throughout the body. Immediately afterwards, there is heavy sweating in the affected areas and then a slight chill. Some people suffer from hot flashes repeatedly and some others only during a certain phase of life. The causes of these hot flushes are many and varied.
The most common causes of hot flashes
First, the most common causes are briefly listed: The most common cause of hot flushes is the hormone fluctuations during menopause. However, there are also other reasons for hot flushes. Changes during pregnancy can also be a cause.
Some diseases can also trigger hot flashes. These include hyperthyroidism and some cardiovascular diseases. People who are overweight are also more often affected by hot flushes.
Changes in the hormone balance can affect everyone for different reasons. Certain drugs can also trigger hot flashes when taken.
- Hormone Fluctuations
- Pregnancy
- Various diseases
- Overweight
- Certain drugs
Causes in women
The most common cause of hot flushes is the climacteric, also called menopause. Similar to puberty, the woman’s body has to completely adjust to the change. Hormone production decreases significantly and many women initially suffer from progesterone and estrogen deficiency.
Temperature regulation in the body is directly related to the sex hormones and the significant reduction in hormones can shift the target values. Over 90 percent of all women experience hot flushes at least briefly during the menopause. Women who go through the menopause quickly suffer from more severe symptoms during this phase because the drop in hormones comes very suddenly.
During the menopause, hot flushes often follow a typical pattern. The vessels in the face and breast area dilate first and the typical flush, i.e. the red coloration of the head and décolleté, develops. Afterwards the hot flash spreads over the body and a sweaty outbreak with slight shivering follows.
The whole wave usually lasts no longer than five minutes. If the symptoms are severe, hormone replacement therapy can help and ease the transition to postmenopause. Pregnancy is also a phase in which there are strong hormone fluctuations.
The hormonal situation varies according to the phase of pregnancy and the frequent changes have many consequences for the woman, including hot flushes. These hot flashes are, however, something quite natural and usually end with the normalization of hormone levels after giving birth.
- Night sweats during pregnancy
- Dry skin during pregnancy
A woman’s monthly cycle and hormone fluctuations have a direct influence on body temperature.
In the first half of the cycle, a woman’s body temperature is about 0.5 degrees lower than after ovulation. Therefore, a temperature measurement can also be used to determine ovulation. This change in temperature happens relatively quickly and can therefore lead to brief hot flushes.
However, these subside after a few hours. The change in body temperature is a natural process and not a disease. More about this:
- Ovulation and temperature- What is the relationship?
- These symptoms accompany ovulation
Although women are much more often affected, men can also suffer from hot flashes.
While women always enter the menopause at some point and are therefore no longer capable of reproduction, men are usually fertile until old age. However, hormone levels, especially testosterone, also decrease significantly in men as they get older. Testosterone has a similar influence on the body’s temperature regulation as oestrogen.
If the concentration decreases, men can therefore also suffer hot flushes. In addition to the sex hormones, however, there are also diseases that can cause hot flushes without being gender-specific. Overweight can be a cause of hot flushes in both sexes.
Graves’ disease, an autoimmune hyperthyroidism, does not only affect women. Although men are less frequently affected, they can also get this form of hyperthyroidism with all its symptoms, including hot flushes. Cardiovascular disease can also cause hot flushes, as these are directly related to the sudden dilation of blood vessels. These even affect men more often than women.
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