Introduction
The term hot flashes usually refers to a sudden feeling of warmth or heat, usually starting in the area of the torso or neck and continuing towards the head. Usually, this sensation is accompanied by increased sweating and a higher heart rate as well as a noticeable throbbing in the chest. The term describes a symptom that mainly affects women who are going through menopause. However, men of all ages can also suffer from hot flashes.
Causes
The causes of hot flushes in men are similar to those in women – except that male bodies are much less subject to the cycles of the sex hormones and therefore do not actually go through the menopause (see below for more details). Nevertheless, people can suffer from hot flushes of other causes, regardless of gender. These include:
- Stress, which puts the body in a permanent state of alarm, so to speak.
Due to the increased stress hormones in the body, even small occasions are sufficient to cause a sudden noticeable stress reaction such as hot flushes.
A disorder of the thyroid gland – more precisely an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) – can be a possible cause of hot flushes. Thyroid hormones are basically responsible for a modulation, i.e. an adjustment of the metabolic function in the body. To this end, they act on the receptors that are activated by adrenaline and noradrenaline – the short- and fast-acting stress hormones of the human body.
These so-called “adrenergic receptors” are made more sensitive by the thyroid hormones and react faster and stronger. An overproduction of this thyroid gland therefore typically leads to an increased effect of adrenaline and noradrenaline: the heart beats faster and more firmly (and sometimes irregularly), sweating and even hot flushes without any recognisable adequate cause can occur in the persons affected. Other symptoms of hyperthyroidism include mental restlessness and restlessness, sleep disorders, irritability, weight loss and hair loss.
Alcohol consumption influences much more than just the state of consciousness: it also causes the blood vessels to dilate, which is noticeable, for example, by increased blood flow to the limbs and face. This also leads to a warming of the skin, as it is now better supplied with heat from the trunk. This can of course be perceived as pleasant – or for the person concerned it can be a hot flash.
Furthermore, alcohol interferes with the control center of the body temperature. Here it adjusts the “target temperature” of the body upwards. During and after alcohol consumption, the body is therefore warmer than usual as a normal reaction.
However, as the alcohol level in the blood drops, the target temperature also drops again. As a result, the brain detects a disproportion between the increased temperature and the target temperature, i.e. overheating. The consequences are usually slightly increased sweating to cool the body again.
Subjectively, however, hot flushes can also be perceived in this situation. If sudden temperature changes occur during sleep, they are sometimes only noticed by the affected persons after waking up. For example, wet sleeping clothes or bed linen can indicate hot flushes during sleep.
Unintentional waking up at night can also be accompanied by hot flushes. When they occur together, disturbed sleep and hot flashes often indicate severe stress that puts the body on constant alert. However, if the symptoms persist for several weeks without a recognizable (stress) cause, or if the pressure of suffering is high due to the symptoms, medical advice should always be sought.
- Insomnia
- Sweating in the night
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