What to do about hot flashes? What helps? During menopause, a woman’s hormones change: She moves from sexual maturity to senility (old age). In the process, the body produces less and less of the female sex hormone estrogen, which causes problems for many women. Typical complaints of menopause are hot flashes, sweating and dizzy spells. Hormone therapy is usually used to prevent this. Against acute hot flashes and circulation problems, however, a few simple tips and proven remedies from nature also help.
What are hot flashes?
Hot flashes, also known as flying heat, are seizure-like heat attacks that are often associated with sweating. Often, hot flashes are the first sign of hormonal changes in the female body. From about the age of 45, a woman’s body undergoes hormonal changes and menopause sets in. This brings several, more or less stressful, physical complaints with it. Here, hot flashes are the most common and often the most stressful symptom.
What to do about hot flashes?
The heat attacks can be prevented with some simple measures. Read here 5 practical tips on what can help with hot flashes.
1. exercise
Walking, cycling, strolling, hiking: Physical activity stabilizes blood pressure and strengthens the heart, circulation, blood vessels and muscles – and also keeps the temperature regulator in the brain in better balance.
2. alternating showers
Alternating showers help many menopausal women. Start with a warm shower. Then start with cold water at the bottom of the foot and run the shower up the outer leg and back down the inside. Use the same procedure to treat the other leg as well as the arms. After warming up with a warm shower, repeat the cold showers two more times. The treatment should end with a cold shower. If you do not find an alternating shower suitable for you, possible alternatives are alternating warm foot baths or knee and arm baths. Treading water can also help. To do this, pour cold water into the bathtub until it is just below the back of your knees. Then tread water for 60 seconds, lifting your leg completely out of the water with each step.
3. coffee and alcohol only in moderation
Caffeine and alcohol – just like nicotine – can lower estrogen levels and thus irritate the temperature regulator. So those who have hot flashes should reduce their coffee and alcohol intake to one cup and one glass, respectively, and avoid smoking if possible.
4. eat lightly
Plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and fresh herbs should be at the top of the diet. Whole grains and dairy products are also recommended, while little red meat and little fat should be eaten. If you use vegetable fat, reach for olive or rapeseed oil. And: drink at least two liters a day – preferably mineral water, unsweetened tea or juice spritzer. Together with exercise, light food breaks down excess tissues, has a balancing effect on all bodily functions and thus also reduces hot flashes.
5. use natural remedies: 6 proven home remedies.
Those who want to help their hormone levels to regain balance can make use of herbal remedies. Some of them contain so-called phytoestrogens, which are similar to human estrogen. Therefore, these herbal remedies can have a positive effect on heat regulation and hormone balance. It is important to always use the remedies for a few weeks. However, one should be careful not to combine several preparations. Some proven natural remedies for hot flashes are, for example:
- Black cohosh: The extracts from the rhizome of this plant are among the plant estrogens. They act like the body’s own estrogens – without side effects like hormone preparations. Take one tablet of the medicinal plant extract every day. You can get these at the pharmacy. The effect takes effect after one to two weeks. By the way, black cohosh also helps with other complaints such as sleep disorders, mood swings or headaches.
- Monk’s pepper: The plant preparation helps especially at the beginning of menopause, when the cycle has not yet definitively stopped. It stimulates the production of progesterone and activates the ovaries.
- Soy: Asian women hardly know menopausal symptoms. This is probably because they eat a lot of soy.Apparently, soy isoflavones act like plant estrogens. Dosage: at least 60 milligrams per day.
- Red clover: The plant, which is native to us, also provides hormones similar to estrogen and can thus help as a tea or dietary supplement to alleviate the symptoms of menopause.
- St. John’s wort: If the hot flashes are associated with depressive moods, St. John’s wort is helpful. It must be taken daily, but acts only after a few weeks.
- Sage: If it is mainly about sweating, sage is helpful because of its antiperspirant effect. Daily, two cups of sage tea should be drunk – warm, without sugar and sip. Alternatively, you can also take an extract in capsule form or as a tincture. Sage tea can basically be combined with anything.
Homeopathy as a remedy for hot flashes?
Many women also rely on homeopathic remedies such as globules for hot flashes. The small globules can relieve menopausal symptoms and, unlike hormonal preparations, have no side effects. The treatment of hot flashes with Schüßler salts is also often recommended. In general, the salts No. 7 Magnesium phosphoricum D6 and No. 8 Natrium chloratum D6 can be helpful during menopause. In addition, No. 3 Ferrum phosphoricum D12 can be used for hot flashes.
What to do for hot flashes at night?
Many women encounter hot flashes not only during the day, but also at night. The result is sleep disturbances or lack of sleep. We give some tips on how to manage hot flashes at night:
- Sleep with the window tilted. So always comes some fresh air into the bedroom.
- Make sure you have an optimal bedroom temperature. This is between 16 and 18 degrees Celsius.
- Put fresh sleeping clothes ready. So sweaty things are quickly replaced.
- Put a large towel underneath. This is changed faster than a bed sheet.
- Use pajamas and bedding made of cotton. This is breathable.
- Relaxation exercises such as autogenic training or meditation can help calm down and fall asleep faster.
What happens during hot flashes?
Hot flashes often announce themselves with a feeling of pressure in the head or a diffuse malaise. This is followed by an intense feeling of heat, which extends in waves from the chest or neck area over the head, face and neck to the upper arms. The reason for this is a widening of the blood vessels, so that the blood flow in the outer regions of the body is increased and the body temperature rises. As a result, the skin reddens, sweating occurs at the same time, and sometimes there is also a feeling of dizziness or nausea. These symptoms may be accompanied by palpitations and palpitations, which is a natural reaction of the circulatory system. Usually, the pulse slows down again quickly. At the same time, the body fights against the heat attack by trying to lower the body temperature again and cool the body through excessive sweating. Once the hot flash has subsided, the so-called evaporative cold often occurs. Therefore, many women shiver and freeze after a hot flash and feel exhausted or tired.
Symptoms at a glance
Are you not sure if you really suffer from hot flashes? Here we have once again compiled a brief overview of all the symptoms that describe what hot flashes feel like:
- Sweating
- Skin redness
- Increase in body temperature
- Dizziness
- Palpitations
- Nausea
- After the hot flash: shivering and exhaustion.
What triggers hot flashes during menopause ?
The reason for hot flashes in menopausal women is probably the decrease in estrogen levels. This lack of estrogen causes an increase in stress hormones such as adrenaline. It is thought that a sudden increase in such stress hormones can lead to the hot flashes. Another cause of hot flashes is thought to be a misregulation of body temperature in the brain. Among other things, estrogen also influences heat regulation in the body. If the hormone production of estrogen decreases, the heat regulation no longer functions properly and the nervous system reacts with a sudden widening of the blood vessels to release heat. The symptoms described above occur.The lack of the sex hormone progesterone during menopause can also be responsible for hot flashes. In addition, it can also trigger sleep disorders, as the hormone has a sleep-inducing effect.
Hot flashes: How often do they occur and how long do they last?
The frequency of hot flashes often vary greatly from woman to woman. They may occur only once or twice a day, or they may occur 30 to 40 times. Usually the heat attacks last only a few minutes, rarely longer. At the beginning of menopause, hot flashes often overtake those affected, but over time the frequency usually decreases. Once the body has adjusted and hormone levels are back in balance, the heat attacks disappear. As a rule, women suffer from hot flashes for about up to five years.
Other causes of hot flashes
Hot flashes can occur not only in menopausal women, but also in young women or in men. Young women, for example, can also suffer the heat attacks during pregnancy and before childbirth or during menstruation. The reason here is usually increased metabolism. Hot flashes in men (and of course in women) can also be caused by stress, nervousness or excitement, among other things. Heat attacks can also strike after eating. The cause here is usually strongly spiced or spicy food or the consumption of alcohol, coffee or black tea. In older men, hot flashes and night sweats can be due to an age-related decrease in testosterone. This is known as PADAM. Hot flashes can also occur as a side effect of some medications. These include, for example, antiestrogens or aromatase inhibitors. In addition, hot flashes can also appear as a symptom of certain diseases. These include diabetes, hyperthyroidism, allergies, and some types of cancer, such as breast cancer or prostate cancer. Patients may also be assaulted by hot flashes in connection with chemotherapy.
