What causes hot flashes and how to get quick and easy relief

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What causes hot flashes and how to get quick and easy relief
Hot flashes may come along with red skin, sweating, and a rapid heartbeat.yacobchuk/Getty Images
  • Hot flashes are usually caused by menopause, but can also be due to certain medications.
  • They can be triggered by stress, hot weather, spicy foods, alcohol, and more.
  • You can get quick relief by misting your face with a squirt bottle or wearing light clothing.
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A hot flash is an uncomfortable rush of heat that can affect your entire body. It's especially common in women over 40 — as many as 75% of women around menopausal age experience them.

Though hot flashes can be troublesome, there are ways to treat and manage this common menopausal symptom.

Here's a guide on how to tell if what you're experiencing is hot flashes, what might be the cause, and possible treatments to try.

Symptoms of hot flashes

Hot flash symptoms can range in severity from a gentle sensation of warmth to a disruptive feeling of severe heat that overwhelms the body, says Felice Gersh, MD, an OB-GYN and founder/director of the Integrative Medical Group of Irvine.

"They often start low in the body, with a rising sensation of heat enveloping the chest and then the entire body and head and face," Gersh says.

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Symptoms of hot flashes include:

  • Flushed, red, and blotchy skin
  • Sweating
  • Rapid heartbeat
  • A sudden feeling of warmth that moves up your body
  • Feelings of anxiety

The length of a hot flash varies by person, but in general, they typically last anywhere from 30 seconds to 10 minutes.

Causes of hot flashes

The exact cause of menopausal hot flashes is not yet fully understood.

One theory is that the lower levels of estrogen that come with menopause may affect the way your brain regulates body temperature, says Donna Gin Baick, MD, an OB-GYN with UCI Health and an associate clinical professor at the UCI School of Medicine.

Non-menopausal people can also experience hot flashes caused by:

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Hot flash triggers

A hot flash can occur out of nowhere for no apparent reason, Baick says, but there are some triggers that may also bring one on. These include:

  • Any activity that raises your heart rate, like exercise
  • Stress
  • Hot weather
  • Spicy food or drinks
  • Alcohol
  • Wearing tight clothing

Hot flashes at night

Hormone levels fluctuate throughout the day and for some people these fluctuations are more intense at night, causing more severe hot flashes (often referred to as night sweats) when you're trying to sleep, Gersh says.

Baick recommends the following tips for relief from night sweats:

  • Wear light, breathable clothing
  • Keep a fan near your bed
  • Place a glass of cool water on your nightstand to drink if a night sweat wakes you up
  • Try a "cooling pillow" made with special material that stays cool while you sleep

Quick fixes for hot flashes

Sometimes hot flashes can be managed with some simple lifestyle changes. Baick recommends the following tips for getting quick relief from hot flashes:

  • Wear light, breathable clothing in layers you can easily remove
  • Keep a portable fan with you
  • Lightly mist your face with a squirt bottle when you feel a hot flash coming on
  • Lower the temperature in your house

Some women also find that increasing their consumption of plant estrogens, or isoflavones, helps reduce hot flashes, Gersh says. These foods are thought to have a weak estrogen-like effect that may help balance hormones and reduce the severity or frequency of hot flashes.

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Examples of plant estrogens include:

  • Chickpeas
  • Soybeans
  • Flaxseed
  • Lentils

How to treat hot flashes

If hot flashes are negatively affecting your life, and lifestyle changes are not helpful in managing symptoms, you might want to explore the option of hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

HRT works to relieve hot flashes by balancing and restoring the reduced levels of estrogen affiliated with menopause, Gersh says. This stabilizes the thermoregulatory centers of the brain to reduce hot flashes.

HRT is available in many forms, including pills, patches, or vaginal creams. The three main types of HRT include:

  • Estrogen-only. This type of treatment typically comes in pill or patch form and doctors often prescribe them at low doses to be taken daily.
  • Progestin-only. Some women may take progestin-only medications in addition to estrogen-only treatments. Progestin-only treatment options come in pill form and are also generally given in daily low doses, Gersh says.
  • A combination of estrogen and progestin. Just as the name suggests, these medications combine doses of estrogen and progestin and typically come in pill or patch form.

There are some other drugs that have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat hot flashes, like the antidepressant, paroxetine.

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Both hormone therapy and other drugs that may help with hot flashes come with different risks and benefits, so talk with your health care provider about the best course of treatment for you.

Insider's takeaway

Hot flashes are a common symptom of menopause, caused by reduced levels of estrogen that affect the parts of the brain that regulate body temperature.

A hot flash may cause red and blotchy skin, sweating, and an increased heart rate. Most hot flashes last anywhere from 30 seconds to 10 minutes.

To get relief from hot flashes, try wearing layers of light, breathable clothing, and carrying around a portable fan. If hot flashes are negatively impacting your life, talk with your doctor about hormone replacement therapy or other medications that may help.

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