What causes hot flashes and how to get quick and easy relief
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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.
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.
Symptoms of hot flashes include:
The length of a hot flash varies by person, but in general, they typically last anywhere from 30 seconds to 10 minutes.
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:
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:
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:
Sometimes hot flashes can be managed with some simple lifestyle changes. Baick recommends the following tips for getting quick relief from hot flashes:
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.
Examples of plant estrogens include:
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:
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.
Both hormone therapy and other drugs that may help with hot flashes come with different risks and benefits, so talk with your
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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