Tricks, lifestyle changes and drugs to help you chill out.
Hot flashes experienced by women around the time of menopause are usually described as a sudden onset of a warm feeling in the face, neck, and chest, which can last from a few seconds to several minutes. For some women, they are accompanied by nausea, headache, insomnia, fatigue, perspiration, and/or palpitations, all of which may increase discomfort and anxiety. Some women may feel cold afterward.
When hot flashes are severe, frequent, or occur during the night (known as night sweats), they often disrupt a woman’s quality of life, affecting her sexual, family, social, and work life. Hot flashes are the chief menopause complaint that leads women to seek medical treatment. Some begin experiencing hot flashes when the menstrual cycle is still regular or just becoming irregular -- usually just before a period, but the range of patterns varies from woman to woman and for the same woman at different times over her menopausal transition.
Several options are available to relieve hot flashes and improve a woman’s quality of life:
Fix No. 1. Make some lifestyle changes. Some strategies that may help to reduce hot flashes include: weight loss if a woman is overweight, regular physical exercise (at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise four times a week, but note that exercise can also trigger hot flashes in some women). Try a relaxation technique called rhythmic breathing or paced respiration--taking low, deep, abdominal breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth. Avoid any personal triggers such as smoking, spicy foods, hot foods or beverages, caffeine, and alcohol. Also steer clear of diet pills, saunas, very hot showers, and emotional situations that cause intense stress or anxiety.
Fix No. 2. Keep cool. The idea is to keep your core body temperature low. Turn down the thermostat by using a ceiling fan or air conditioning. Keep a portable fan at work and by the bed. Dress in layers; wear cotton, linen, or rayon, and avoid wool, synthetic clothes, and silk. Stick to open-necked shirts. Wear cotton nightclothes, get a bigger bed if you and your partner are on different “heat planets,” and take a cool shower before bed. Keep ice water at hand to cool down from the inside.
