Hot flushes can be daunting at any time of year, but when you are either living in a hot climate, or feeling particularly stressed, then your body can seem to be conspiring to turn you into a heated puddle!

Hot flushes can start as a slight feeling of warmth but within minutes you are in your own personal tropical zone and we all know how uncomfortable, and sometimes embarrassing, that red face and sweaty body can be.

What causes hot flushes?

You need never feel alone with this as it is estimated that they occur in more than two-thirds of women during perimenopause/menopause. Also experienced by almost all women with a surgically induced menopause from a hysterectomy, or those who have gone into premature menopause for medical reasons.

The truth is that although we can put a man on the moon we don’t actually really know for certain what causes a woman to have a hot flush, but it may be related to changes in circulation.

They happen when the blood vessels near the skin’s surface dilate to cool and this is what is responsible for that red, flushed look in the face. In addition to the face, the body can start sweating to cool you down and sometimes women also experience a rapid heart rate or chills.

If you were hoping they were confined to menopause this sadly is not true – many pregnant women for instance also experience them – as one cause is clearly the fluctuation of hormones in the body.

Unfortunately although some lucky women only experience them for a very short time but  others have them – at least to some degree – for life as an increasing number of post menopausal women could testify.

The ‘slightly’ good news is that generally they are less severe as time passes, but because of the prevalence of oestrogen dominance women post menopause are also reporting that they are still suffering.

What can make flushes worse?

Every woman will have their own personal triggers, but there are some that are common to most of us.

1. Stress is the major culprit, and ironically just worrying about having a flush can bring one on. If certain situations always stress you such as arguments, or trying to do too much for instance, then they can all play havoc with your hormones.

There is virtually no function in your body that stress does not affect so action is needed to identify the problem and take preventive action where you can.

One tip that can help is to utilise the calming effect bioidentical progesterone has: you might want to dab a little on the inside of your wrist when you start to feel pressured.

2. What you eat and drink can also make a huge difference to whether you are going to experience a hot flush. Some are obvious, like avoiding spicy, hot food – however much you love Indian or Thai cuisine – but others are not always so clear.

Even a slight allergic response or intolerance to a certain food such as gluten or artificial sweeteners can  bring on a flush so keeping a food diary may help here.

Alcohol certainly affects many women and brings on a flush, as does caffeine. Avoiding coffee is not difficult, but there are many other sources such as chocolate and colas, energy drinks etc – many of which are very high in caffeine – avoiding those with ‘max’ in the title is usually a good idea.

If you are a smoker too you are more likely to experience hot flushes and there has also been a link suggested between diet pills and hot flushes as menopausal women try to shift the extra weight that can come at this time.

3. The environment also makes a difference as being in a too warm room, particularly the bedroom, can trigger a flush as can wearing clothing that is too tight so that heat is trapped against the body.

Also don’t forget about environmental triggers such as chemical ingredients in household and bathroom cleansers as well as pesticides and growth promotors used in agriculture so look for organic and natural products where you can.

Possible treatments

There are certainly no shortage of medications that are being used for hot flushes, but many women find them unacceptable because of their side effects.

You may be offered HRT, blood pressure medication, birth control pills, antidepressants, ibuprofen or synthetic hormones.

For most women the most effective method is to get oestrogen dominance under control and then to rebalance their hormones with bioidentical progesterone or a combination of progesterone and natural oestrogen if flushes are severe.

Herbal and homoeopathic supplements and vitamins can also help so include B complex and vitamin E and a specially designed menopause herbal supplement like Wellsprings Menopause Capsules which can be used alone or to enhance the effect of bioidentical creams.

This is also effective for women who cannot have oestrogen because of family history or risk and works best combined with Serenity progesterone cream.

There are simple methods such as carrying a fan, always wearing loose clothing and going for natural rather than synthetic fibres that will all help keep you cooler.

If bedtime is a problem – and when isn’t it with hot flushes – then investigate if cooling gel pillow inserts, cool  pads, or even putting your pillow case in the fridge in a plastic bag before bedtime as that has been helpful for many women.

Helpful information:

One of the major problems with hot flushes and night sweats is the way they can seriously disrupt your sleep, and that has a major impact on your health.

If you are finding your symptoms are severe, then you may find that progesterone alone will not be sufficient and you may be better to have a combination cream with both oestrogen and progesterone.

If you feel that your sleep is still being affected then you could consider having some herbal help from Wellsprings sleep capsules to get you back on track and this article can help too.

https://anna.blog.wellsprings-health.com/how-to-help-yourself-after-a-bad-nights-sleep/