This is one of the easiest conditions to detect because of the many symptoms related to it. If you would like to learn about the condition, this article will give you all the necessary details that you need to know in order to understand the situation better.
Definition
This can be defined as a condition where in a woman feels certain symptoms that may lead to being flushed and sweating all over her body. This is one of the many symptoms of menopause that you need to watch out for as a woman. If you want the extra precautions, it would be best for you to go to your doctor right away so that he or she will know how to handle the situation properly.
Major Symptoms
In addition to this, it is also important for you to know the symptoms of hot flashes. There are some of the major symptoms of hot flashes as follows.
- Sudden, intensely hot feeling on your face
- Rapid heartbeat
- Intensity in the upper body
- Headache
- Weakness
- Suffocation
- Dizziness
In addition to the upper mentioned symptoms, it is also notable that most women with hot flashes feeling anxious right before having the episode. This is when the face would turn red and the woman perspires heavily. Furthermore, hot flashes can cause women to have a moist upper lip. Aside from these, chills can also be felt as the episode nears the end.
The Specific Causes of Hot Flashes
There are many causes that can be attributed to hot flashes. However, there is one major causes that can play a significant role in the development of hot flashes in a woman. These are the hormonal changes that happen during menopause.
The low estrogen levels can directly affect a woman’s hypothalamus which is directly responsible for sleep cycles as well as the appetite of a patient. It can also be responsible for your sex hormones or lack thereof as well as your body temperature.
Because of the sudden changes in a woman’s hormonal functioning, the messages are transmitted to the nervous system as well as the other parts of the body. The brain will ask the body to get rid of the heat that will be felt because of low hormonal levels.
Because of this, your body would go into overdrive. The heart will pump blood faster than before. It will also release various amounts of chemicals that can affect your mood and behavior. Because of the body generating more blood, it can make you feel even hotter and make you sweat even more.
This is the reason why your body gets confused. Because of the disorientation, you may feel a certain amount of discomfort as well. This is because your body’s cooling down mechanisms have gone awry. You feel all sweaty during the middle of a meeting in a cold conference room or chilled at night before you go to bed. The sudden changes in temperature can be confusing not only for your physical body but your mind as well.
Risk factors
Fortunately, you’re not alone in this condition. There are a lot of women who get these episodes more often than you think. Statistically speaking, 85% of women who approach menopause experience these episodes. It occurs usually during the first and second year after the period stops. Fortunately, as time passes the intensity of the events will decrease.
If you have physical ailments such as breast cancer, you can have the same pattern of hot flashes as any other woman but there is a chance that it will be more intense and longer lasting. It can also be that your body has failed to adjust properly to menopause.
Various Triggers
The key to avoiding various triggers as they are related to hot flashes would be to keep a record of when, why and where they happen. In addition to this, it will also help for you to avoid any stressful situations as much as possible. Reducing stress will help you prevent sweat from overtaking your body in the most inopportune times of the day. Here is a list of various other figures that you can avoid in the future.
- Alcohol
- Caffeine
- Hot Weather
- Spicy Food
- Hot Food
- Diet Pills
- Hot Rooms
- Hot Tubs
- Saunas
- Smoking
- Hot Showers
- Hot Beds
Different Treatment Methods
There are various ways for you to try and prevent the effects of hot flashes for your body. These are as follows.
- First, always remember to dress in layers. This way, you can always take off one layer of clothing after the other as you feel warmer.
- Next, you should always try to wear cotton as much as possible. Cotton lets your body breathe by allowing air to circulate through the clothing.
- In addition, taking a cold shower before bed can help your body cool down and prevent sweating.
- To add to this, increasing your activity at home can also reduce effects of hot flashes and the symptoms as well. It can also reduce the other symptoms related to a hot flashes and get old such as mood swings and insomnia.
Reducing Stress as A Way to Get Rid Of Hot Flashes
As mentioned earlier, reducing stress can also reduce hot flashes. Therefore, making an effort to relax each day can also help give you the extreme comfort that you would need from hot flashes. How can you reduce stress? Here are some additional tips.
- Meditation
- Hypnosis
- Yoga
- Massages
- Acupuncture
In addition to this, losing weight has also been known to reduce hot flashes. It will help the body cool down because of the lower levels of fat inside the body.
These are just some of the major solutions that you can consider if you would want to reduce hot flashes. Just remember that it would help greatly if you are able to ask your doctor about these procedures before each item so that you would not end up being at worse condition than you already are before doing any of these tasks for your body.
Shan is an accomplished writer and blogger. His blog Healthresource4u.com talks about different health related topics. He loves to write about women’s fitness related topic like hymen, yeast Infection in women etc.