Hot Flash

A hot flash is an abrupt, intense, flushing sensation on your face and upper body that occurs as part of menopause.

Hot flushes can also be accompanied by sweating, nausea, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, and extreme anxiety.

Typically caused by menopausal hormonally changes, hot flashes can unfortunately last for years.

Natural Remedies for Hot Flash:

Lifestyle changes, medication, and diet can make significant impact on the frequency and severity of a hot flash. Below are listed a few things you can try.

Use Soy to Treat Hot Flashes:

One of the most popular natural remedies used to treat hot flashes is soy. Whether you add more to your diet, or take soy-based supplements intended specifically for hot flashes; soy and soy byproducts can help with night sweats and the other symptoms associated with hot flashes. Soy products include tofu, soy milk, soy nuts, and soy supplements.

Dress for Hot Flashes:

Just accept that this is part of your life for now and always dress in layers. This way you can peel them off as you get hot, and put them back on as the hot flash passes.

Avoid clothing like turtlenecks or sweaters and sweatshirts that pull over your head. You’ll pass out from heat prostration before the day is done, they take too long to get off, and they mess up the hairdo. Also avoid wool, synthetic, and silk. This means that for the duration you are left with linen, cotton, or rayon open-neck shirts.

Wear loose cotton pajamas or a nightgown to bed. If you get night sweats it is easier to change your nightclothes then it is to change the bed sheets. During this stage of your life you are better off with cotton sheets than you are with synthetics. The synthetic fabric against your skin will only make it worse.

Keep Cool:

Sometimes easier said than done. If you have a paper fan or little hand held battery operated fan in your purse it will help when the hot flash strikes. Sipping on ice water will help keep your insides cool, and turning down the thermostat helps the outside.

Diet, Exercise, and Relaxation Techniques:

Diet:

A low fat diet can eventually help some women minimize hot flashes. If you are overweight it will help lessen the impact of hot flashes if you loose a little. However, if you are too thin, you might need to gain some weight to help lesson symptoms as being too thin can make the hot flashes worse.

Hot flashes can cause your body to loose vitamin C, E, and B. You can also loose calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Eating foods that are high in these nutrients or taking a nutritional supplement might provide some relief from the severity of the hot flashes.

Some foods that can help are spinach, papaya, and sunflower seeds. Add flaxseed (ground, seed, oil) to yogurts, sprinkle seeds on tops of salads, use the oil to mix in salad dressings, use the seeds as a topping on your garlic bread, you can pretty much put flax in just about anything.

Exercise:

Another remedy for fighting hot flashes is to increase your level of activity. This can be done by adding 10 minutes of yoga a day, parking farther away from the stores entrance, and making sure you take the stairs instead of the elevator whenever possible. Exercise is believed to reduce the occurrence of hot flashes.

Relaxation Techniques:

There are other techniques that can help ease the stress caused by hot flashes. More stress more hot flashes until it becomes a vicious circle. Try relaxation techniques that include deep breathing exercises. This will also help increase your oxygen intake, which will also help fight hot flashes.

Besides deep breathing, utilize meditation, massage, and visualization techniques to help your body minimize the effect of the hot flashes.

Other Lifestyle Changes:

  • Avoid coffee if you can. If not, stop drinking it early in the afternoon.
  • If you own a pillow top mattress you may find that it's harder to cool off because the mattress is softer and more of your body surface is in contact with the mattress and holding in heat. Therefore when you have a hot flash and throw the covers off, you are still left with a surface that hasn't cooled down completely.
  • Some say taking a cool shower right before bed will help fight nighttime hot flashes.
  • Cut back on smoking or better yet, quite if you can.