Tips For Dealing With Hot Flashes
When menopause comes knocking, it leads to a transitional phase in a woman's life. Some handle menopause quite smoothly while for others, the trip is extremely bumpy. In short, women experience menopause in different ways. Even professionals will tell you that. So for women who are about enter this stage of their lives, asking "what will I expect" will be met with the generic answer "it all depends".
One thing for sure that comes along with menopause are hot flashes. For women who are already at their menopausal stage, the majority agree that this is the most common and most irritable symptom. The term "flash" is used because women report a flushed feeling around the face and neck areas. Some feel it all over the body. And it is accompanied by profuse sweating.
Just by reading the symptoms can make a person feel very uncomfortable already . So what can be done to alleviate this condition?Up until now, the scientific understanding of hot flashes is still mixed. However many seem to agree that as estrogen levels are depleted due to natural aging, the hypothalamus somehow releases a substance that triggers thermoregulatory instability.
The hypothalamus is the area in the brain that regulates several functions including body temperature. As the hypothalamus somehow becomes confused, signals are sent to the rest of the body of a sudden need to discharge heat in order to stablize what it perceives as a change in body temperature. Other effects include sleep disruption at night, changes in blood pressure, palpitation, and anxiety.
There are two basic areas that a woman should address in order to cope with hot flashes that much more easily. These two areas are basically:
- Diet; and
- Behavior
Under diet, here are the do's and don't's:
- Avoid excessively spicy foods;
- Avoid caffeine or alcohol;
- Drink lots of water;
- Avoid dairy products like milk or cheeses. If you really need milk, switch to soy milk;
- Concentrate on whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and beans;
- Eliminate processed or "junk" food;
- Take supplements.
With regards to behavior, you may need to alter some of your daily habits. These may include the following:
- Dress in light or layered clothing. When you feel a hot flash coming, you can shed some of the clothes, and then put them back on if there is a sudden chill;
- Use cotton bed linens. You may also keep some chilled water and a fan next to your bed at night;
- Try to eliminate unnecessary stress in your daily routine;
- Practice deep breathing, get a massage, or even practice yoga. These all help to reduce stress;
- Practice self-control in terms of your dietary habits;
- Exercise regularly;
- Avoid smoking, hot tubs, and saunas;
- Avoid diet pills;
- Don't lose your sense of humor.
Menopause can indeed be a tough time for many. But with a little effort and a firm decision on your part to go on with life and not let the side effects of menopause affect you, these bumps can be overcome. Take particular note of the last tip. Laughter never fails to take anybody through tough times.
