Rather than cooling yourself, it can be more useful to keep the ambient temperature consistent and avoid hot and cold fluctuations. For example, if you go to sleep with the air conditioning down low, you may find you get cold and need extra blankets. This may then trigger a hot flash (blankets off), sweats, and a chill (blankets on).
Wear natural fibers
We know that restrictive clothes can trigger hot flashes, but so can synthetic materials. These clothes are ‘sweatier’, trapping your body heat and triggering hot flashes. Even a small increase in your body temperature may be enough to trigger a hot flash.
Natural fibers such as cotton and wool help your body breathe, and are much gentler on the skin if you do experience a hot flash.
Try hypnotherapy for hot flashes
Hypnotherapy has been shown to reduce hot flashes by up to 80%, which is more effective than any other non-medicated hot flash management tool.
A hypnotherapy session can be done in-person with a qualified therapist, or on-demand, in the comfort of your own space, through a hypnotherapy app.
During a session, you’ll be taken through relaxation exercises, and while your body relaxes, your mind will retain a focused state of attention. When you’re in this state you’ll listen to cooling visualizations and suggestions about how your body will be able to manage hot flashes, and how they will bother you less, and less.
Not only do the sessions give your body time to relax, and feel cool, but also help to adjust how your brain reacts to normal temperatures.
Relax your way out
Many women report that some positive side-effects of hypnotherapy are a feeling of calmness and a reduction in anxiety⸺a key trigger for hot flashes.
When you experience a hot flash, your sympathetic nervous system (your fight or flight setting) is engaged. By contrast, hypnotherapy engages your parasympathetic nervous system (your rest and digest setting). This helps you to slow your heart rate and feel calm.
Some people, after practice, are able to take the relaxation techniques they learn through hypnotherapy and apply them when they are in a situation they feel may trigger a hot flash. This is called self-hypnosis and is one technique that can be used to quickly slow and stop the biological events that typically lead to a hot flash,
There are, of course, other activities you can do to help promote a feeling of calmness such as mindfulness meditation, yoga, and cognitive behavior therapy.
You may also want to consider making changes to your lifestyle. Perhaps now is the time to say ‘no’ to extra responsibilities, and make sure you prioritize ‘you’ time.
Sleep better
Good sleep is everything. But unfortunately, many women experience hot flashes (known as night sweats) through the night.
Without good quality sleep, fatigue, anxiety, and stress all build. Not only do these affect your quality of life, but they can also trigger more hot flashes.
It can become a vicious cycle⸺your night sweats disrupt your sleep, your fatigue may then exacerbate feelings of stress and anxiety, which in turn may trigger more hot flashes that continue to disturb your sleep.
There are a few things you can do to help improve your sleep and avoid night sweats. These include:
Wear thin, loose-fitting clothing in bed
Keep an ambient temperature in your room
Avoid food and alcohol triggers at night, such as caffeine, alcohol, and spicy food
Lower your stress levels through meditation, yoga, or hypnotherapy sleep sessions.
Consider hormone replacement therapy
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) isn’t suitable for everyone, and many women prefer not to manage their hot flashes through prescription drugs. However, it may be worth talking to your doctor about whether this treatment is right for you, especially if you are experiencing other menopause symptoms such as vaginal dryness or lowered libido.
Keep in mind that all the hot flash management techniques we’ve discussed today can be used simultaneously. There is nothing stopping you from making lifestyle changes, trying hypnotherapy, and discussing HRT with your doctor. And even if HRT is not the right option for you, your doctor will still be able to look at your health history holistically and can advise on ways forward.
The Wrap Up
Hot flashes are a common symptom of menopause. While they can be hard to stop once they have begun, there are plenty of things you can do to reduce their frequency and severity. This includes making lifestyle changes like avoiding food and drink triggers, wearing loose, natural fibre clothes and avoiding cooling yourself unnaturally in anticipation of hot flashes. You can also manage your hot flashes through hypnotherapy and hormone replacement therapy. Your doctor can also advise you on management techniques that are appropriate for you.
References
Avis NE, Crawford SL, Greendale G, et al. Duration of Menopausal Vasomotor Symptoms Over the Menopause Transition. JAMA Intern Med. 2015;175(4):531–539. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.8063
Elkins G, Marcus J, Stearns V, Perfect M, Rajab MH, Ruud C, Palamara L, Keith T. Randomized trial of a hypnosis intervention for treatment of hot flashes among breast cancer survivors. J Clin Oncol. 2008 Nov 1;26(31):5022-6. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2008.16.6389. Epub 2008 Sep 22. PMID: 18809612; PMCID: PMC2652097.
Elkins GR, Fisher WI, Johnson AK, Carpenter JS, Keith TZ. Clinical hypnosis in the treatment of postmenopausal hot flashes: a randomized controlled trial. Menopause. 2013;20(3):291-298. doi:10.1097/gme.0b013e31826ce3ed
Freedman RR. Menopausal hot flashes: mechanisms, endocrinology, treatment. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2014 Jul;142:115-20. doi: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2013.08.010. Epub 2013 Sep 4. PMID: 24012626; PMCID: PMC4612529.
Menopause FAQs: Hot Flashes. The North American Menopause Society. Updated 2021. Accessed October 15 2021. https://www.menopause.org/for-women/menopause-faqs-hot-flashes
What is Menopause. National Institute on Aging. Updated 30 September 2021. Accessed 14 October 2021. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/what-menopause
