Coping With Hot Flashes

You May Call Me, Your Highness

Finally, you don't have to worry about the possibility of another bundle of joy making a surprise entrance. Your status as Queen of Reproduction has changed to simply, Your Highness, and everything in your world is undergoing some sort of major shift. One of the most noticeable pieces of evidence is the way the room suddenly turns into a sauna with little or no warning. Suddenly, you're running from window to window, throwing open the shutters. It's a hot flash.

What The Heck Is Happening To Me?

What exactly is a hot flash? Good question. Doctors say that it is a vasomotor symptom, in other words, your body's cooling system has gone wonky. The result is that your body thinks you're overheated and communicates with the blood vessels to get into action and cool this lady down. So, whether you are overheated or not, it's working and suddenly you feel like you've stepped into a fire-breathing dragon's mouth.

How Can I Cool Down?

Now that HRT is not so popular, women are looking to other methods of cooling off during this experience. There are all kinds of natural hormone treatments coming into their own now and new research is providing ways you can help stop a heat wave without the use of hormones. We have some ideas you might consider as possibilities to help you deal with this delightful time of life.

Starting with the outside, remember that it is often more than a heavy jacket that can make you feel like you are cooking. Even very lightweight clothing can stick to your moist body if it is made from synthetic materials like polyester, nylon, and rayon. Stick to natural fibers like cotton and linen and even silk. They all breathe and release heat rather than trap it.

There's More Then One Way To Cool Off

You guessed it; exercise is an important way to deal with hot flashes. The North American Menopause Society says that women who exercise regularly during menopause have fewer hot flashes, and the length of time of the flashes they do get is shorter. Not only that, but it helps to maintain a healthy weight.

Cool down with cold water in the form of compresses at the back of the neck, inside of the wrists, the bend in the elbow, and (if nobody is around) at the pulse points of the groin. You can stop a hot flash quickly by simply bringing your body temperature down this way. You would think we'd have that figured out, now, wouldn't you?

Speaking of cool-that goes for your environment as well. One study showed that women who worked in cool environments suffered less with hot flashes than those who did not. So, crank up the air conditioning or point the fan in your direction to keep hot flashes at bay.