Stop Hot Flashes Once and For All

Hot flashes are one of the most common and troublesome symptoms of menopause, with many sufferers desperate to find a quick and effective solution. Hot flashes can be particularly troublesome if the sudden body heat interferes with your daily activities or sleep.

What Causes Hot Flashes?

No one knows for sure exactly what causes a hot flash. Some scientists believe that changes in estrogen, the female hormone, during menopause cause the brain’s thermostat to stop functioning properly, stimulating sudden waves of heat. While there are other medical issues that may also be triggered by a loss of estrogen, these issues do not necessarily cause hot flashes.

What Does a Hot Flash Feel Like?

One of the most common sensations women describe is a warmth in the face and the body’s upper regions. Women also report redness in the face, excessive sweating and even chills after a hot flash episode. Another complaint may be an irregular heartbeat. Many women see their doctor if the sweating and heat interfere with their ability to sleep. If the problem continues, the woman could encounter memory problems as well as severe mood swings. These may all be added complications of untreated hot flashes.

Lifestyle Changes to Stop Hot Flashes

Research indicates that one of the most effective ways to address the symptoms of menopause, including hot flashes, is to make lifestyle modifications and to use natural ingredients for optimal effect. When these two options are adopted together, the positive results are significantly life changing.

The kind of lifestyle changes we recommend include:

Smoking is one factor that can increase the chances of menopausal hot flashes. You can reduce hot flashes and avoid serious health problems simply by quitting smoking.

Furthermore, overweight women are more likely to experience menopause symptoms than women of healthy weight. Women of African descent have a greater chance of getting hot flashes compared to white, Chinese, or Japanese women.

Taking care of your body and becoming smoke-free lowers your chances of suffering frequent temperature fluctuations, heart problems, stroke, or cancer. Eat a healthy diet, and avoid triggers that can cause hot flashes such as alcohol, caffeinated beverages, and spicy foods. These foods can cause heat and sweating, so it may be a good time to cut down on them.

Finally, dress in layers so that when the internal temperature fluctuations begin you can take off the layers as needed to keep yourself cool. Explore some of the different relaxation techniques such as meditation or yoga to ease stress and help with sleeplessness as well.

All of the above are a great start, but for long term benefits and more effective treatment, you should explore the possibility of a natural nutritional supplement which would target both the root causes as well as address the symptoms.

Medical Interventions

Despite the unclear results and negative effects of hormone replacement therapy, it still continues to be one of the most common prescription treatments for menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes. Some doctors recommend antidepressants also like fluoxetine, venlafaxine, or paroxetine, for certain patients. Other drugs your doctor may  prescribe include gabpentin or clonidine. However, approach medical treatments with caution, since many of them may cause unwanted side effects and other negative reactions, including long term damage.

The need for a natural solution has never been so important for you.

Conclusion

There are many natural ingredients that can help you. Choosing an effective supplement should focus on the quality of ingredients included in the formula which should preferably be backed by scientific studies and a manufacturer that provides transparent and concise information to help you better understand what their product can do for both the short term and long benefit. After all, if you can do it naturally, without side effects, why not? Read our Top 5 to discover which natural supplements will help eliminate your menopause suffering and get rid of your hot flashes.

What Menopause Feels Like

Menopause is an inevitable time in a woman’s life. It occurs after the reproductive cycle is over, caused when the ovaries stop producing female hormones. When the ovaries cease their hormonal function, the whole body experiences a vast array of changes. These can vary in intensity; however, almost every woman will experience at least one of the many menopause symptoms as she embarks on this new chapter in her life.

Be aware that all these changes as you go through menopause are a result of the reduced levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. These hormones are necessary for ovulation, and a balanced level of them, in adequate amounts, keep many of the body’s functions and processes under control.

Early Stages of Menopause

The early stage of menopause is known as perimenopause. During this stage, the levels of estrogen and progesterone gradually decrease and the symptoms of menopause begin to appear. However, they are not as intense as they are when the ovaries stop producing hormones entirely. There may be occasional monthly bleeding during perimenopause. This monthly pattern of bleeding varies from woman to woman. You may experience a total lack of menses for a number of months, which is then followed by a heavy menstrual cycle. In other instances, you may notice blood clots, which can be terrifying (but normal). Other women may experience sporadic, light bleeding. All these are characteristics of this period of transition.

Unlike perimenopause, when you hit complete menopause, the menses stop permanently. Furthermore, the loss of the female hormones of estrogen and progesterone prevents a woman from conceiving or sustaining pregnancy, even if an egg released accidentally had been fertilized. Intercourse itself can become painful and unpleasant due to vaginal dryness, another one of menopause’s many symptoms, also linked to lower estrogen levels. Because of this, many women lose interest in sex and grow reluctant to engage in it because sex can be more painful than it is pleasurable.

Menopause Symptoms

Many other symptoms of menopause can be quite unpleasant. Hot flashes and night sweats are additional issues a menopausal woman will face. These again are a result of hormonal imbalance. Some women have no problems with hot flashes while others experience hot flashes severe enough to require medical treatment. Hormonal changes in our bodies subsequently can trigger emotional symptoms, including: sudden attacks of anxiety or anger, recurring emotional outbursts, and mood swings. None of these may have existed before the onset of menopause.

Finally, as a woman enters menopause, she enters a time of life when she is more susceptible to osteoporosis. While not every menopausal woman suffers from a softening of the bones, most women do need calcium supplements or medication to improve their bone strength and to prevent fractures.

Fortunately, our medical technology has found a number of solutions to menopausal symptoms, some completely natural, others more pharmaceutical. Both approaches help lessen or eradicate altogether the most unbearable symptoms of menopause.

The Transition into Menopause

Perimenopause is sometimes called menopause transition. It is the stage in a woman’s reproductive life that starts years before the complete onset of menopause, when the ovaries gradually produce less estrogen.  Perimenopause normally begins in the 40s, but there are women who begin this phase as early as their 30s.

Perimenopause lasts until the ovaries have fully stopped releasing eggs — which is when actual menopause starts.  In the final few years of the perimenopausal stage, the drop in estrogen increases. This is what causes the symptoms of menopause. Ordinarily perimenopause lasts around four years, but some women may only experience it for months, while for others it may last as long as ten years.

Every woman is unique.  After you have gone for twelve months without a menstrual cycle then perimenopause is complete, and you have reached full menopause.

Symptoms of Perimenopause

Common symptoms of perimenopause include:

• Hot flashes
• Irregular periods
• Tenderness of the breasts
• Lower sex drive
• Mood swings
• Fatigue
• Vaginal Dryness
• Difficulty Sleeping
• Having to urinate more frequently
• Leaking urine when sneezing or coughing

While it is normal to have irregular periods during perimenopause, there can be a number of other medical issues that can also cause irregular periods. See your doctor if your periods become heavier or last longer than usual, if you are spotting between periods, if you are spotting after sex, or if your periods are happening more frequently. Make sure that there are no other underlying medical conditions that could be causing these symptoms.

Be cautious about sex during this phase, because it’s still possible to get pregnant even while undergoing perimenopause. Continue using protection until you have hit full menopause (not having a menstrual cycle for one full year).

Ask your physician about all the options available to you to treat your perimenopause symptoms. These options include pharmaceutical medications as well as natural treatments. These all can help keep symptoms at bay or, at the very least, reduce their severity and frequency.

For instance, your doctor may prescribe low dose oral contraceptives to regulate your periods and help reduce the hot flashes and night sweats . But you should also ask your doctor about other, more natural ways to lessen the symptoms of perimenopause. You can try many simple tactics like exercising more, eating a healthier diet, and taking vitamin supplements. Before you begin any treatment, however, check with your doctor to make sure you are choosing the right treatment option for you.