Hot flushes

85% of women who experience symptoms of peri/menopause will know about hot flushes.

They are far & away the most common symptom of declining sex hormones. We are not entirely sure of what the exact mechanism is behind the creeping, overwhelming heat that can have us throwing off the bed clothes, open windows & peeling off layers, but the boffins are working on a remedy & we should all have shares in whichever pharma company cracks the nut first!

In the meantime, there are a number of physical, emotional & practical steps you can take which are proven to at least reduce the incidence of hot flushes, if not stop them entirely.

1) First & foremost (& I do bang on about it a lot), but you must find some way to manage your stress. I am not suggesting that we can all do away with our stress triggers. Most of can’t walk away from our jobs, partners, kids, family, financial concerns etc, but we can all better manage our responses to the stresses in our lives. High stress = more flushes & a cr@ppier menopause. You owe it to yourself to find some way to mentally/emotionally take a step back. Exercise, meditation, yoga, breath work, crafting, NLP, EFT, hypnotherapy, whatever. Find what works for you.

2) Move your body. Get outdoors. Metabolise those stress hormones & expend that blood sugar. Allow your body to find a state of equilibrium.

3) Avoid: spicy food, hot drinks, alcohol, tight clothing, rushing around, stuffy environments where you have no control over your surroundings.

4) Opt for: cold drinks, loose & light layers, sitting next to a window (where possible), having a workstation or portable fan, being prepared & ahead of time.

5) Keep a cool bedroom & switch the blankets or duvet for lightweight, cotton sheets. Take a cold-water bottle to bed. Cooling pillows are available & cooling gel packs. Ditch the pjs or switch to light cotton bed clothes.

6) Counterintuitively, a warm to hot bath before bed can help. Firstly, it will relax us (don’t forget the magnesium salts). & secondly, a hot bath will draw heat away from our core towards our extremities where the heat is dissipated, thus cooling us down.

7) Approach your GP about access to local CBT provision. Cognitive behavioural therapy has demonstrated some success in challenging unhelpful perceptions towards menopause symptoms & alteration of both our experience of the symptoms & how we perceive them.

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