20 Ways To Help Combat Night Sweats and Hot Flashes
- 2 million women turning 50 every year…yes prime menopause age.
- The average age of menopause is 51
- 85% of all women going through menopause report having hot flashes and night sweats.
- Over 75 million baby boomers and more than half of them women
With these statistics, that’s a lot of heat to go around. There are many reasons for night sweats and hot flashes …chemotherapy, certain medications, thyroid condition, diabetes, obesity, Andropause( male menopause) and anxiety to name a few. The primary reason for hot flashes and other thermal regulation problems in women are the hormonal fluctuations which occur just before menopause and during menopause. When the hot flashes occur at night, many women complain of sleep disruption. To help provide relief to female menopausal baby boomers below is a list of top twenty safe and natural things to do to help combat night sweats and hot flashes:
1). Avoid spicy foods. Spicy foods generate heat.
2). Cut caffeine because it is can trigger night sweats and hot flashes by raising heart rate and blood pressure
3). Steer clear of sweets because sugar increases your metabolism and in turn generates heat.
4). Avoid alcohol particularly at bedtime because it causes hormone levels to spike and drop suddenly, thus leading to hot flashes.
5). Review your prescription and over the counter medications with your doctor because some medications can cause sweating.
6). Try black cohash and/or Omega 3 supplements. Some researchers tell us that these supplements could lessen the severity of hot flashes and night sweats.
7). Increase your consumption of soybean products. Researchers have found that women who eat 35-40 milligrams of plant estrogen a day in the form of tofu, soymilk and other soy products seem to experience fewer hot flashes and night sweat episodes.
8). If you are overweight, losing body fat has been shown to dramatically reduce the severity of night sweats and hot flashes. Specifically for nightsweats….
9). Be consistent with your bedtime each night. This will get your body conditioned to understand when it is time to sleep and when it is time to wake 10). Wear micro-fiber pajamas or nightgowns with wicking and quick drying properties. Wicking pajamas pull the moisture away from your skin, through the fabric and then dry rapidly to keep you cool and dry.
11). Get at least eight hours of sleep. Even if you think you can exist on 3-4 hours, you might be surprised at how much more energy you have a consistent 8 hours each night. That way if you do have a night sweat episode, you won’t feel as sleep deprived the next day if you’ve allowed yourself 8 full hours of sleep.
12). If night sweats do strike, get up, go to the bathroom and drink a tall glass of water.
13). Keep a glass of cool water on your night stand at all times.
14). Keep your bedroom at a cool temperature or sleep with an open window or a fan to increase air circulation.
15). Change your sheets once or twice a week so that you feel fresh and clean when you get into bed. Consider investing in a wicking pillow case.
16). Take a cool shower or cool bath before bedtime.
17). Avoid hot tubs and Jacuzzi’s particularly before bedtime.
18). Keep dry towels next to your bed to dry off if night sweats are severe.
19). Try yoga before bedtime to relax. There are lots of wonderful yoga tapes available. Be sure to stick with restorative yoga at night to keep your body cool and calm.
20). Meditate for 10 minutes before you go to bed to relax. This will help you get to sleep quicker. The more you practice meditation, the better you’ll get.
