You're in a board meeting and the air-conditioning is on at full blast. Suddenly, you feel an intense wave of heat rising from your body to your face.
"What was that?" you wonder. "Okay, keep cool."
But your face reddens and beads of sweat start trickling down your temples. Then the heat wave subsides and you find yourself drenched in cold sweat.
Hot flashes are bothersome and when they hit you in public -- and can be terribly embarrassing. The worst part is you can't do anything about it when it happens, whether it's in the middle of lunch, at a party, or halfway through an important meeting.
Hot flashes, the most common symptom of menopause, may be preceded or accompanied by a rapid heartbeat and sweating, dizziness, nausea, headache, weakness, anxiety or a feeling of suffocation.
Most menopausal women have plenty of bizarre stories to share and only a very fortunate few never experience hot flashes. Some get it a few times a day and others, hourly.
Strangely, when hot flashes occur, your internal body temperature stays constant. You may feel like you're on fire, but your internal body temperature remains normal. It's only the temperature of your skin that heats up, usually by one to four degrees Celsius and up to seven degrees in more intense cases. On the average, they last between 30 seconds and five minutes.
It is said that the decline of estrogen during the peri-menopausal years does something to your brain. To be more precise, it alters the hypothalamus, a part of your brain that acts like a thermostat of sorts and is responsible for body temperature and other functions (e.g. sex hormones, appetite and sleep cycles).
How that happens, no one knows. All we know is that diminishing estrogen levels confuse the hypothalamus. When that happens, the thermostat reads "HOT" and the brain reacts to the sudden change by sending out signals to the heart, blood vessels and nervous system.
In response, our heart pumps faster and blood vessels in the skin dilate to circulate more blood and radiate heat. Sweat is released to enable our body to cool down even further.
Normally, all this happens when the temperature around us goes up, like outdoors on a hot afternoon. However, hot flashes can occur even in cold places or in the middle of the night.
Most women get hot flashes in the first year or two after their periods stop. A few will continue to experience them for many more years. However, over time, the intensity decreases.
Earlier is not better when it comes to menopause. You may think "good riddance" to menstruation, but an early menopause could mean intense hot flashes. Early menopause also puts you more at risk from problems like osteoporosis and heart disease.
Here are cool tips to minimise the effects of hot flashes:
- Avoid stress and spicy food, hot weather, hot showers, diet pills, alcohol, smoking and caffeine.
- Choose cotton, linen or rayon over heat-trapping material like wool, synthetics and silk. Use cotton bedsheets.
- Stay cool. Lower the thermostat if you're feeling hot. Avoid hot places. Take a cool shower before sleeping.
- Try an all-time natural remedy. Black Cohosh is known for its ability to treat hot flashes and night sweats. Known scientifically as Cimicifuga racemose, the plant was used for centuries by North American Indians for menopausal relief. It is now available as a supplement.
Source: New Straits Times. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. Powered by Yellowbrix.
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