These are vasomotor symptoms better known ashot flashesand night sweats.
Vasomotor symptoms are related to nerves that regulate blood flow and affect the narrowing and widening of blood vessels.
This article discusses what hot flashes and night sweats feel like and how common they are.
Sean De Burca / Getty Images
It also discusses available treatments, including both hormonal and non-hormonal.
The feeling of heat can be accompanied by heavy sweating and sometimespalpitationsor feeling unusual changes in your heartbeat.
A flash usually lasts for around one to five minutes.
After that, some people feel chills, shivering, and a feeling of anxiety.
How Many Hot Flashes a Day Is Normal?
While some individuals average one hot flash a day, others have one every hour all day and night.
What’s “normal” really varies person to person.
For others, they can last for 10 to 15 years.
Some women may even experience hot flashes for more than 20 years.
How Common Are Vasomotor Symptoms?
Vasomotor symptoms may occur just before or throughout perimenopause.
They are most common around the time when menopause starts, or when your periods end.
During themenopause transition, levels of the hormone estrogen begin to drop.
This disrupts the body’s ability to regulate heat properly.
This is followed by increased blood flow.
Risk Factors
Besides menopause itself, there are some risk factors for hot flashes and night sweats.
Smoking or exposure to itis the main lifestyle factor that increases your risk of hot flashes and night sweats.
Being overweightis linked with an increased risk of vasomotor symptoms in early menopause.
However, it’s also linked to a lower risk in late menopause.
Treatments do not cure vasomotor symptoms but can offer some relief.
Women who have had ahysterectomy(removal of the uterus) can take estrogen alone.
A woman who still has her uterus will be prescribed a combination of estrogen and progestin.
Progestin is needed to reduce the risk of uterine cancer.
However, MHT is associated withheart attacks,breast cancer,blood clots, andstrokesin older postmenopausal women.
Women going through menopause who have a history of certain conditions should consider alternatives to hormone therapy.
These include breast cancer, coronary heart disease, blood clots, heart attack, and stroke.
Women at high risk for these complications should also consider alternatives.
It happens when estrogen levels drop in your body and affect your ability to regulate heat properly.
Your healthcare provider may recommend hormonal or non-hormonal treatments.
Hormonal treatments are usually effective for hot flashes.
Non-hormonal treatments can include medications and therapy.
It may also include at-home strategies like using fans and avoiding spicy food.
When a hot flash occurs while you are awake, you might take measures to cool down.
As a result, you sweat and often soak your pajamas.
This can leave you with chills.
Bansal R, Aggarwal N.Menopausal hot flashes: A concise review.J Midlife Health.
2017;24(1):9-26. doi:10.1016/j.ogc.2011.05.006
National Institute on Aging.Hot flashes: What can I do?
North American Menopause Society.Is it menopause or a thyroid problem?
Kaleidoscope Fighting Lupus.Lupus and overheating.
2014;6:4757. doi:10.2147/IJWH.S38342
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Health: Did I just have a Hot Flash?
