While menopause can come with different symptoms, hot flashes are the most common. When it comes to Black Americans, studies show that they’re more likely to experience hot flashes than other ethnicities and they may even be more intense. A change in your blood vessels causes this symptom. When they get smaller or larger, you’ll feel a sudden flash of heat accompanied by sweating and flushed skin. Fortunately, doctors say it’s possible to have hot flashes less frequently if you avoid certain triggers.
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10 Hot Flash Triggers To Avoid
1. Alcohol
Studies show that alcohol can raise your body temperature and affect the dilation of your blood vessels. This can trigger hot flashes. Furthermore drinking before bed can disrupt your sleep and may make you more likely to have night sweats.
2. Caffeine
According to a recent study, women who drank caffeinated drinks were more likely to have hot flashes than those who didn’t.
3. Spicy Foods
If you’re dealing with menopause, eating spicy foods may do more than bring a flush to your face. Studies show that spicy foods can affect blood vessel dilation and trigger hot flashes.
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4. Anxiety
When you’re anxious, your body releases stress hormones that can increase blood circulation. This can, in turn, increase your overall body temperature and trigger hot flashes.
5. Cigarette Smoke
While doctors haven’t identified why cigarette smoke triggers hot flashes, multiple studies have confirmed that it happens. In fact, the hot flashes caused by cigarette smoke tend to be more severe and more frequent. Interestingly, the effect is present even if you inhale secondhand smoke.
6. Tight Clothing
If you wear tight or heavy clothing, you can trap heat and restrict your blood flow. This makes you more likely to have hot flashes.
7. Hot Baths
A hot bath can be soothing sometimes but raising your body temperature can trigger hot flashes. It’s better to stick to cool or warm baths depending on the season.
8. Hot Beverages
As with the hot baths, drinking hot beverages increases your risk of having hot flashes. If you must drink a hot beverage, it’s good to do so in a cool room to try to counter the effects.
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9. Getting Too Hot During Exercise
While doctors encourage people to exercise during menopause, you should try to keep as cool as possible. This can mean ensuring that the room is colder than normal to account for your rising temperature or incorporating more cool-downs in the routine. You should also wear light, breathable clothing.
10. A Hot Environment
If you’re in a hot environment for prolonged periods, you may trigger a hot flash. It’s best to get out of the heat quickly or cool down as best as you can with cold drinks or compresses.
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How to Prepare for Hot Flashes
Even if you avoid triggers, it doesn’t mean you’ll never have hot flashes. In that case, you need to be prepared for them. It can help to keep your environment as cool as you can. If possible, you should ensure that you can adjust the temperature as needed. Having cold beverages available can help, too. In cases where you’re not in an area where you can control the temperature, keeping cold compresses with you will make it easier for you to cool down.
Whether you’re at home, at work, or traveling, consider dressing with hot flashes in mind. It’s a good idea to opt for lighter fabrics that breathe well if it’s already going to be hot. In cooler seasons, the experts suggest dressing in layers. If you do that, you can add and remove clothing as necessary.
When it’s time to go to bed, you should use lighter sheets that won’t trap heat or encourage sweating. When it’s cold, you can alternate between light bed sheets and heavier ones to be always comfortable.
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Natural Herbs and Supplements That May Help
Not everyone wants to take medication for their hot flashes so it’s understandable if you want to explore natural options. However, it’s important to note that being natural doesn’t necessarily mean a supplement is harmless. You should always talk to your doctor about how a supplement may affect you if you have other conditions or are taking medications.
Some examples often suggested for managing hot flashes include evening primrose oil, black cohosh, Vitamin E, soy, red clover, and dong quai. Evening primrose oil is available as an essential oil that has omega-6 fatty acids and can be ingested. However, it can cause nausea, diarrhea, and headaches while interfering with the effectiveness of blood thinners and some psychiatric medications.
If you opt to try black cohosh, then you should know that it’s not advisable for those who have a liver disorder. Red clover could increase bleeding as well. Much like evening primrose oil, dong quai can interact with certain blood thinners. While soy and soy-based products are usually suggested because they contain phytoestrogens that may mimic the behavior of the estrogen the body produces naturally, it’s not suitable for everyone. It can cause constipation, diarrhea, and a mild upset stomach. It’s also not suggested for people who have a family history of estrogen-related cancer.
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When to Talk to Your Doctor
Menopause doesn’t affect everyone in the same way. For some people, hot flashes are mild and barely an inconvenience. For others, their hot flashes are severe, frequent, and bad enough to disrupt their daily lives. If that’s what it’s like for you, it’s a good sign that you should talk to your doctor. The symptoms of menopause can be managed well with medications.
The most likely treatment is hormone replacement therapy (HRT) as it will boost your hormone levels. An increase in your hormone levels can alleviate hot flashes and other menopause symptoms like vaginal dryness. There are different types of HRT available and the one your doctor prescribes generally depends on whether or not you still have a uterus.
Those who still have a uterus will likely be given a combination drug that contains estrogen and progestin. Progestin is a man-made version of progesterone. If you don’t have a uterus, you may get estrogen alone. There’s also a third option that contains estrogen and a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM). These modulators are meant to regulate how estrogen works in your body and have the added benefit of treating osteoporosis.
Hot flashes can be particularly bad for Black people. As such, it’s good to know what triggers to avoid and how to handle the flashes if they happen, anyway. If trying to manage hot flashes on your own doesn’t work, you should ask your doctor about your options for treatment.
