Hot flash

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A hot flash (sometimes referred to as a hot flush or night sweat) is a symptom of changing hormone levels considered characteristic of menopause.

Hot flashes are typically experienced as a feeling of intense heat with sweating and rapid heartbeat, and may typically last from two to thirty minutes on each occasion for older women. The event may be repeated a few times each week or up to a dozen times a day, with the frequency reducing over time. Excessive flushing can lead to rosacea.

Younger women who are menstruating or expecting to menstruate soon (premenstruation typically lasts one or two weeks) may encounter hot and/or cold flashes. These episodes do not usually last long. One minute, a woman will feel cold, the next, hot. Hot and cold flashes for younger women occur only during their menstruation or premenstruation. If they occur at other times in a young woman's menstrual cycle, then it may be a problem with her pituitary gland; seeing a doctor is highly recommended.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may relieve many of the symptoms of menopause. However, HRT increases the risk of breast cancer, stroke, dementia and has other potentially serious short-term and long-term risks. [1]

In addition to traditional hormone replacement therapies, there are also other strategies and natural supplements that are being chosen by an increasingly large number of women. However, there is no evidence that these natural supplements such as black cohosh are significantly more effective than placebo. Plant estrogens may have the same risks as HRT, but more research is needed. Some women never have hot flashes. Others have mild or infrequent flashes. The worst sufferers experience dozens of hot flashes each day. Severe hot flashes can make it difficult to get a full night's sleep which in turn can affect mood, concentration, and cause other physical problems. The U.S. FDA and women's health advocates recommend that women who experience troublesome hot flashes try alternatives to hormonal therapies as the first line of treatment. If a woman chooses hormones, they suggest she take the lowest dose that alleviates her symptoms for as short a time as possible.

[edit] Dietary and Behavior strategies

Dietary changes may relieve hot flashes. This includes avoiding caffeine, hot drinks, chocolate, spicy or hot foods and alcohol which often aggravate hot flashes.

Wearing clothes in layers - both during the day and at night - allows a woman to shed clothes quickly when a hot flash occurs.

Two studies have found that slow, deep breathing reduced the frequency of hot flashes. In one study, this paced respiration decreased hot flashes by 39 percent and in the other by 44 percent. By comparison in this research, progressive muscle relaxation was not effective in relieving hot flashes.