Managing Hot Flashes & Night Sweats

What are the Most Effective Treatment Strategies for Hot Flashes?

There are many things that can reduce hot flashes and night sweats. It can be very individual and unique. A trial-and-error approach may be best to find the most effective ways to reduce hot flash frequency and severity for you. 

Diet

Diet can play a large role. Follow a menopause-friendly diet. Eat a whole foods healthy diet with plenty of vegetables. Focus on high quality protein, organic fruits and vegetables, beans, whole grains and healthy fats. Limit simple and refined carbohydrates, added sugars and excess salt. We recently wrote a blog on the best diet to reduce menopause symptoms. See the link to our blog here.

Avoid common food triggers like caffeine, spicy foods and alcohol. Try a 30-day period with no spicy food, limited or no caffeine/ alcohol and see how you feel. It might be the solution for you.

Try adding organic soy products and flaxseeds to your diet. They may help reduce hot flashes and flaxseeds can help to balance hormones. Add a daily teaspoon of flaxseeds to a morning smoothie, yogurt or oatmeal. Slowly increase the portion to 1 -2 Tbsp daily.

Keep cool by staying hydrated. Cold water can help to cool down. 

Lifestyle

Some lifestyle changes can help to reduce hot flashes: 

• Decrease or quit alcohol and caffeine consumption. Both can worsen hot flashes. 
• Avoid spicy foods. 
• If you are a smoker, quit smoking. This can reduce hot flashes and improve overall health.
• Maintain a healthy weight. Women who are overweight or obese may experience more frequent and severe hot flashes.
• Decrease or manage stress levels. Yoga, meditation, being out in nature and breathing techniques are a great place to start for stress reduction and management. 
• Explore other mind-body practices. Early research shows that hypnotherapy and mindfulness meditation can help with hot flashes.
• Simply breathe through the hot flash and try to relax. You know it’s going to be short-lived so try to relax and wait it out.
• Exercise can reduce hot flashes. Try to get some movement every day, such as walking, strength training in the gym or whatever you love and can do consistently.
• Dress in loose layers so you can easily remove a layer to help cool down quickly. 
• Keep a journal. Note down what you were doing, eating, drinking, feeling or wearing when you have a hot flash. After about a week, patterns may start to emerge and indicate what your individual and specific triggers are.

Herbs and supplements may be helpful:

• Black cohosh is an herb that is often used to alleviate menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes. Some women report benefits with black cohosh. 
• Soy contains compounds called phytoestrogens that may mimic estrogen effects, potentially alleviating hot flashes. 
• Sage, particularly in the form of sage extracts or supplements, has been traditionally used to manage hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms.
• 5-HTP is a precursor to serotonin, a neurotransmitter that may influence hormonal regulation. Some women have symptom improvement with 5-HTP. 
• Red clover contains isoflavones and is sometimes used to manage menopausal symptoms. 
• Vitamin E may help alleviate hot flashes in some women. Be careful because excessive intake of vitamin E can have side effects like possible nausea, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal disturbances. High doses of vitamin E may elevate blood pressure and have an anticoagulant (blood-thinning) effect, which may increase the risk of bleeding. 
• Evening primrose oil can give relief from menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes.
• Herbal teas such as chamomile or peppermint, have calming effects that may contribute to overall well-being during menopause.
• Aromatherapy & certain essential oils, such as lavender or peppermint, can calm and potentially alleviate hot flashes.
• Over-the-counter creams or gel with wild yam or progesterone can provide hot flash relief for some women.
• Melatonin supplements can have help improve sleep quality, which can be disrupted by night sweats. Cherry concentrate or tart cherries contain melatonin naturally. Foods with tryptophan, a precursor to melatonin, can help sleep. Tryptophan foods include turkey/chicken, cheese, eggs, fish, nuts, seeds.

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)

If these types of things don’t help, then a stronger approach is to try medical treatment. Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, is an option. This is a therapy where you take estrogen and progesterone, depending upon the individual case, to replace and raise these hormones which have dropped substantially with menopause. Many women find relief with HRT. Benefits may include relief from hot flashes, night sweats and vaginal dryness. 

HRT has historically been controversial and there may be side effects. The main concern is a small but increased risk of breast cancer. We will take a deep dive into bio-HRT in a future blog. Speak to us at our functional medicine clinic, Medicine with Heart, to look into the pros and cons of HRT to make the right decision for you. 

Other therapies may help to manage hot flashes:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): CBT can address the psychological aspects of menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes.
• Acupuncture: Research has found that acupuncture can reduce hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings and sleep disruptions in women dealing with menopause symptoms. 
• Hypnosis: Research is ongoing to determine the effectiveness of hypnosis in reducing the frequency and severity of hot flashes.
• Cooling Techniques: Innovative cooling devices and wearables designed to regulate body temperature are being explored for managing hot flashes.
• Laser Therapy: Some procedures, such as fractional laser therapy, are being investigated for their potential in improving vaginal health and reducing hot flashes.
• Biofeedback therapy:  This is a mind-body technique to control body functions, such as heart rate, breathing patterns and muscle responses. Biofeedback is being researched for relief of hot flashes. It may help to get conscious control over factors influencing hot flashes and lead to symptom reduction. 

These approaches are still undergoing research but may be worth trying in some cases. 

Hot flashes frequency and severity is a very individual business. Every woman has a unique experience with menopause and hot flashes. We encourage you to explore a combination of natural methods as we have outlined here.

If you are suffering from hot flashes, night sweats or other menopause symptoms, then get in touch with us at the Medicine with Heart clinic. We can help to manage symptoms, improve your menopause experience and get your health back on track!