How to Stop Hot Flashes During Menopause

When you begin menopause all of these unwanted symptoms start to attack. From hot flashes to mood swings to insomnia, the list goes on. No woman wants to deal with these symptoms for long or at all if possible.

The number one symptom that women experience in their beginning, middle and end of menopause years is hot flashes. Along with hot flashes are it’s best friend, night sweats. In most cases these two come hand in hand, but not always.

This doesn’t always come through all the stages of menopause, but this will depend on your hormones. According to (NAMS) North American Menopause Society these symptoms stay with women for up to 10 years or possibly longer. Understanding what a hot flash is is the first step to identify if this is what you are experiencing. You will feel a sudden rush of heat and they will typically come and go. 

How to stop hot flashes

There is always the option of taking medications to treat hot flashes, although it’s best to try natural alternative methods first before resorting to medication. Simple lifestyle changes can make all the difference and provide natural menopause relief. It’s suggested to try natural lifestyle changes for 3 months before resulting in medications that could have long term effects. As mentioned, some women who experience hot flashes will also experience night sweats. If this is your case, you should keep the room you are sleeping in at night cooler than usual. In addition, you’ll want to up your water intake and keep it cold as well. If it’s not possible to keep your room cooler with AC, you can get a bed fan and keep it close to you while you sleep to avoid night sweats. 

Here are a few home remedies for hot flashes:

• Dress lightly, you don’t want to dress in too many layers causing your hot flashes to increase.
• Keep a fan by your bedside along with you throughout your day. You can keep a portable fan with you at all times so if your hot flashes come and go you can manage your hot flashes. 
• Avoid trigger foods that you can see a list of. This consists of primarily spicy foods, caffeine and alcohol. These items can worsen your symptoms, if you’re looking for hot flash relief then you can contribute by avoiding specific triggers. 
• Live a healthy lifestyle to maintain a healthy weight, when you are overweight it makes it harder to control menopausal symptoms. 
• Do yoga more often which is a great meditation to relax your mind preventing negative side effects. 
• Limit smoking or cut it out entirely if possible as smoking is one of the top hot flash triggers.  

Also, doctors suggest eating more soy and you can get this naturally from your foods. Plant estrogens found in soy products have weak estrogen-like effects that can help naturally treat it. Stick to foods that contain soy such as edamame, soy milk, tofu, and soy-based yogurt. 

Do hot flashes come through all stages of menopause?

Approximately 3-5 years before menopause actually hits, your estrogen and hormone levels will drop significantly which is the period called “perimenopause”. In this period you will begin to carry on all menopausal symptoms including hot flashes and night sweats.

Women have claimed to experience hot flash symptoms in the stage of perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause. Postmenopause is usually 24 to 36 months after your last period.

During postmenopause, your symptoms will begin to calm down and certain hot flash triggers won’t affect you the same anymore. The longer you stick through following natural remedies for menopause the quicker you will be able to minimize any symptoms you’re experiencing. If you’re new to menopause or just in the beginning phases of perimenopause you may want to know what to look out for. So what does a hot flash feel like exactly? The symptoms are typically: 

• Warm skin, with a rush of heat that suddenly happens
• Flushed face, red cheeks
• Tingling sensation in your fingers
• Excessive sweating throughout your body 
• Chilled after the hot flashes have calmed down

Understand that every woman is different which means that symptoms may vary and the extent to which they affect you will also vary. There is a treatment for hot flashes, but practicing home remedies and lifestyle changes should be good enough to relax the symptoms. 

Are there herbs for hot flashes?

There are a few natural remedies for night sweats and hot flashes that you can follow to alleviate your menopausal symptoms. There are many herbal remedies for menopause and the symptoms that come with it. Here are the best natural remedies for hot flashes without hormones.

• Black Cohosh is a leading herb that has earned much of its credibility for its ability to reduce hot flashes. In addition, this ingredient is not only one of the best herbs for hot flashes but helps in regulating imbalanced hormones. Studies have tested this herb for many years and found that most women in menopause experienced a reduction in hot flashes and night sweats when taking this herb compared to most supplements for hot flashes. 
• Red Clover has proven in a combination of black cohosh these are two of the best herbs for hot flashes. There are not any known side effects to taking this herb as many herbs and supplements have. In addition, red clover is known to reduce menopausal symptoms in women during menopause including a reduction in PMS symptoms. 
• Dong Quai, also known as Angelica Sinesis, is an ancient Chinese medicinal herb that has been around for over 1,200 years. This herb was created to help reduce menopausal symptoms in women and noticed that in combination with other herbs Angelica Sinensis has the ability to reduce hot flashes, night sweats and insomnia due to menopause. 
• Chasteberry is an herb that has been known to treat and reduce premenstrual symptoms (PMS), but in addition, it has been shown to treat hot flashes found in both perimenopausal and menopausal women. Chasteberry helps create a balance between both your estrogen and progesterone which is necessary for a healthy transition into menopause. 

If you’re currently taking any medication prescribed by your doctor, you may want to consult first before adding any of these herbs into your routine. All of these natural remedies for menopause can be made in the form of tea, taken in a supplement and or organically. If you are having any hot flash symptoms you may want to consider adding these herbs into your diet to help alleviate symptoms. When you are searching for supplements for hot flashes, you will want to be sure that at least one of these ingredients are inside. If you are experiencing extreme hot flashes, you may want to avoid tea and search for a supplement form. 

An All In One Solution. If taking all of these herbs sounds unpleasant, try an all in one solution like Hormonal Balance. This all natural supplements contains 9 herbs and vitamins to combat hot flashes, insomnia AND PMS symptoms. Try it out!

What are the stages of menopause?

We understand that going through menopause and or even being in the beginning stages of perimenopause is not an easy adjustment and searching for remedies for hot flashes can be difficult. The three stages of menopause consist of perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause which symptoms can result throughout all three stages.

You might be exhausted from searching for ways how to stop hot flashes and there really is no one way that works for everyone. We recommend starting with natural hot flash remedies first and after 3 months if it still isn’t making a difference, consult with your doctor about other alternatives. The best menopause supplements on the market will more than likely include at least one and or all of these ingredients that we have discussed.

There are many menopause herbs on the market, but be sure to do your research and see that they have been proven over time. Hot flash causes can be hard to pinpoint depending on each person’s lifestyle, but just be aware that as long as you are following a healthy lifestyle your symptoms should be minimal.