For some women menopause comes with a few small mood swings and the occasional hot flash. For other women, however, menopause roars, dumping stress hormones and creating powerful flushing, sweat and anxiety. Chills from head to toe that accompany hot flashes make women shivering and partners hollering from the touch of cold feet.
Menopause brings a variety of symptoms from mood swings difficulty concentrating; painful menstrual cycle’s sleeplessness, night sweats, hot flashes and rapid anxiety. With a myriad of symptoms related to waning reproductive hormones, women suffer until they find a viable treatment. Gather information about the side effects and symptoms of menopause can help women to fix and prevent a range of symptoms.
Hot Flashes and Cold Bursts
Hot flashes cause flushing of the face, neck, and chest often accompanied by dripping perspiration and a sense of intense worry, panic, or anxiety. Approximately 75 percent of menopausal women experience these cold bursts and hot flashes at different times during menopause. Chills, shivering and cold feet are also commonly reported symptoms of waning hormones. For some women, the intense flushing and perspiration of hot flashes develop immediately with shivers and chills. For other women yet this sensation may be the result of poor circulation from high blood pressure and increased blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
Triggers
Waning estrogen and progesterone levels during menopause can trigger hot flashes and cold sensations. The hypothalamus, a small, ancient organ in the brain regulates body temperature, thirst, hunger, sleep, and chemical release required for organ functions. The hypothalamus maintains the body’s temperature at 98.6 despite extremes in environmental temperatures. Menopause, however, disrupts the delicate balance of chemical reactions in the body.
The hypothalamus releases chemicals into the bloodstream that allows moisture to escape from the skin. This function cools the body quickly and can result in cold bursts. Ebbing estrogen during menopause can impede circulation on the long trip to the feet causing partners to yelp at the touch of those cold toes. The onset of menopause occurs between the ages of 45 and 55. The good news is that theses sensations usually subside within five years of menopause.
Treatment
Eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, protein, fish and fiber can reduce the effects of waning reproductive hormones. Water is also a key treatment for hot flashes. Drinking 2 liters of water each day helps the body to balance chemical fluctuations that trigger hot flashes. Additionally extra pounds can increase menopause symptoms and water helps to maintain weight loss.
Drinking a cold glass of water at the onset of a hot flash can reduce the severity and duration of the symptom. Exercising for 30 minutes each day reduces mood disorders and increases the release of endorphins that improve mood. Regular exercise can help menopausal women to diminish and even prevent menopause symptoms such as hot flashes, cold bursts, and sleep and mood disorders.
Smoking may seem to relieve stress but reduces oxygen to the brain and stimulates hot flashes. Drinking excessive amounts of caffeine and alcohol also loads the bloodstream with stress hormones that disrupt body temperature. Sleeping in micro-fiber moisture- wicking pajamas in a cold area can reduce night sweats, the evening variety of hot flashes. Avoid exercising three hours before going to sleep and eating two hours before bedtime. When cold bursts occur during the night, getting up, briefly and walking around the house can stimulate circulation.
Recommendations
For a small percentage of women, natural remedies are insufficient to reduce hot flashes and cold bursts. Women may consider consulting a medical health professional for alternative therapies to minimize the discomfort of menopausal symptoms.
Learn about biofeedback and hot flashes during menopause.
