Menopause is a difficult and irritating part of a woman’s life. Some women experience a more difficult menopause period than others, but many women experience the same symptoms, one of which is hot flushes. Hot flushes can occur at the worst possible times, and can cause both embarrassment and extreme discomfort. Hot flushes late at night are very common among menopausal women, and can cause disruption of one’s sleep cycle and insomnia.
There are, however, several easily implemented tips one can use to reduce or prevent the occurrence of menopause hot flushes late at night. They require little effort to implement and make habitual, and they will often either greatly reduce the amount of menopause hot flushes one experiences, or will shorten the length of one already occurring. If you are a victim of hot flushes late at night, these simple tips likely can increase your quality of sleep and allow you to sleep for a longer period of time.
Clothing
Just as one should wear layers of clothing to prepare for a hot flush during the day, the same tactic can be used during the night while one is sleeping. Instead of using one or two thick blankets, try using several thin sheets to cover yourself up with. If a hot flush strikes during the night, these extra layers of sheets and blanket can be easily stripped away to alleviate the intense heat coming from your body. If only one or two thicker blankets or sheets are used, you have less to strip away, and may not feel any cooler after stripping away all available blankets or sheets. Using many thin sheets or blankets allows you to strip away layers as you feel the need to, and you are less likely to end up completely uncovered while still suffering from a hot flush. If you experience hot flushes during the night, you may find this sheet layering tactic to be a very useful weapon against insomnia and loss of sleep due to pesky hot flushes.Foods and Beverages
Many women are aware that they must avoid spicy or hot foods and beverages during the day to ward away a hot flush, and this should continue into one’s nightly routine. Eating spicy food before bed greatly increases the chances of experiencing a nocturnal flush, and should thus be avoided. Spicy foods are not the only culprits of nighttime hot flushes, as physically hot foods can similarly trigger the onset of a flush. If you eat only cold foods before bed time, you will definitely notice a reduction in the amount of hot flushes you experience during sleep. Hot beverages should also be avoided during and before bed, as should strong alcoholic drinks. Liquors and other drinks with a high percentage of alcohol can trigger a nocturnal hot flush, as these drinks create a burning, hot sensation in the mouth, throat, and stomach, and also raise the body’s entire temperature. To avoid a hot flush during sleep, one should completely avoid spicy or hot foods and beverages, as they can make one much more susceptible to a hot flush during one’s sleep.Indoor temperature
One other very important way to decrease the occurrence of nighttime hot flushes is to keep the temperature of your environment cool and constant. During the day, a temperature of around 70 or slightly lower, kept at a constant rate, will help to keep your body cooler and satisfy your sensitive internal thermostat. During the night, this temperature should be lowered to around 65. The slightly lower temperature is compensated by the use of sheets and blankets, and this method will surely result in less late night hot flushes during one’s sleep.Hot flushes are a major pain during one’s menopause, and they are made even more irritating when they occur during night and interrupt one’s sleep, sometimes even resulting in acute or chronic insomnia. However, there are several weapons that can be utilized in the fight against nighttime hot flushes, as are listed above. These are incredibly easy to implement, and even easier to make habitual. They will provide the woman suffering from hot flushes relief both during the day and during the night. Start using these methods tonight to notice immediate results!
Experiencing hot flashes and headaches?. Learn how to manage this menopause symptom.
