Hot Flashes During the Summer Are a Special Kind of Hell—Here’s How to Manage Them
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Hot flashes are uncomfortable enough, but add in scorching summer temperatures and they can become unbearable. In fact, research suggests that summer is the peak time for these unpleasantly sweaty episodes that often strike people going through menopause. “If you’re somebody who’s ever had a real hot flash due to menopause, there’s no question that you’re not just hot. It’s like you're on fire,” Alyssa Dweck, MS, MD, a gynecologist in Westchester County, New York, tells SELF. “Some people will literally suffer in silence for years, but that’s just not necessary.”
The good news: You don’t have to spend your life parked in front of an air conditioner. (The hot flash phase of menopause lasts an average of about four years, but it can take up to 11 for some people to get through them.) There are actually several things you can do to ensure this particularly draining symptom doesn’t ruin your summer fun. Below, you’ll find experts’ best advice to relieve yourself of this menopause double whammy.
Why does warm weather make hot flashes worse?
It’s not entirely understood why hot flashes happen, but they’re presumed to be the result of a hormonal roller coaster in the hypothalamus, which is the part of your brain that acts like your body’s thermostat. When your ovaries start to produce less estrogen during menopause, nerve cells called KNDy neurons pump out a chemical that shrinks the range of temperatures you feel comfortable in. Basically, your heat tolerance becomes a lot lower, so the hotter it gets outside, the more likely you are to experience extra or more intense hot flashes, Dr. Dweck says.
How to deal with menopause hot flashes in the summer
1. Don’t forget the basics of heat relief.
The sun’s wrath is no joke, which is why it’s especially important to incorporate classic heat relief tactics into your daily routine if you’re going through menopause. First and foremost, stay hydrated, particularly if hot flashes make you extra sweaty. “Some people really can become dehydrated if they’re having many, many flashes per day or night,” Dr. Dweck says. “And then adding super humid weather and hot temperatures on top of that, hydration is going to be key.”
In the meantime, remember to dress in loose, breathable layers (preferably with moisture-wicking materials), find shade when possible, and use cooling products like portable fans or water misters when out and about. Oh, and maybe skedaddle indoors when a hot flash creeps on you.
2. Go easy on the caffeine, alcohol, and cigarettes.
These are some hot flash triggers that just don't have big studies to back them up, says Stephanie Faubion, MD, MBA, director of the Mayo Clinic’s Center for Women's Health, but lots of anecdotal evidence (and smaller studies) points to caffeine and alcohol leading to more or worse hot flashes. “Anything that sort of makes you flush anyway can trigger” this symptom, Melanie Marin, MD, director of the menopause program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, previously told SELF.
Alcohol and caffeine can increase your heart rate and dilate your blood vessels, both of which can trigger a hot flash. This doesn’t mean you have to cut your favorite beverages altogether, but get strategic with it, Dr. Dweck says. For example, opt for an iced coffee instead of a hot one if you really need that caffeine kick and drink your wine at least three hours before bed to prevent night sweats and have better sleep in general.
If you smoke, try to cut back or quit. It’s pretty well-documented that people who smoke cigarettes have a harder time with hot flashes than those who don’t, so “cutting down or quitting altogether would be really beneficial on many fronts,” Dr. Dweck says. (The habit is thought to chip away at your already low estrogen levels.)
3. Dial down on spicy or sugary foods.
Just like you maybe wouldn’t choose to snack on ice cream in the winter, you probably won’t feel great munching on jerk chicken or other spicy foods in the summer (especially if you’re having several hot flashes throughout the day), Dr. Dweck says. That’s because a lot of spicy foods have a chemical called capsaicin that triggers heat receptors on your skin, tricking your nervous system into thinking that you’re overheating and making you sweat to cool down. (Think about how drenched all those celebrities get on Hot Ones.) Put simply, eating buffalo wings in your backyard when a hot flash strikes is a recipe for disaster.
On a similar note, foods high in sugar boost your blood glucose levels, which triggers a spike in insulin (the hormone that helps you turn sugar into energy) that then leads to a drop in blood sugar. This cycle can make you sweat a ton and just feel gross overall, Dr. Dweck says.
Although there’s limited evidence that shows these “trigger” foods actually worsen hot flashes, Dr. Dweck says it could be worth the little sacrifice if you find that avoiding them gives you the relief you need as you battle the summer heat.
4. Try hypnosis (seriously).
We’re not talking about the type of hypnosis where you cluck like a chicken at the snap of some person’s fingers. We mean clinical hypnotherapy in a controlled environment (usually a therapist’s office) where you are guided through calming suggestions to get you in the present moment and focus on cooling thoughts (literally!). Imagining what it feels like to swim in the ocean in the dead of winter or hike the chilly Alps can, over time, change how your brain perceives temperatures. Next time you feel a hot flash coming on—or even just have to withstand another unprecedented heat wave—you can lean on these icy thoughts to cool yourself down.
Hypnosis works so well that the NAMS actually recommends it as a nonhormone therapy for hot flashes, says Dr. Faubion, who’s the medical director of the group. A 2013 clinical trial found that clinical hypnosis reduced hot flash frequency by 74% and improved sleep quality.
5. Talk to your doctor about hormone therapy.
If you’ve tried everything you can think of and hot flashes are still wrecking your life, you might want to consider an intervention that science has found to be the most effective way to stop hot flashes and night sweats: hormone therapy (HT). It involves taking estrogen, the hormone you naturally lose during menopause, in pill, spray, gel, foam, or patch form. HT cuts the frequency of hot flashes and night sweats by 75% and their severity by much more, so it’s really worth considering if your doctor gives you the all clear, Dr. Dweck says.
One thing to note: A huge 2002 study known as the Women’s Health Initiative found that some types of HT, specifically taken by people 60 or over, slightly increased the chance of heart attack, stroke, or breast cancer. Research published since then has found that the potential benefits of HT outweigh the risks for people younger than 60 who are within 10 years of their last period and don’t have a history of blood clots, heart attack, stroke, liver disease, or breast or endometrial cancer. (If you have a uterus, you’ll need to take estrogen in combination with progesterone to prevent it from causing endometrial cancer.)
So if muggy temps are making your hot flashes impossible to deal with, ask your doc if HT is a viable option. That said, not all gynos are trained to treat people in menopause. If you’d like a knowledgeable specialist, check out this directory that can help you find one in your area.
6. Explore other medication options.
You might be surprised at how many other kinds of medications work to ease hot flashes. (Spoiler alert: There’s at least 10.) Two are FDA-approved specifically for this symptom: paroxetine mesylate (sold under the brand name Brisdelle) and fezolinetant (sold under the brand name Veozah). The former is an antidepressant and the latter is a newer drug that targets those KNDy neurons we talked about.
Other antidepressants under the brand names Lexapro, Celexa, Effexor, Pristiq, and Cymbalta have also been found to reduce hot flashes and night sweats by 25% to 69%, so doctors will frequently prescribe these off-label (meaning for something they aren’t FDA-approved to treat). The antiseizure medication gabapentin and the overactive-bladder drug oxybutynin have also been shown to reduce hot flashes and night sweats.
7. Find ways to destress, then stick with them.
Finally, stress and anxiety are, unsurprisingly, major hot flash triggers and aggravators—and that’s to say nothing of how irritable extreme heat already makes us, regardless of whether you’re in menopause. So really hone in on the habits that mellow you out, Dr. Dweck says, and then try to stick with them.
Start by examining your sleep hygiene, Dr. Dweck recommends. Are you getting seven to nine hours of sleep each night? Is your bedroom dark and cool? Then think about other activities like yoga, arts and crafts, or reading that might relax you, all of which “can be quite helpful on a preventative level,” Dr. Dweck says. If you need some additional help, consider cognitive behavioral therapy, she adds, which is also recommended by the NAMS. You’ll learn conceptual strategies to manage your hot flashes, like how to embrace the symptom as an inevitable part of menopause, as well as more physical ones like paced breathing to get you through the worst of them.
The point is, you don’t have to sacrifice your fun under the sun just because you’re going through menopause. So be open to some trial and error and you should be able to find something that works for you. “The great thing is that menopause is on the radar, it’s not as much of a taboo subject as it used to be,” Dr. Dweck says, “so there is help out there.”
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Originally Appeared on SELF
