How To Understand Hot Flashes

If you're wondering what exactly a hot flash is, then chances are that you haven't had one. A hot flash is that distinctive! A hot flash is a wave of heat, ranging from mild to intense, that passes through your upper body, flushing your face and causing you to sweat, sometimes profusely. More than half of all women experience hot flashes during menopause or perimenopause, the period just before and immediately after menopause. Many women also experience hot flashes during pregnancy. Additionally, young women of reproductive age who suffer from premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or chronic menstrual cycle-related symptoms can experience hot flashes that are not associated with menopause.

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Here are a few tips to help you better understand hot flashes:

1. Cause. Theories on the cause of hot flashes abound. Most researchers agree that the declining estrogen hormone levels (caused by decreased ovarian function) that accompany menopause affect heat regulation systems in the brain. The exact mechanism of this effect is not understood or agreed upon within the scientific community.
2. Short-Term Duration. On average, the duration of an individual hot flash lasts from thirty seconds to several minutes and varies greatly from woman to woman. However, at times, hot flashes can last up to half an hour.
   
3. Long-Term Duration. The duration of the experience of having hot flashes can last from one to several years.
4. Triggers. Hot flashes can occur at any time or place. Increases in the body's core temperature appear to trigger hot flashes. Increases in core body temperature can be caused by activities such as drinking hot liquids, eating hot or spicy foods, taking a hot shower or sauna or entering a hot room. Additionally, drinking alcohol or caffeine, smoking, stress and diet pills have been found to trigger hot flashes.
5. Skin Changes. Breakouts of red or blotchy skin on the neck, chest and face frequently accompany the experience of hot flashes.
6. Other Symptoms. A rapid heartbeat, dizziness and perspiration frequently accompany hot flashes.
7. Chilling. Once the hot flash passes, women report feeling chilled, often as suddenly and intensely as the onset of the hot flash. The rapid evaporation of prodigious amounts of sweat can contribute to this sensation.
8. Night Sweats. When a hot flash and accompanying sweating occurs at night, you are experiencing "night sweats." However, night sweats may also be a symptom of sleep apnea or fever.
9. Menopausal-Like Hot Flashes in Young Women. Young women of reproductive age who suffer from premenstrual syndrome or chronic menstrual cycle-related symptoms are most likely to experience hot flashes associated with their menstrual cycle. You can read more about this phenomenon at Fertility and Sterility: The Official Journal of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
   
10. Power Surges. In 1992, a menopausal woman by the name of Alice Lotto Stamm reframed the term "hot flash" and thus the power surge was born. Stamm now runs PowerSurge, a popular Web community where you can find online forums, expert columns and message boards all about menopause.

For some women, diet and lifestyle changes can help to control hot flashes. For other women, dietary supplements and medicines have greater effect. Consult your doctor first before embarking on any course of treatment.