Hot flushes

75% of menopausal women have had experience of hot flushes

Our menopause expert Eileen Durward is on hand to tackle one of the most maligned and well-known menopause symptoms - hot flushes. A common symptom of the menopause, hot flushes can be triggered by changing hormones, lifestyle and diet. They affect almost 75% of menopausal women and can also be linked to other menopause symptoms, such as stress and anxiety.

Eileen talks about: Hot flushes

What are hot flushes?

Hot flushes are a common symptom of the menopause experienced by 75% of menopausal women and can be described as a sudden feeling of warmth or heat in the body. Hot flushes may occur on their own but are often accompanied by night sweats or excessive sweating during the day.

Hot flushes and sweats can also be accompanied by feelings of nausea, dizziness or a general feeling of being unwell.

There are other causes of hot flushes apart from the menopause. For example, men may sometimes experience the symptom but in general, when the term 'hot flush' is used, it refers to symptoms experienced by women going through the menopause.

Hot flushes. Hot flashes. What is the difference?

The term 'hot flushes' is used in the UK by women going through the menopause. In the USA, the term 'hot flashes' is used. Both mean exactly the same thing - the most common symptom experienced by women during the menopause.

Menopause hot flushes & sweats

Hot flushes during menopause may be felt all over the body but most commonly affect only the face and neck. Flushes make women feel 'hot' with reddening of the skin. Hot flushes often accompany, or contribute as one of the causes of sweating during the menopause.

As hot flushes and sweating during the menopause are such prominent symptoms, frequently occuring together, many women going through the menopause use the terms 'hot flushes' and 'menopausal sweats' interchangeably.

What can I expect?

Hot flushes associated with the menopause can occur at any time. Some women experience these as the main symptom of menopause. Others sail through the menopause without problems, experiencing hot flushes at the time of their last period. For a few, symptoms can continue for years beyond the end of menstruation.

Experience however does show that a quick transition from regular, normal periods to no periods can be one of the causes of hot flushes becoming more prominent.

Menopause hot flushes and sweats can happen at any time of the day (often at the most inconvenient or worst possible moment). They can occur as often as several times an hour - not good for that silk blouse.

The number of episodes experienced each day by an average woman varies greatly. Each hot flush can last a few seconds or up to several minutes.

Why do they occur?

The root cause of hot flushes is not clear. What is known is that the part of the brain that senses and controls body temperature (and other body functions) is the hypothalamus.

During the menopause, oestrogen levels fall. Although not fully understood, scientists think that this fall in oestrogen causes a glitch in the way the hypothalamus senses body temperature, making it think that you are too hot.

This causes a response designed to cool the body down. More blood goes to the skin (one of the causes of hot flushes and reddening of the skin) and sweat glands start working (the menopausal sweat).

Menopause hot flushes and the environment

One of the causes of hot flushes during the menopause is known to be changes in the external environment. For example, moving between indoors and outdoors with big differences in temperature.

This is the reason women find that symptoms can be more common in the summer, or when entering a well-heated room during cold weather. Other triggers or causes of menopause hot flushes include stress, anxiety, heightened emotions and even eating spicy foods.

Hot flushes pose no real medical danger. However, when occurring at night and accompanied by night sweats, they can disturb your sleep and that of your partner. This in turn, can cause you to feel moody, affect concentration and energy levels.

Other reasons for getting hot flushes

Although the cause of hot flushes is initially put down to the menopause, there are other reasons why you might experience this symptom. These include:

Obesity
Dietary problems
Hyperthyroidism
Anxiety
Medications
Heart problems
Fever
Tuberculosis
Some cancers

Hot flushes can also be experienced by men who are obviously not going through the same menopause stages as women. If you are suffering from hot flushes and do not feel that the menopause is the cause of these symptoms, you should speak to your doctor for advice.

Treatment of menopausal hot flushes

Extracts of sage herb, such as Menoforce® Sage tablets, have become one of the most popular menopause treatments, gaining a reputation as a simple way of helping deal with hot flushes, night sweat and excessive sweating during the menopause.

"These tablets are amazing. I was having hot flushes 8-10 times a day and night. Within 3 days of taking sage I noticed a huge difference and a month down the line am not suffering at all." Tamsin, UK

TIP: Discover what other women are saying about sage and how it has helped them.

Menoforce^® – Sage herb for menopausal hot flushes

One-a-day tablet for menopausal hot flushes and night sweats. Also available in 90 tablet size. More info

Lifestyle changes

Alfred Vogel said that 'Good health is about more than taking remedies'. If you are going through the menopause, there are a number of steps you can take to help yourself.

As menopause symptoms can be so wide ranging, the best way to prepare yourself for 'the change' is to look at all aspects of your life:

If you smoke, reduce the number of cigarettes you have each day or even better, stop smoking. Cigarettes are associated with a higher risk of experiencing hot flushes and it has been shown that the more you smoke, the worse your flushes get
Eat a well balanced, wholesome diet and don't miss meals - low blood sugar levels can be one of the causes of hot flushes!
Ensure that you have regular bowel movements (at least one a day) - constipation can be a major factor in triggering hot flushes!
Drink plenty of plain water - at least a litre and a half. This will help to hydrate you and alleviate hot flushes.
Take regular exercise - a brisk half hour walk a day can work wonders!
Deal with stress. Stress causes the release of chemicals that promote hot flushes!

Reference:
Schwingl PJ. Obstet Gynecol 1994;84:29-34

54 Comments

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Sandra — 08.03.2021 11:38
I wake up hot at night tried cold room and light top
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- eileen — 15.03.2021 13:32
  Hi Sandra You could try the sage tablets as these can often help with heat at night
  Reply
Carmel Stone — 05.05.2019 03:40
Having hot flushes
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- Eileen — 08.05.2019 03:05
  Hello Carmel, Give Menoforce sage a try for hot flushes. I hope the article above helps.
  Reply
Frances — 07.10.2017 05:36
How would i know if I'm having hot flushes?
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Tracy mcnab — 20.09.2017 20:49
I suffer from the sweats mood s swings and sleepless nights
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Katrina — 17.09.2017 00:44
I finding theses night hot sweats just to much ! The menepuse support has worked for my day flushes but my night ones are keeping me up I'm getting 2 hours a night can't cope ?
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Katrina — 17.09.2017 00:43
I finding theses night hot sweats just to much ! The menepuse support has worked for my day flushes but my night ones are keeping me up I'm getting 2 hours a night can't cope ?
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- eileen — 19.09.2017 09:14
  Hi Katrina You could try the Menoforce sage tablet with your evening meal, this is specifically for flushes and sweats and usually starts to work quite quickly. It is fine to take with the Menopause Support. Remember to drink lots of plain water as sweats/flushes cause dehydration and dehydration can make all your symptoms worse!
  Reply
Carol — 13.09.2017 20:20
I had a hysrohectomy at 42 they left my ovaries but they died anyway ...life has never been the same since it started with night sweats and hot flushes not sleeping well and weight gain .took her for ten years ...all it did was delay symptoms a little when l came off her the hot flushes came back with vengeance ..18 years later still not sleeping well hard loosing weight despite food changes and gym hot flushes never stopped ...will they ever ????
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- eileen — 14.09.2017 09:17
  Hi Carol If you are still experiencing menopause-like symptoms such as hot flushes or night sweats after all this time then they may be due to other factors such as low iron levels, low thyroid function, low vit B12 or low vitamin D levels. It may be a good idea to ask your doctor to test for these just to rule them out. If none of these affect you then the symptoms may be an indication that your nervous system has been overwhelmed at some point. Coming off HRT (especially if you did it quickly) or if you have had any stress over the last few years can have a huge impact on your nervous system which doesn't resolve itself. Adrenal Stress causes many menopause like symptoms such as flushes, low mood, weight gain etc. If this is the case then it is important to do supportive work for the adrenals, such as taking magnesium and calming herbs such as Passiflora or Valerian. Acupuncture can often help with mysterious flushes and you could also try our sage tablets. Also check your water intake. Flushes/sweats can dehydrate you very quickly and dehydration can affect the nervous system resulting in more flushes! https://www.avogel.co.uk/herbal-remedies/sage-tablets-menoforce/index.php
  Reply
Karan Morris — 11.09.2017 19:34
Can I get these from the heath shop
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- eileen — 12.09.2017 10:56
  Hi Karan Yes, you can get the sage tablets from most healthshops, big Boots and some independent pharmacies, to find your local stockist please see https://www.avogel.co.uk/stockists/
  Reply
Jacqueline — 27.08.2017 15:54
I am struggling with hot flushes.
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- eileen — 29.08.2017 10:25
  Hi Jacqueline You could try the sage tablets, these are specifically for flushes and sweats and usually kick in quite quickly. https://www.avogel.co.uk/herbal-remedies/sage-tablets-menoforce/index.php
  Reply
alison — 23.08.2017 14:54
I'm struggling with flushes and night sweats
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- eileen — 24.08.2017 07:41
  Hi Alison Hopefully the tips above will help you and you could try the sage tablets. I would suggest taking one with your evening meal, we have found that if you sort the night sweats and sleep better that will have a positive impact on your symptoms the next day. https://www.avogel.co.uk/herbal-remedies/sage-tablets-menoforce/index.php
  Reply
Carol Widdowson — 23.08.2017 11:01
Hello, I'm having terrible hot flushes throughout the day & night so affecting my sleep. I feel physically drained after a flush as I get palpitations too. How long will I have to take your sage tablets for & will the flushes return when I stop taking the tablets? Thanks :)
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- eileen — 23.08.2017 13:51
  Hi Carol You may find the sage tablets beneficial as this is specifically for flushes and sweats. I would suggest taking the tablet with your evening meal. We do find that if you get a better night's sleep this has a positive impact on symptoms the next day. It is difficult to say how long you would need to take them for, some women find they only need them for a short while but for others they need to take long-term. I would also recommend a high does magnesium to help with the palpitations and sleep, 200mg twice a day with food. Remember to drink lots of plain water throughout the day as flushes can dehydrate you very quickly and dehydration can trigger more flushes and palpitations!
  Reply
Aminata Fofanah — 17.08.2017 18:39
I have the symptoms of menopause like hot flush es,bloating,periodpains,digestive problems,joint pain I don't know if menoforce will help or go and see my GP
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- Eileen — 18.08.2017 08:56
  Hello Aminata, Menoforce sage tablets are specific to help tackle hot flushes or night sweats. The menopause can cause lots of different symptoms. Although there could be various other reasons for these symptoms arising as well. I would ask the doctor to test your hormone levels, iron levels, low vit D or low thyroid, just to clarify the situation for you. In the meantime, it is important to drink plenty of plain water to keep hydrated and reduce any congestion. A magnesium supplement could help period cramps. Our Molkosan original might be a good starting point if you feel that you have a lot digestive issues.
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