Why Do Women Get Nighttime Sweats?
A large number of women generally suffer from night time sweats. This condition can be generally seen in women of certain age group. Night time sweats are nothing but excessive sweating caused during the night, which makes you cold and clammy.
The first reason for a person to sweat at night may be due to the hot surroundings which causes sweatingand that’s normal. But the second cause for excessive sweating for a woman may be due to menopause. A woman reaches the menopausestate at the age of 51 generally.
To have a clear difference between the night sweats caused by medical reasons from the ones occurring due to warm surroundings is referred to as hot flashesgenerally by the doctors. Hot flashes are not related to the overheated environment.
Causes Of Night Sweats
Hot flashes in women are mainly caused by the fluctuating levels of oestrogen secreted in the body during menopause. Hypothalamus a region in the brain that regulates the body temperature gets confused with the fluctuating oestrogen levels and responds to it as if there is an increase in the body temperature and tries to cool you down. This makes your sweat glands work actively and gives your body an intense perspiration sensation. Thus you wake up all wet in sweat. There can be other reasons of night sweats like hypoglycaemia, infections, medications, hormone disorders and auto immune diseases.
Symptoms Of Hot Flashes
Most of the women feel warmth or redness on their skin followed by nausea, anxiety, headache, weakness, sweating. Hot flashes may be mild or infrequent in nature. Hot flashes may last for a period of 5 minutes to half an hour.
There Are A Number Of Ways To Keep Night Sweats Away
Breathe Deeply
Slow and deep breathing also called as relaxation breathing may reduce hot flashes to a certain extent. This type of breathing will give you back the sound sleep which was lost during the session of hot flashes.
Cool And Comfortable Bedroom
Sleep in a cool room with air circulating around. Have a night wear made of natural layered fabric to keep you cool. Use only a sheet to cover up instead of a comforter.
Watch Your Lifestyle
Keeping a track of your lifestyle can keep away those irritable and wet nights. Eat a diet containing proteins, fibre, fruits, grains and vegetables. Avoid foods like alcohol, tobacco and caffeine as they worsen the symptoms. Do not exercise right before bed.
Hormone Replacement Therapy
Hormone replacement therapy can be done to get rid of those menopause symptoms. A doctor will be able to tell you the good and the bad sides of the therapy. He would treat you according to the severity of the symptoms and depending upon your health.
Diseases can also be the reason for night sweats like leukaemia, osteomyelitis, AIDS, strokes and Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Thus menopause shouldn’t be considered as the only reason of night sweats. It is better to have a word with your doctor before jumping on any conclusions for those sweating problems.
Opting for the right treatment at the right time can relieve you from the discomfortand uneasiness in the night.
How To Treat Hot Flashes Naturally
One of the most trying symptoms that a woman has to go through during menopause is hot flashes. As the name suggests, it characterises itself as sudden heating up of the body, especially the upper parts of the bodyincluding the face.
Hot flashes can be very exasperatingfor most women as they almost alwaysappear in the night while you are asleep. The sleep patterns are therefore disturbed, leading to other symptoms like insomnia and stress. Hot flashes trouble women during day time as well.
As these are manifestations of nature, most women suffer silently, thinking that there is no relief and relaxation from it. But the truth is that we can do much to relieve these symptoms and offer great peace and solace to menopausal women while their body gets adjusted to this new cycle.
The occurrence of hot flashes coincides with the low levels of estrogen in the body as a result of menopause. Many women go for hormone therapies which could give them relief from the symptoms. But hormone therapies could lead to dangerous circumstances like a breast tumour which could get aggravated due to hormone therapy. There are a few safe treatment options that are perfectly natural that you can try for hot flashes. These methods are very safe and do not cause any side effects or discomfort whatsoever.
Treat Hot Flashes Naturally
1. Remove The Symptoms With Lifestyle Changes
At times, it is the atmosphere that you are thrown in that cause or aggravates hot flashes. This could be a hot environment that you sleep, a hot mattress or your way of clothing that is causing the symptoms to surface. While hot flashes could be experienced even after these changes, these are little things that you can do in order to make a huge change in the symptoms and offer great relief to you.During the initial months make sure that the room is cooled adequately and the clothes that you wear are airy or layered to fan in the air into your body.
2. Add Soy To Your Diet To Relieve Hot Flashes
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Many doctors recommend soy as a possible dietary source that can be relied upon in order to alleviate hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms. Soy products can be consumed when you experience the first signs of menopause so that you do not experience hot flashes. Supplements too can be taken afterconsulting a doctor as to the right dosage.
3. Set Your Hormone Problems Right With Evening Primrose Oil
Menopause is the time when a number of hormone changes take place in your body, making your susceptible to all these symptoms like hot flashes. If you successfully remove these hormone imbalances from your body, you can be free from hot flashes and many other symptoms associated with menopause. For removing hormone imbalances naturally, evening primrose oil is a great remedy. Take regular supplements during menopause for preventing hot flashes.
4. Flax Seeds For Hormone Imbalances
Again, another oil that can be used for setting all the hormone problems back on track is flax seed oil. Full of omega 3 fatty acids and other nutrition, flax seeds are known to prevent hormone imbalances that can happen during menopause. Flax oil can be taken every day or seeds can be chewed and eaten for taking benefit from this seed and preventing hot flashes in the process.
5. Consume Vitamin E To Prevent Hot Flashes
Consuming vitamin E as supplements or through diet too can remove the fluctuation in you hormones during menopause and stop symptoms of hot flashes. While vitamin E can help menopausal women, its intake must be controlled in case you have a deficiency of vitamin K that is needed for bone health. In such a case, excess intake of vitamin E can trigger a uterine bleeding which you might want to avoid.
6. Reduce or Stop Caffeine Altogether
The stress hormones in your body could get stimulated with caffeine. It can also lead to generation of heat in the body which may cause hot flashes. Therefore during the initial months of menopause, it is better to stop caffeinated beverages altogether until your body gets adjusted to the new system and hot flashes no longer disturb you.
7. Drink Fluids To Keep Temperature Normal
When you feel hot flashes, the first ever thing you must do is to gulp down a few glasses of cold water. This will immediately make you feel better and release the heat from your body. To combat hot flashes at night and feel better within seconds, always remember to keep some water near you.
8. Progesterone Can Help Relieve Hot Flashes
Apart from estrogen deficiency in the body, progesterone is another hormone that becomes deficient when you attain menopause. Naturally occurring progesterone can be used as supplement during this time in order to prevent hot flashes. Wild yarns contain natural progesterone and hence creams made of wild yarn progesterone can be used for massaging into the face and the upper body to remove the low amounts of progesterone and also to prevent hot flashes.
9. Spicy Food, Another Cause For Hot Flashes
Taking spicy food, especially before you are off to sleep too can be a reason for hot flashes. If the food is hot as well, then you will surely feel hot flashes in the night. To prevent this discomfort, avoid spicy as well as hot food from your menu at least 3-4 hours before you go to sleep. It is also advised to go for meals that are broken into smaller parts to prevent the body from getting too hot during the digestion process.
10. Control Your Weight To Stop Hot Flashes
Weight management helps you control hot flashes to a certain extent. Weight gain will lead to overheating of the body as a result of increased fat deposit underneath the skin. This will lead to hot flashes and other problems during menopause. Make exercise a part of your daily routine to keep your weight under control and prevent hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause effectively.
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