Today's topic
Today on A.Vogel Talks Menopause, I take a look at four surprising hot flush sensations you might be experiencing.
I've been asked about hot flushes a lot recently, especially as we've been experiencing a lot of lovely hot weather. So, I thought I would devote the next four weeks to looking at hot flushes, including some of the less common triggers, things that you may be experiencing whilst you're getting a hot flush, and also some tips on how you can help yourself.
Surprising sensations you might experience alongside or before a hot flush
So, this week, I am focusing on surprising sensations that you may start to experience just as a hot flush is appearing or whilst you are having a hot flush.
1. Nausea
This is a really horrible one, especially if it comes with every single hot flush that you get. It can be very debilitating. It can stop you in your tracks and sometimes, it can take quite a little while to recover from this, even though your hot flush might have been quite a short one.
It can be due to several different things. If your oestrogen suddenly does a big dip out of nowhere, that can cause feelings of nausea. It can also be low blood sugars, and it can also be dehydration.
What can help?
So, if you're getting nausea and hot flush regularly, do the little diary. Every time you get a bit of nausea and a hot flush, write down what was happening beforehand.
Have you not had anything to drink for a while? Have you not had anything to eat for a while? Have you found that you're focusing so much that you're not looking after yourself well? So that's a really important one.
If nausea is also occurring at times when you're not getting any hot flushes, then sometimes, doing a little bit of liver support can be of benefit. Herbs such as dandelion, and boldo, and artichoke can be nice ones to help to get the liver back into that little bit of balance.
2. Dizziness
Again, there can be several things that can trigger this, so doing a little diary is a really good idea.
Very often, when you're having a hot flush, the blood vessels open up very suddenly and this can cause a drop in blood pressure. So, as you're having a hot flush, the blood is draining from your brain and that can cause the light-headedness and dizziness.
Some women say they even faint when this happens. Although if that happens, you do need to get things checked out by your doctor. It can also be due to dehydration and low blood sugars, too.
What I recommend
If dizziness is happening regularly, I would advise that you get your blood pressure checked out. In menopause, it seems to be more common to get high blood pressure, but for a few women, their blood pressure starts to drop, and then if you get the hot flushes on top of that, you can end up having a serious dip. So, it is better just to get that one checked out by your doctor at some point.
3. Jitters
With this sensation, you either start to shake, or you might find that you get tingling sensations, electrical shocks, or pins and needles up your arms, and this tends to happen just before you get the hot flush.
This one tends to be caused by something called an adrenal rush. So, this very often stems from the nervous system.
Again, if you're getting these, what's just happened beforehand? Have you been annoyed? Have you been angry? Have you had a shock? Have you been upset? Have you been worried about something? Because these emotions will very often overstretch your nervous system, which can trigger the adrenaline and the next thing, you end up getting a hot flush.
What can help?
If you experience this sensation, then it's about calming your nervous system down, so herbs such as Avena sativa in our lovely AvenaCalm can help. Also, consider upping your intake of magnesium to help support your nervous system and make sure that you're not dehydrated because that can cause the nervous system to go into overdrive, too.
My Self-Care Tip: How deep breathing can ease hot flushes & calm your nervous system
Anxiety is a common trigger of hot flushes, as it puts your nervous system into overdrive. And, it can also cause sensations such as jitters before, during and after a hot flush. Watch my tip below to find out how deep breathing can help calm this sensation and also reduce the severity of hot flushes.
4. Chills
A lot of women tell me that they get really hot when get a hot flush, so they take their jumper off or their jacket off. And the next minute, they're freezing!
This is very often because as your blood vessels near the surface of the skin open up, you do lose a little bit of sweat or perspiration. That moisture then lies on top of the skin and this then cools down and you get the chills.
This is a perfectly normal reaction because, for some reason, your body is thinking it's too hot. And by causing a hot flush, it creates this whole scenario which very quickly cools you down.
The problem is in the menopause, it's one extreme or the other. You get really hot and then you can get really cold.
What I recommend
This is a difficult one to do anything about. You can't take anything for it. The main thing here is that if you are experiencing these particular symptoms is to just wear a few layers of clothes, which means that you can, if you get too hot, you can take one or two layers off, and the minute when you start to get cold again, you can start putting the layers back on.
So, I hope this has been helpful. If any of you have other symptoms that you're experiencing just before or during a hot flush, please let us know because there are probably many women out there who are experiencing things and they're not quite sure where they're coming from. So, if you're a bit puzzled, I would love to help.
Need help relieving your hot flushes?
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Containing extracts of sage herb, these convenient one-a-day tablets are used to relieve excessive sweating, hot flushes and night sweats during the menopause.
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Hot Flush Month: Next week...
Next week, I will be taking a look at why caffeine is probably one of the most common triggers for hot flushes and night sweats and what you can do to lessen its impact.
Later this month I will also be taking a look at things that can make your hot flushes worsen and offering my easy tips on how to ease hot flushes, so make sure you don't miss those if hot flushes are troubling you just now.
