The connection between hot flushes and anxiety in perimenopause and menopause
So, are you finding that your hot flushes are getting worse when you're a bit anxious or when you're a bit more stressed? There is definitely a connection between anxiety and hot flushes and how they can actually impact each other, which is really interesting.
Hot flushes and anxiety are two of the most common symptoms of menopause, and what we've found for the last 15 years or more is that these two can have the biggest impact on those going through perimenopause and menopause. And because they can impact each other, this can then become a real vicious cycle.
We know that a lot of hot flushes are caused by falling oestrogen affecting a gland in our brain called the hypothalamus. One of the many things that the hypothalamus does is that it controls our body's temperature. It's a bit like our gas central heating control. It helps to regulate whether we're too hot or whether we're too cold as well.
While the main cause of hot flushes is often this hormonal imbalance affecting your body’s temperature control, the other way that you can get hot flushes is from your nervous system being revved up by things such as anxiety. So again, this whole issue of the two connected is really quite obvious.
So, when you get hot flushes, especially if it's in public, you may find that if you're at work, if you're talking to people, if you're driving, if you're doing things that involve other people, and you feel a hot flush coming on, you immediately get anxious because you're going to think the worst. You may start to think "Oh, everybody's going to see how red I am. I'm going to be stuttering. I'm going to be making mistakes. I'm going to feel awful. I'm going to sweat." So, anxious thoughts about hot flushes are enough to rev up your nervous system, making everything worse. When this happens too, this anxiety can trigger another hot flush, and then you end up with things like palpitations as well.
When you are anxious, your nervous system kicks in, you produce adrenaline, and you get this flight or fight scenario, which then ends up causing more flushes and sweats. You can then end up producing histamine, which then causes skin rashes as well. So, you get this horrible combination of all these symptoms that go together.
The other thing too, is that when you're looking at anxiety on its own, very often, a flush is part of the anxiety process. So, you can end up then getting a double whammy of flushes and sweats. It's really a horrible, vicious cycle that can sometimes be quite hard to fix, but there are things you can do to help break this cycle.
What can help reduce anxiety and ease hot flushes?
Here are a few things I recommend to help reduce anxiety and lessen its impact on the frequency and intensity of your hot flushes:
Deep, slow breathing: This is such a really good, handy tool to learn because it can help you in so many other different situations. And I know, for me, it's something that I have found works really well.
Take time to relax every day: Keep your nervous system calm so it's not triggered all the time. So, you're looking at your 30-minute "me time" relaxation, things like yoga, tai chi, and walking. All of these things help to calm the nervous system down and will make it more robust and less likely to react to all the little things that can trigger it daily.
Cool it: Try some cool compresses to help tackle hot flushes. There are little packages you can get now that you can keep in the freezer and put on your head or your neck if you start to get a hot flush, and that can bring a flush down really, really quickly.
Helpful herbs: You can look at helpful herbs to calm anxiety, so that's things like Passionflower or Avena sativa.
For hot flushes and night sweats, you can look at the herb Sage. For an easy way to take sage, why not try our one-a-day Menoforce Sage tablets?
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Limit other triggers: So, try to reduce anything that's going to trigger and rev up your nervous system, such as caffeine, high salt and sugar foods, smoking, and going long periods without eating or drinking. All of these are known triggers for both hot flushes and anxiety.
Magnesium: Remember the magnesium. This is an essential mineral that can help in many ways during perimenopause and menopause. So, look at taking a total of between 300 to 400 milligrams daily.
Prioritise your sleep: We know that if you have a poor night's sleep, and this is just one, your nervous system is going to be much more trigger-happy the next day without anything else being involved as well. So, sleep is just vital for our general well-being as well.
Stay well hydrated: Remember to drink plenty of water every day because dehydration affects the nervous system. Dehydration makes you jumpier. It makes you more nervous. It creates all sorts of other issues as well. So, enough water daily can make a lot of difference.
I hope you found this one helpful. And especially for those of you, wherever you are at this moment in time, if the weather is really hot, you may find that you're suffering from flushes and sweats and anxiety combined a lot more together.
So, if you've any tips, if any of you have had this particular scenario and you've done things to help yourself, please share them as always. We love reading all your comments and suggestions, so please keep them coming.
And until next time, take care.
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