27 Ways to Manage Hot Flashes: From Natural Remedies to Medicine
Hot flashes feel like you’re living in a sauna. These sudden heat waves happen for a variety of reasons. Kathi Bower, ARNP, UnityPoint Health, discusses why your body turns up the heat, triggers to avoid, ways to get relief naturally and when to see a doctor.
What Do Hot Flashes Feel Like?
A hot flash feels like intense, internal heat in your body. Here’s what you can expect from hot flash symptoms:
- Anxiety
- Chills
- Flushing (skin becomes hot and red), especially in the face, neck and chest
- Increased heart rate of about 7-15 beats per minute
- Sweating
When Do Hot Flashes Start?
Hot flashes happen in more than 50% of women in the perimenopause phase — between ages 40-58.
“They can last 4-10 years and typically peak within one year of your final period,” Bower says.
How Long Do Hot Flashes Last?
Everyone’s different, but on average, women have hot flashes for seven years. How long hot flashes last depends on a few things. If you started getting hot flashes before menopause, they’ll likely last longer. Smoking and being overweight lengthens how long they stick around, too.
The good(ish) news is they happen in quick spurts. A hot flash lasts for about one to two minutes but occasionally lasts as long as five minutes.
Do Men Get Hot Flashes?
Yes, men have hot flashes. Unlike women, where hot flashes are largely connected to menopause, hot flashes in men are often related to the following:
- Thyroid issues
- Infections
- Hormonal disorders
- Neurological disorders
- Medications
- Cancer
- Cancer-related treatments
Why are Hot Flashes Worse at Night?
When major sweats happen at night, they’re called ”night sweats” and might wake you up.
“Hot flashes aren’t always worse at night, but nighttime hot flashes are the most disruptive and noticeable. This is especially true if you’re waking up drenched in a cold sweat,” Bower says.
What Causes Hot Flashes?
In perimenopause, hot flashes happen when ovarian function slows and estrogen levels decrease.
“Lower estrogen levels change temperature regulation in the brain, resulting in increased sensitivity to slight shifts in body temperature,” Bower says.
Additionally, small increases in your body’s core temperature cause blood vessels to dilate —creating a hot flash. When your body temperature drops slightly, this causes chills.
Here are some other things that cause hot flashes:
- Cancer and cancer-related treatments
- Certain medications
- Fluctuations in thyroid, hormonal, gastrointestinal, sleep and neurologic function
- Pregnancy (most common in the first and third trimesters, 35% of women go through hot flashes in pregnancy due to hormone changes)
- Substance abuse
- Viral or bacterial infections
What Can Trigger a Hot Flash?
While hormonal changes during perimenopause and menopause are the most common culprits, other triggers for hot flashes include:
- Alcohol
- Caffeine
- Heat/getting overheated
- Hot drinks
- Smoking
- Spicy foods
- Stress/anxiety
- Tight clothing
Certain risk factors increase the likelihood of hot flashes, too, such as obesity, older age and smoking.
How to Relieve Hot Flashes Naturally
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution for taming hot flashes naturally, but there are options to try if you want to avoid medication. Try any of these natural strategies for flare-ups — including foods that fight hot flashes to lifestyle factors that slow the sweat.
Lifestyle Changes
- Avoid spicy foods, caffeinated drinks and alcohol
- Dress in layers, so you can take clothes off when you're too warm
- Eat plants filled with soy-based estrogen, such as:
- Flaxseeds
- Fruits like blueberries, peaches and strawberries
- Nuts, like almonds, cashews, peanuts and pistachios
- Sesame seeds
- Soy
- Vegetables like broccoli, Brussel sprouts and kale
- Exercise regularly
- Lose weight
- Open windows, use a fan or stay in air conditioning as much as possible
- Reduce triggers for hot flashes
- Sip cold drinks when you're feeling too warm
- Stop smoking
- Acupuncture
Mind-Body Therapies
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Deep breathing
- Guided imagery
- Hypnosis
- Mindfulness meditation
Natural Remedies
Note: More research is still needed to determine their effectiveness.
- Amberen: A blend of amino acids and minerals that may restore hormonal balance.
- Black cohosh: There are possible estrogen-like effects that reduce menopausal symptoms.
- Dong quai: Evidence is lacking, but it’s thought to balance estrogen levels and alleviate symptoms.
- Evening primrose oil: The gamma-linolenic acid in this oil may help with hot flashes.
- Relizen: This Swedish flower pollen extract is believed to support the body’s temperature regulation.
- Vitamin E: It’s an antioxidant that supports cellular health and may influence hormone levels.
- Wild yam: This herb may balance hormones, but there’s little scientific evidence.
- Antidepressants: Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) and Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs) are typically used as antidepressants. They work by regulating neurotransmitters that impact your body temperature and can reduce hot flashes for many patients.
- Antiseizure medication: Gabapentin influences calcium in the brain that supports temperature regulation and reducing hot flashes.
- Blood pressure medication: Clonidine works by regulating nerve signals that trigger hot flashes.
- Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): Increasing estrogen levels help stabilize the brain’s temperature regulation function that’s disrupted during menopause. HRT is available in oral, transdermal and transvaginal forms and may involve both estrogen and progestin.
- NK3 inhibitors: A non-hormonal drug that targets receptors in the brain to decrease hot flashes by altering temperature regulation mechanisms.
“There’s also a hot flash bracelet that claims to manage hot flashes. It’s a great concept, but there’s poor evidence it actually works. I suggest saving your money,” Bower says.
Talk to your doctor before starting any herbs or supplements, as they’re not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. Ensure there’s no potential interactions with your current medications, you don’t have underlying conditions that could be impacted, and you understand possible side effects, the proper dosage and duration of use.
When to See a Doctor About Hot Flashes
Bower says, “If and when you feel like hot flashes are bothersome enough that they impact your quality of life, sleep, mood, relationships, health etc., or if you just want to be well-informed about menopause and what to expect, reach out to your doctor.