Reasons for Hot Flashes

If you are in menopause, you may be experiencing hot flashes. Many women have them and they can range from mild to severe. In some cases, they can interfere with your ability to sleep and can affect you while at work. Knowing some of the triggers for hot flashes may help you to prevent them from becoming too severe.

Identification

• Hot flashes occur when a women is in menopause. They create feelings of being warm, hot and flushed. In some cases the skin becomes red and there can be excessive sweating.

Theories/Speculation

• The exact cause of hot flashes is still unknown. It appears to be linked to a decreased level of the hormone estrogen, which may alter the activity of the autonomic nervous system. There is also a possibility that low estrogen levels cause the hypothalamus, which regulates body heat, to malfunction.

Menopause

• One unavoidable part of aging in women is that their ovaries naturally stop producing estrogen. Menopause is defined as a time when a women has stopped menstruating for twelve or more consecutive months.

Hysterectomy

• Having your ovaries removed decreases the levels of estrogen in your body. Even if you have not yet entered menopause, you may experience hot flashes in this case.

Hot Flash Triggers

• Smoking, caffeine and too much alcohol can increase the incidence of hot flashes. Cheese and chocolate are other foods that can irritate your system and make your hot flashes worse.