I saw a middle aged lady walking across the street holding a coffee cup on her head. When I asked her what she was doing she said, “I’m trying to save energy by using this crazy hot flash to reheat my coffee.” I’m not sure if it worked, but it sure was a humorous sight. With the aging of baby boomer women there are bound to be many more menopause related jokes surfacing in the next few years.
Census information tells us that there are 2 million women turning 50 every year…yes prime menopause age .The average age of menopause is 51 and 85% of all women going through menopause report having hot flashes and night sweats. With over 75 million baby boomers and more than half of them women, that’s a lot of heat to go around.
There are many reasons for night sweats…chemotherapy, certain medications, thyroid condition, diabetes, obesity, Andropause( male menopause) and anxiety to name a few, but the primary reason for night sweats in women are the hormonal fluctuations which occur just before menopause and during menopause. Night sweats are not dangerous, but they can certainly be annoying.
To help provide relief to female menopausal baby boomers below is a list of top twenty safe and natural things to do to help combat night sweats and hot flashes.
1).Be consistent with your bedtime each night. This will get your body conditioned to understand when it is time to sleep and when it is time to wake
2). Get at least eight hours of sleep. Even if you think you can exist on 3-4 hours, you might be surprised at how much more energy you have a consistent 8 hours each night. That way if you do have a night sweat episode, you won’t feel as sleep deprived the next day if you’ve allowed yourself 8 full hours of sleep.
3). Avoid alcohol at bedtime because it can cause hormone levels to spike and drop suddenly, thus leading to hot flashes.
4). If night sweats do strike, get up, go to the bathroom and drink a tall glass of water.
5). Keep a glass of cool water on your night stand at all times.
6). Avoid spicy foods just before bedtime . Spicy foods generate heat.
7). Cut caffeine before bedtime because it is can trigger night sweats by raising heart rate and blood pressure
8). Steer clear of sweets before bedtime because sugar increases your metabolism and in turn generates heat.
9). Keep your bedroom at a cool temperature or sleep with an open window or a fan to increase air circulation.
10). Change your sheets once or twice a week so that you feel fresh and clean when you get into bed.
11). Take a cool shower or cool bath before bedtime.
12). Avoid hot tubs and Jacuzzi’s before bedtime.
13). Review your prescription and over the counter medications with your doctor because some medications can cause nighttime sweating.
14). Keep dry towels next to your bed to dry off if night sweats are severe.
15). Try black cohash or vitamin E supplements. Some researchers tell us that these supplements could lessen the severity of hot flashes and night sweats.
16). Increase your consumption of soybean products. Researchers have found that women who eat 35-40 milligrams of plant estrogen a day in the form of tofu, soymilk and other soy products seem to experience fewer hot flashes and night sweat episodes.
17). If you are overweight, losing body fat has been shown to dramatically reduce the severity of night sweats
18). Try yoga before bedtime to relax. There are lots of wonderful yoga tapes available. Be sure to stick with restorative yoga at night to keep your body cool and calm.
19). Meditate for 10 minutes before you go to bed to relax. This will help you get to sleep quicker. The more you practice meditation, the better you’ll get.
20). Wear micro-fiber pajamas or nightgowns with wicking and quick drying properties. Wicking pajamas pull the moisture away from your skin, through the fabric and then dry rapidly to keep you cool and dry. Wicking pajamas can be found online at www.Cool-jams.com
