Hot flashes

Hot flashes

overview

A hot flash is the sudden feeling of warmth in the upper body, usually most intense over the face, neck, and chest. Your skin may turn red, as if you were blushing. A hot flash can also lead to sweating. If you lose too much body heat, you might feel cold afterwards. Night sweats are hot flashes that occur at night and can disrupt your sleep.

Although other conditions can cause them, hot flashes are most often due to menopause - the time when menstruation becomes irregular and eventually stops. In fact, hot flashes are the most common symptom of the menopausal transition.

There are a variety of treatments for annoying hot flashes.

Symptoms

During a hot flash you may have:

• Ein plötzliches Gefühl von Wärme breitet sich in Brust, Nacken und Gesicht aus
• Ein gerötetes Aussehen mit roter, fleckiger Haut
• Schneller Herzschlag
• Schweiß, hauptsächlich am Oberkörper
• Ein kühles Gefühl, wenn die Hitzewallung nachlässt
• Angstgefühle

The frequency and intensity of hot flashes varies among women. A single episode can last a minute or two – or up to 5 minutes.

Hot flashes can be mild or so intense that they interfere with daily activities. They can happen at any time of the day or night. Nocturnal hot flashes (night sweats) can wake you from sleep and cause long-term sleep problems.

How often hot flashes occur varies from woman to woman, but most women who report having hot flashes experience them daily. On average, hot flash symptoms persist for more than seven years. Some women have had them for more than 10 years.

When to go to the doctor?

If hot flashes interfere with your daily activities or nighttime sleep, you should see your doctor to discuss treatment options.

Causes

Hot flashes are most often caused by changes in hormone levels before, during, and after menopause. It's not exactly clear how hormonal changes cause hot flashes. However, most research suggests that hot flashes occur when low estrogen levels cause your body's thermostat (hypothalamus) to become more sensitive to subtle changes in body temperature. When the hypothalamus thinks your body is too warm, it starts a chain of events - a hot flash - to cool you down.

Rarely, hot flashes and night sweats are caused by something other than menopause. Other possible causes include side effects of medications, problems with your thyroid, certain types of cancer, and side effects of cancer treatments.

Risk factors

Not all menopausal women have hot flashes, and it's not clear why some women have them. Factors that may increase your risk include:

• Rauchen. Frauen, die rauchen, bekommen häufiger Hitzewallungen.
• Fettleibigkeit. Ein hoher Body-Mass-Index (BMI) ist mit einer höheren Häufigkeit von Hitzewallungen verbunden.
• Wettrennen. Mehr schwarze Frauen berichten von Hitzewallungen während der Menopause als Frauen anderer Rassen. Hitzewallungen werden am seltensten bei asiatischen Frauen berichtet.

Complications

Hot flashes can affect your daily activities and quality of life. Nocturnal hot flashes (night sweats) can wake you from sleep and, over time, lead to long-term sleep problems.

Research suggests that women with hot flashes may have an increased risk of heart disease and greater bone loss than women without hot flashes.

Sources:

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