I’m the queen of hot flashes! Since the age of 44 or so, I started having these dreaded things! Hot flashes usually start near the early 50’s, but many women start early for various reasons.
I remember one day laughing at a cousin who ran and jumped in a pool when she had a hot flash. One minute I was talking to her and the next minute she was gone and in the pool leaving me standing there talking to myself for a minute. Years later I totally understood how she felt!
Where It Began
At age 44, I joined a ‘medical study’ to try a new procedure that would regulate my periods and the intense bleeding I had each month due to fibroids. Over the years, I’d had multiple surgeries to eliminate fibroids but they kept growing back.
One of the side effects determined by this medical study was that women went into premature menopause! The procedure worked perfectly in regards to my heavy periods disappearing, but to be replaced with intense, incredibly often, hot flashes!
OMG! They were intense, knockdown, drag out, take my breath away hot flashes! There were days where I would lie on the bathroom floor to cool down at work as there were no pools of water to jump into like my cousin did.
Finally, I went to the doctor because one morning I counted from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., I had 30 hot flashes. While waiting for my appointment, I picked up an article that talked about how most women had about 5-6 a day! Whaaat???
Hot flashes were interrupting my sleep, my work and my personal life. That day I started on a journey to get out of Hot Flash Hell!
I didn’t want to take the regular creams and pills given to relieve hot flashes. So just knowing where those drugs came from caused me to not want them in my body. So I started investigating to find any little thing that would help. Here’s what I found.
Common Sense Ways To Avoid A Hot Flash and How To Relieve It
Here are some things that can bring on hot flashes and some common sense things you can do to help you feel better almost instantly!
1) Heated Items – Gloves, Blankets, Muffins
Heating blankets, gloves or heating hand muffins – usually heavily used during the winter.
As winter is coming, exchange for lighter blankets or one blanket with extra covering to the side in case you get cold. Use regular gloves. Leave the heated items that go in the gloves or shoes alone. I sleep with a light blanket and have another at the foot of my bed in case I get the chills after a hot flash.
2) Heated seats in your car?
How about those heated seats in your car? I loved them when I bought my new car! I found out quickly that turning on my heated seat in the winter time will quickly bring on a hot flash.
Resolution: Turn off the seat or turn on the air conditioner (yes in the middle of winter!) which will quickly bring the flush down.
Common Sense Ways To Avoid A Hot Flash and How To Relieve It #MenopauseClick To Tweet3) Caffeine, hot or hot tea, spicy foods?
I know most people like that cup of Joe in the morning. Me? I’m a hot tea drinker and can’t pass up my cup of tea in the morning.
Resolution: I generally keep a desk fan near me to quickly cool down when a hot flash comes on and inevitably, one comes on full force when I drink a hot cup of tea or if I eat something spicy.
That little fan is my life saver. You can even get the 3“ kind that plugs into your computer to quickly cool down. You can get those little fans at Best Buy for about $12-$19.
4) Over-Dressing
Winter is here and we want to stay warm so we tend to overdress. Heavily layered clothing for the winter may bring on a hot flash.
Instead of big bulky sweaters, dress in lighter clothes that you can layer so that when a hot flash comes on, you can take off clothes to cool down fast.
Make sure you dress lightly and carry additional coverings or sweaters for when you get a chill after that flash.
5) Use Ceiling Fans
Ceiling fans are my friend.
6) Keep Water or a Cool Drink By Your Side
Keep a glass of water, or your favorite cool drink near your bed or sitting area. That cool drink (even a luke-warm one) will help get that hot flash under control quickly.
7) Ice Pops
Remember the old days as a kid!
Now at the age of 59 I’ve pretty much eliminated my hot flashes using natural methods, but, if and when I get one, I use some of the methods above to help me deal.
Hope this information helps.
Over to You
So do you have hot flashes? Are they intense? What’s been your experience with hot flashes? What do you do to eliminate them quickly? Would love to know your experiences.
Please leave a comment, share your experiences to help others get some ‘cool’ relief.
7 Ways You Can Handle Those Damn Hot Flashes #MenopauseClick To Tweet
