How To Cope With Hot Flashes

Hot flashes are a common symptom of menopause, which occurs when a woman no longer has monthly periods. It occurs in more than two-thirds of women in North America. Hot flashes might be caused due to a drop in the hormones estrogen and progesterone that occur when a woman stops menstruating. Hot flashes may cause a disruption in daily activities while at work or home by inducing periods of sweating for no apparent reason. Night sweats are hot flashes that occur during sleep, which can be very disruptive. Here are ten natural treatments.

10. Muscle Relaxation Techniques

Being uptight may increase the risk of hot flashes. According to a British study, women with hot flashes who practiced progressive muscle relaxation experienced twenty percent fewer hot flashes than women who did not use muscle relaxation therapy. The severity of the symptoms also decreased. Women being studied met with a therapist for training on deep breathing, muscle release, and guided imagery. Progressive muscle relaxation is the art of tensing one major muscle group at a time and then relaxing it.

9. Yoga

According to a small study involving fourteen postmenopausal women with four or more hot flashes a day, practicing eight different restorative yoga poses and taking a weekly ninety-minute yoga class for eight weeks reduced the number of hot flashes and severity. Women being studied participated in a restorative yoga class once every week for eight weeks, which included holding restful positions for five to ten minutes each. Deep relaxation yoga poses are thought to support the part of the body responsible for unconscious sweating called the parasympathetic nervous system.