What are Hot Flushes in Menopause and How Hypnotherapy can Help


What are hot flushes in menopause?

Hot flushes, also known as hot flashes, are the most common symptom of menopause.  They are often one of the early signs of menopause and can affect up to 80% of women.  

A hot flush is a sudden feeling of warmth or heat in the upper body, and this can be more intense in the face and neck, causing you to go red and even sweat.  You may also feel your heart racing and experience palpitations during hot flushes. Some women note it is like a volcano erupting or feeling hot like a furnace.  After, you may feel cold and shivery and feel increased anxiety. 

How many hot flushes a day is normal?

Hot flushes can happen anywhere at any time. They can occur a few times a week for some women or daily for others. They may happen during the daytime or at night.  At night these are called ‘night sweats’.  It is common for sleep to be disturbed due to waking up drenched with nights sweats.  Some women only experience them during the day, some only at night and for some both. 

How long does a hot flush last?

A hot flush can last anywhere from one to five minutes, and the intensity may be mild or severely disrupt your life.  “When hot flushes are severe, they may strike four or five times an hour or 20 to 30 times a day”, Omicioli says.  Up to 20% of women experience severe hot flushes. This can be one of the main reasons for issues with sleep in menopause being disturbed due to waking from night sweats having to get up and change the sheets and clothes.  

What is the average time woman experiences hot flushes?

The average time is about two years. For some women, they can experience them up to fifteen years!

How do I know if hot flushes are due to menopause?

Other medical conditions can cause hot flushes, but they are a very common symptom of menopause. Up to 80% of women experience hot flushes during menopause. 

What causes hot flushes in menopause? 

Research shows that hot flushes during menopause can be due to fluctuating and decreasing hormones, especially oestrogen. This affects the brain’s temperature regulation system, the hypothalamus.  The ability to regulate heat becomes too sensitive, causing sweating at slight changes in body temperature.  The hot flush is the blood vessels opening close to the skin and increased blood flow to that area.

What helps the menopause symptoms of hot flushes?

It can be helpful to write down when you are experiencing hot flushes, as this might help you work out if there is any pattern or any particular triggers.  

Here are some solutions to manage or reduce your hot flushes: 

  • Wearing loose and light clothing

  • Using silk bedding as it absorbs sweat without becoming damp or natural materials such as cotton and bamboo

  • Using a cooling pad or pillow

  • Weight management can help reduce many symptoms.   

  • Exercise and proper nutrition  

  • Stopping smoking, women who smoke are twice more likely to experience hot flushes

  • Reducing or stopping the consumption of alcohol and spicy food 

  • Drinking a cold drink

  • Control the temperature of the room so it’s cooler. Open a window or use a fan if necessary

  • Ensure your bath is not too hot

  • Not doing too many hot things at once

  • Thinking cool thoughts and imagine yourself being in a cooling pool, snowy place or any other cooling imagery

    Cool water and refreshing drink

Treating menopause naturally to relieve the hot flashes with hypnotherapy

Hypnotherapy is a natural menopause treatment. Around 85% of women who are menopausal experience hot flushes and hypnosis has been shown in clinical trials to be as effective at treating hot flushes as hormone treatment (HRT). Baylor University Mind-Body Medicine Research Laboratory found that hypnosis could reduce hot flushes by as much as 74%.

The brain doesn’t know what’s actual or perceived.   For example, if you think of a chocolate bar, you can start to salivate, digestion can actually begin to take place, and the chocolate isn’t even in your mouth or even there—your thoughts about what might happen changes how you feel and what is happening in your body.  Your imagination and thoughts are powerful.  

With hypnosis, we use the power of the mind to make changes in your body. Using sensory suggestions and thinking cool thoughts can help take the heat out of hot flushes, so your body responds to reduce or eliminate hot flushes significantly.

Hypnotherapy can help with hot flushes by

  • Reducing those rivers of sweat by stopping them in their tracks using the power of your mind and suggestion therapy
  • Managing Stress and reducing anxiety
  • Learning relaxation techniques and ways to reduce overwhelm
  • Being aware of thought patterns and unwanted behaviours that may also help with physical symptoms
  • Understanding hot flush triggers further

Benefits of Hypnotherapy for Hot flushes

  • Having the right tools can help improve sleep by getting back to sleep more quickly.
  • Increased energy because of improved sleep.
  • Help you to feel more in control 
  • Managing your stress and finding ways to reduce anxiety 
  • Have coping strategies that you can apply. 

Whether your hot flashes are mild, moderate, or severe, there is help.   Book a ‘Hot Flush Relief’ menopause solution 90-minute session now by dropping me a message here or if you have further questions, you can book a free consultation to chat further and takes steps to take the heat out of menopause now. https://www.hypnoshift.co.uk/book/