Nutritional Tips To Naturally Eliminate Hot Flashes And Night Sweats From Acupuncturist
If you are going through the change and struggling, then you are in the right place. Hot flashes and night sweats seems to be the norm when it comes to perimenopause and menopause. Unfortunately, these symptoms aren't fun for women and can leave them feeling embarrassed and frustrated.
In this blog, I hope share with you useful tips that you can do so you can have a smooth hormonal transition into menopause, which is how it should be. These excessive symptoms are saying that there are some imbalances that need to be addressed. Hopefully, these tips will help bring more balance back into your body and eliminate those hot flashes and night sweats.
Do you have to wear layers of clothes so you can strip down as needed when hit hot flashes?
Are you embarrassed at work when a hot flash hits?
Not getting restful sleep, because you keep waking up all sweaty and having to change clothes and pillow cases?
Freezing the family out with the AC on and fans running on high?
First, I want you to know that you are not alone and help is here that is drug-free and doesn't require hormone replacement therapy. My goal is to help you have a smooth transition during this major change that you are going through.
About 80% of women will experience hot flashes and night sweats while going through menopause. This is due to hormonal changes like the decline in estrogen and progesterone levels as your ovaries are producing less of these sex hormones.
WHAT CAUSES THOSE ANNOYING HOT FLASHES AND NIGHT SWEATS?
Hot flashes and night sweats are caused by changes in the nervous system and brain chemistry. In your brain, the hypothalamus regulates your thermostat and is influenced by these sex hormones. The hypothalamus is the master gland that communicates with the pituitary gland in your brain to send signals to your ovaries to release sex hormones. As you reach menopause your ovaries will be producing less estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. Sometimes this can lead to an imbalance of too much estrogen, which is called estrogen dominance. There isn't enough progesterone to keep estrogen in check any more. Estrogen acts like a vasodilator so when the levels decline your blood vessels will constrict. This causes the hypothalamus to become sensitive to your body's temperature changes and thinks your body is too warm.
Now once you have reached menopause with no periods within 1 year that means your ovaries are no longer secreting sex hormones. The good news is that you have a backup plan where the adrenal glands will secrete those sex hormones, but at a much lower level now that you aren't menstruating anymore. If you are experiencing hot flashes and night sweats during postmenopause phase, this means that your adrenal glands are dysfunctional and the release of adrenaline triggers the hot flashes. So it is super important to support your adrenal glands during perimenopause especially by keeping your stress levels low.
WHAT TRIGGERS CAN CAUSE HOT FLASHES AND NIGHT SWEATS?
There are many factors that can contribute to making hot flashes and night sweats worse. If these triggers can be eliminated or minimized then so can those annoying symptoms. Here is a list of triggers and see if any of these could be a factor for you.
Stress
Consuming sugar and carbs
Caffeine
Feelings of anxiety and frustration
Over weight and obesity
Smoking
Insomnia
Liver and bile dysfunction
Weak digestion
Endocrine insufficiency
From this above list, do any of this resonate with you? Perhaps you are able to uncover some triggers that could be making your hot flashes and night sweats worse. The next step is to address those triggers so they don't create negative impacts to your hormone levels.
HOW LONG DO HOT FLASHES LAST?
It is important to start tracking your hot flashes and night sweats to see if it is improving or if something may have triggered it. Here's what I recommend doing so you have awareness of what your baseline is, uncover triggers that makes it worse, and if it correlates to your cycle. You might want to include if you poor sleep, stressful day, or even ate foods that aren't so good for you. As you make positive changes you will be able to see if it helping reduce your symptoms.
STEPS TO TRACK YOUR PERIMENOPAUSAL AND MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS
I recommend getting yourself a cute journal to log your symptoms.
Track how many times per day you have hot flashes. This way to can learn is it worse in the mornings, afternoons, or evenings.
Rate the intensity of hot flashes as mild, moderate, or severe.
How long are the hot flashes lasting.
Track the nights you are experiencing night sweats.
Rate the intensity of night sweats as mild, moderate, or severe.
Track your menstrual cycle and symptoms.
HOW TO NATURALLY STOP HOT FLASHES AND NIGHTS SWEAT FAST.
Now let's get to the good stuff and how to reduce hot flashes and night sweats with nutritional tips that are easy to implement in your health routine.
My patients are so surprised when they realize that certain foods trigger their hot flashes and night sweats. It is important to think of food as medicine and to support your hormones.
The easiest place to start with is eliminating the foods that will make hot flashes and night sweats worse. As you log your symptoms and have a trigger food below you will notice that it will make your symptoms worse.
FOODS TO AVOID DURING PERIMENOPAUSE AND MENOPAUSE
Sugars
Carbs like pastas, breads, and rice
Alcohol and yes that even means wine
Processed foods and fast foods
Spicy foods
Caffeine
Dairy
Spices-cloves, ginger, cinnamon
Garlic, onions, shallots
Red meats-beef, lamb
TCM NUTRTION RECOMMENDATIONS DURING PERIMENOPAUSE AND MENOPAUSE
Modifying your diet to support your body and hormones has been a long practice in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Food is viewed as medicinal and can used to optimize our health while balancing our hormones.
Foods have different flavors and temperatures. In the cases of perimenopause and menopause foods should be cooling in nature and hot. Foods should support the liver to help regulate and detoxify hormones. Foods should also focus on the Kidneys since it governs our reproductive health and the adrenals.
Quality of foods should be cooling, moistening, and bitter. I'm not talking consuming ice and frozen foods, because that will weaken your digestive system. Think cooling like yogurt verses eating something hot in nature like lamb. Here is a list of suggested foods to incorporate into your diet.
Pears
Mung beans, black beans, kidney beans
Black sesame seeds or paste
Soy, tofu (organic, non-GMO) in small amounts
Asparagus
Celery
Pumpkin
Walnut
Sweet potatoes, yams
Raw honey (small amounts)
Seaweed for iodine
Cruciferous foods-cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, kale
In this blog, you learned what is happening hormonally during perimenopause and menopause and why you are experiencing hot flashes and night sweats. I reviewed the many triggers that can make those symptoms worse. So hopefully you are inspired to start tracking your symptoms and learn your triggers so you can eliminate them. Now you are ready to make the proper changes to your diet to eliminate hot flashes and night sweats.
This change in your life is possible to be a smooth journey. Try this changes and see if it helps. If you are still struggling, then you probably need more help. I would like to offer you a Free Smooth Menopause Consultation to see if acupuncture and/or herbal medicine is right for you. I offer virtual Telehealth so it doesn't matter where you are, I can still help you feel like yourself again. Please reach out via email or call. I'm happy to help.
Wishing you a happy and smooth journey!
Stacy
Stacy Spence, L.Ac., MSOM
ACUPUNCTURE RESEARCH FOR MENOPAUSE
ACUPUNCTURE IN MENOPAUSE STUDY
EFFECTS OF ACUPUNCTURE IN PERIMENOPAUSE AND MENOPAUSAL WOMEN
ACUPUNCTURE PLUS HERBS ALLEVIATE PERIMENOPAUSE
Disclaimer: Vibrant Life Acupuncture and its owner, Stacy Spence, and it’s employees do not in any way claim that Chinese Medicine, either Acupuncture or Chinese Herbal medicine, can cure any other chronic or acute disease.
