Getting Control Of Your Hot Flash Symptoms

March 1, 2010 by · 3 Comments
Filed under: Symptoms Of Panic Attacks 

Hot flash symptoms strike 85% of women entering menopause and may continue on the average of 1-2 years after their last period. There is also a hefty percentage of women who will face further hot flash symptoms for more than a couple of years. And an unfortunate handful of women actually experiencing the effects for the rest of their lives. One thing is for sure – the intensity of hot flash symptoms seems to decrease as time passes. Overall, this speed bump in life is rather irritating, causing varying levels of discomfort.

When it comes to hot flash symptoms, no two women will experience the same fate. While some women suffer long and intense bouts of hot flashes, others deal with milder hot flash symptoms. The onset, duration, frequency, and symptoms of hot flashes differ for each woman. For instance, one woman may experience an episode that lasts a few seconds while others are plagued with hot flash symptoms that last close to an hour.

What Are Hot Flash Symptoms?

Hot flash symptoms are rather unmistakable. Women describe these episodes as the rapid appearance of a deeply hot sensation that travels across the face and throughout the upper body. Some women experience an increase in their heart rate, while others may feel sick to their stomach. Additional occurrences associated with hot flash symptoms include dizziness, anxiety, headaches and weakness, as well as profuse sweating. Some women complain of feeling suffocated.

Hot Flash Prevention Measures

You can incorporate a variety of prevention measures into your daily routine to reduce the onset of hot flash symptoms. Staying cool is one of the main strategies to both control your body heat and also to decrease the chances of suffering from hot flashes. At night, using a fan keeps a room at a cooler temperature. During the day, fans also come in handy. When dressing in the morning, turn to the clothes made from natural fibers, such as cotton.

There are also ways to reduce the intensity of hot flashes when you feel an episode coming on. Deep, slow breathing from the abdominal muscles helps to ease the tension of hot flash symptoms. These techniques are rather easy to catch on, usually consisting of 6 to 8 breaths per minute. Some women practice this approach for a short amount of time each morning and night.

When you increase the amount of exercise in a day, you may decrease your risk of suffering from hot flash symptoms. It doesn’t matter what you do to get the blood pumping; taking a walk or dancing to the radio are all feasible options to consider. A home remedy for hot flashes to consider before going to bed is to chill your pillows. Cooler objects against the skin will improve your sleep at night.

Linda Bruton
http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/getting-control-of-your-hot-flash-symptoms-84395.html

Coping With The Symptoms Of A Hot Flash

December 5, 2009 by · 5 Comments
Filed under: Symptoms Of Panic Attacks 

With any hot flash the symptoms may vary, but they all include one major component – heat. Although no one can pinpoint exactly what causes a hot flash, most agree that a hormonal imbalance makes your body think it is overheating causing your blood vessels to open and pump more blood to cool your body down. This is what actually causes the symptoms of a hot flash.

Some women agree that they can feel the symptoms of a hot flash coming on by having an uneasy feeling, or a feeling of anxiety. The flash is just that, a sudden feeling of intense heat. It will start around your waist area and move up quickly to your upper body and face. You will start to perspire and your face can become quite red and flushed looking. You may start to experience nausea, dizziness, instant headaches, weakness, or even a feeling of suffocation. Unfortunately this is all normal, and it will pass eventually, usually in about 2 to 5 minutes, but it can last as long as 30 minutes.

Symptoms of a hot flash also include rapid heartbeat and the feeling of anxiety. This may make you perspire even more than you usually would because of the overwhelming emotion that it provokes in your brain. The amount of sweat also depends on any medication you may be taking, your diet, and the stage of menopause you are in. Some people barely get a glisten on their upper lip, and others look as if they have run 10 miles. The perspiration will soon cool down. Depending on how much you exuded you will suddenly feel very cold and chilled. The rapid chills will last until you essentially dry your body of any left over perspiration.

Although up to 85% of women have symptoms of hot flashes during perimenopause and menopause, only about 10% to 15% actually have them so badly that they need medication. This isn’t to say that you can’t change the frequency or levels of your symptoms. You can do so easily by changing your diet, eliminating alcohol and tobacco, exercising, and doing breathing and relaxation techniques. This will all help to make it a more tolerable experience and to relieve some of the anxiety you have when suffering the symptoms of hot flashes.

Linda Bruton
http://www.articlesbase.com/women’s-issues-articles/coping-with-the-symptoms-of-a-hot-flash-85997.html

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