Causes of hot flashes and treatment | Fusion - WeRIndia

Hot flashes are sudden feelings of extreme warmth in the body. These may last for a few seconds to minutes.

Hot flashes are common in the night. In addition to the feeling of warmth, they can also cause sweating. People with hot flashes may also experience palpitations, tingling in fingers, redness on different parts of the body, especially on the neck, face, ears, and chest.

Though hot flashes are common in women at perimenopause and menopause, men also experience them due to certain conditions like prostate cancer.

Other reasons for hot flashes include diabetes, eating disorders, hormonal imbalances, spinal lesions, certain tumours, and some forms of birth control.

Hence, anyone can experience hot flashes and lasting period depends on the cause that triggers them.

However, your habits and certain medical conditions also can trigger hot flashes.

These include the following:

• If you eat spicy foods, then it may cause hot flashes.
• Drinking caffeine, wearing tight clothes during the night, being in a warm room for a considerable time can trigger hot flashes.
• Smoking and alcohol consumption can also trigger them.
• Pregnant women, people with thyroid problems, stress and anxiety, people undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy are more prone to experiencing hot flashes.

Methods, home remedies and treatment to manage hot flashes:

There are many strategies and lifestyle changes that help manage hot flashes. However, knowing the reason is essential to it.

• Avoiding spicy and high sugar foods, limiting caffeine and alcohol, wearing cotton clothes, lowering the room temperature, quitting smoking, using stress relaxation techniques like yoga, meditation etc. help manage hot flashes.
• Certain home remedies like black cohosh root, dong quai, soy foods, evening primrose oil extract etc. also help ease the symptoms.
• For severe conditions, you have to visit a physician and take prescription drugs like hormone replacement medicines, Neurontin, antidepressants, antithyroid medication, and beta-blockers as per their suggestion.

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