Tips on Dealing with Menopause Hot Flashes

Menopause hot flashes have earned their nickname power surges. If you've ever been around a woman having hot flashes, you know just what I mean. Their face tends to turn red and you can practically feel the heat coming off them in waves. Hot flashes have to be one of the worst and most dreaded menopausal symptoms. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to, if not eliminate them entirely, at least minimize the severity of hot flashes.

One of the first and simplest ways of treating hot flashes is to avoid alcohol. Drinking tends to cause "flushing" which can greatly add to the number, length and severity of hot flashes. Even two glasses of wine can cause hot flashes to worsen. So limiting your intake of alcoholic beverages is one of the first things you can do to help your hot flashes.

Smoking is also known to make hot flashes worse, so if you smoke, hot flashes are a good reason to quit. Also, watch spicy foods. These can make hot flashes worse and more severe. Keeping a journal is a good way to track what triggers your hot flashes and show you other things such as emotional situations that may cause you to have hot flashes and that make them more severe.

There are many things short of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) that you can do that will offer relief when menopause hot flashes occur. Drinking cold liquids help stop hot flashes in their tracks. Many women like to keep a bag of ice in the freezer to use when their hot flashes strike. Cool baths are also a good way to relieve hot flashes as well as to prevent or lessen the severity of night sweats.

Finally, if your hot flashes are frequent and severe and are disrupting your life, you may want to see your doctor. Taking estrogen has been the most common method for treating hot flashes and is well worth investigating if yours are serious and interrupt your daily living in negative ways. The good news is that although menopause may last several years, it does eventually go away--and so do those nasty menopause hot flashes!

Also read our article about Menopause Relief