Menopause: 8 Everyday Habits for Hot Flashes
Light layers, a cool bedroom, triggers, relaxation, sleep: 8 habits for living better with hot flashes, and when to talk to your doctor.
Menopause usually comes around the age of 50. It is preceded by a transition period, perimenopause, which can last two to four years. That is often when, around 47, the first hot flashes and night sweats appear. They affect eight women out of ten. They are brief, rarely lasting more than a few minutes, but they can come back several times an hour and spoil both days and nights. Here are the everyday habits recommended by the French national health insurance (Assurance Maladie).
1. Dress in several light layers
Rather than one thick jumper, several thin layers that are easy to take off and put back on.
2. Keep the bedroom cool
Around 18 °C (64 °F). Turn the thermostat down or use a fan, day and night.
3. Keep a water mist spray to hand
In your bag, on your desk, on your bedside table: a little cool water on your face when the heat rises.
4. Spot your triggers
Alcohol, coffee and very hot or very spicy dishes can encourage hot flashes. Note what comes before them, so you know what to cut back on.
5. Eat Mediterranean, and have a light dinner
Fish, white meat, fruit, vegetables, olive oil: a varied, Mediterranean-style diet is associated with fewer hot flashes. In the evening, a light dinner at least two hours before bed.
6. Move every day
Walking, swimming, yoga, ideally in the morning. Taking the stairs and walking short distances count too.
7. Take real time to relax
Stress makes hot flashes worse. Relaxation, slow breathing and a calm moment in the day help ease the pressure.
8. Protect your sleep
A fixed wake-up time, daylight in the morning, no screens in the two hours before bed. Find our 8 tips in the article on insomnia.
Do you smoke? Quitting is part of the Assurance Maladie's advice at menopause. Our article on quitting smoking can help you get started.
When to see a doctor
Talk to your doctor, gynaecologist or midwife if hot flashes or night sweats bother you day to day, or if your sleep stays disturbed despite these changes. They can present the options suited to your situation.
Also see a doctor if you have bleeding after menopause, or if you feel anxious or low. And keep up your regular check-ups, including breast screening.
Going through several of the changes of menopause at once, hot flashes, restless nights, ups and downs in mood? FiftyCare, the app I created specifically for perimenopause and menopause, offers support dedicated to this time of life.
A listening moment, designed for women going through menopause
When nights are broken and the heat rises without warning, you need a moment for yourself to slow down. I designed the Menopause & Perimenopause listening programme for women going through this period, alongside their medical care: 8 sessions of 36 minutes, one every 8 days, over 60 days, ideally in the evening, lying down, headphones on. It does not treat hot flashes and does not replace your doctor's advice. To discover the method, the first session of the Anti-Stress programme is free.
Éric Rosati, osteopath with 30 years of experience. This article is for information and does not replace your doctor's advice.
Sources (in French): Assurance Maladie, Living well with menopause · Sleeping better at menopause · Menopause: symptoms and diagnosis
🎧 Recommended programme: Menopause & Perimenopause
To listen to with headphones, in a quiet place, at your own pace.