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If you’re having hot flashes, problems sleeping and other menopausal symptoms
If you’re having hot flashes, problems sleeping, and other menopausal symptoms, you may want to explore your options for relief. While hormone therapy remains the most common and most effective treatment for many menopausal symptoms, a few lifestyle changes can sometimes make a huge difference in how you feel. Specifically:
Exercise. Whether your idea of exercise is a walk, a run, or a Pilates class, there’s good evidence suggesting that it may reduce the number and severity of your hot flashes. In one study, Swedish researchers evaluated 793 biological time girls on their exercise habits and prevalence of hot flashes. Only 5 % of extremely physically active girls aforesaid they knowledgeable severe hot flashes, compared to fourteen to sixteen % of ladies UN agency got very little or no weekly exercise. One potential reason for the distinction, researchers theorized, is that regular physical exertion could have an effect on brain chemicals that regulate temperature.
Quit smoking. It makes intuitive sense that lighting up a cigarette will not cool your hot flashes. And research proves it. One study found that smokers were nearly twice as likely to have moderate or severe hot flashes as those who never smoked and more than twice as likely to have daily hot flashes as nonsmokers. The more the women smoked, the more they flashed. So sit down with your health care skilled nowadays regarding ways that to quit.
Lose weight. It’s no secret that overweight folks suffer from the warmth additional, whether or not or not they are having hot flashes. But studies also find that women who are obese are more likely to have frequent and severe hot flashes than women with a healthy weight. Although it gets tougher to slim down in middle-age, visit your health care skilled regarding choices. A healthy diet coupled with moderate daily exercise can make a world of difference.
Dress for menopause. If you are having hot flashes, the “weather” within or outside will be as unpredictable because of the stock exchange. So dress for every contingency by dressing in layers. For instance, begin with a silk camisole, then a short-sleeved shirt, then a light blazer. When a flash hits, peel off a layer; as you relax, put it back on. And stick to natural materials that breathe, like cotton and silk.
Create a “menopausal” environment. That means keeping the temperature on the cool side (try to take control of the thermostat in your office and home) and buying a small fan for your desk.
Practice stress reduction techniques. Deep breathing, mindful meditation, and visualization can help you relax and either avoid a hot flash or render it less intense. Such efforts can also help combat insomnia, whether it occurs as you’re trying to fall asleep or when you wake in the middle of the night.
Turn your bedroom into a menopausal haven. Whether you’re having trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or are waking up too early, there are numerous steps you can take to get a good night’s sleep.
- Nix the caffeine. It interferes with sleep and makes you jittery. Unfortunately, that also goes for the caffeine in chocolate.
- Cool off your room. Install an overhead fan or buy a standing fan and aim it right at the bed. Open a window or lower the air conditioner. If your partner is too cold, toss him or her an extra blanket.
- Go natural. Either sleep in the nude, with just a thin sheet covering you, or stick to light, all-cotton, or all-silk sleep clothes.
And remember, even if you are taking hormone therapy to manage your menopausal symptoms, incorporating these lifestyle changes should make the medication more effective and may enable you to take a lower dose.
