Overview

Hot flashes are sudden feelings of warmth, which are usually most intense over the face, neck and chest. Your skin might redden, as if you're blushing. Hot flashes can also cause sweating, and if you lose too much body heat, you might feel chilled afterward.

Although other medical conditions can cause them, hot flashes most commonly are due to menopause — the time when menstrual periods become irregular and eventually stop. In fact, hot flashes are the most common symptom of the menopausal transition.

How often hot flashes occur varies among women and can range from a few a week to several an hour. There are a variety of treatments for particularly bothersome hot flashes.

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com

Symptoms

During a hot flash, you might have:

• A sudden feeling of warmth spreading through your upper body and face
• A flushed appearance with red, blotchy skin
• Rapid heartbeat
• Perspiration, mostly on your upper body
• A chilled feeling as the hot flash lets up

Hot flashes can vary in frequency and intensity. How long symptoms last varies greatly. On average, symptoms persist for more than seven years. Some women have them for more than 10 years.

When to see a doctor

If hot flashes become particularly bothersome, consider seeing your doctor to discuss treatment options.

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com

Causes

The cause of hot flashes isn't known, but it's likely related to several factors. These include changes in reproductive hormones and in your body's thermostat (hypothalamus), which becomes more sensitive to slight changes in body temperature.

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com

Diagnosis

Your doctor can usually diagnose hot flashes based on a description of your symptoms. Your doctor might suggest blood tests to check whether you're in menopausal transition.

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com

Complications

Nighttime hot flashes (night sweats) can wake you from sleep and, over time, can cause chronic insomnia. There is some association with hot flashes and increased risk of heart disease and bone loss.

Alternative medicine

Many women have turned to alternative medicine, including mind and body techniques and dietary supplements to help curb hot flashes. There is a shortage of well-designed studies on complementary health practices for hot flashes, but research is progressing.

Mind and body approaches

A growing body of evidence suggests that certain techniques can help ease hot flashes, including:

• Mindfulness meditation. This type of meditation has you focus on what's happening from moment to moment. Although not shown to relieve hot flashes, it might reduce how much they bother you.
• Acupuncture. Some studies indicate that acupuncture might reduce the frequency and severity of hot flashes, but results are conflicting, with many studies showing improvements in both active and control groups, but no difference between the two groups.
• Hypnosis. Some research indicates that hypnosis might help relieve hot flashes.
• Cognitive behavioral therapy. Some evidence indicates that this type of talk therapy (psychotherapy) might help you cope better with hot flashes.

Dietary supplements

People often assume that "natural" products cause no harm. However, all supplements may have potentially harmful side effects, and supplements can also interact with medications you're taking for other medical conditions. Always review what you're taking with your doctor.

Dietary supplements commonly used for menopause symptoms include:

• Plant estrogens. Asian women, who consume soy regularly, are less likely to report hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms than are women in other parts of the world. One reason might be related to the estrogen-like compounds in soy.

  However, studies have generally found little or no benefit with soy, although research is ongoing to determine whether specific components of soy, such as genistein, help hot flashes.

• Black cohosh. Black cohosh has been popular among many women with menopausal symptoms. Studies of black cohosh's effectiveness have had mixed results, and the supplement might be harmful to the liver in rare circumstances.
• Ginseng. While ginseng may help with mood symptoms and insomnia, it doesn't appear to reduce hot flashes.
• Dong quai. Study results indicate that dong quai isn't effective for hot flashes. The supplement can increase the effectiveness of blood-thinning medications, which can cause bleeding problems.
• Vitamin E. Taking a vitamin E supplement might offer some relief from mild hot flashes. In high doses, it can increase your risk of bleeding.

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com

Lifestyle and home remedies

If your hot flashes are mild, try managing them with these lifestyle changes:

• Keep cool. Slight increases in your body's core temperature can trigger hot flashes. Dress in layers so that you can remove clothing when you feel warm.

  Open windows or use a fan or air conditioner. Lower the room temperature, if you can. If you feel a hot flash coming on, sip a cold drink.

• Watch what you eat and drink. Hot and spicy foods, caffeinated beverages, and alcohol can trigger hot flashes. Learn to recognize your triggers and avoid them.
• Relax. Some women find relief from mild hot flashes through meditation; slow, deep breathing; or other stress-reducing techniques. Even if these approaches don't quell your hot flashes, they might provide other benefits, such as easing sleep disturbances that tend to occur with menopause.
• Don't smoke. Smoking is linked to increased hot flashes. By not smoking, you might reduce hot flashes, as well as your risk of many serious health conditions, such as heart disease, stroke and cancer.
• Lose weight. If you're overweight or obese, losing weight might help ease your hot flashes.

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com

Risk factors

Not all women who go through menopause have hot flashes, and it's not clear why some women do have them. Factors that may increase your risk include:

• Smoking. Women who smoke are more likely to get hot flashes.
• Obesity. A high body mass index (BMI) is associated with a higher frequency of hot flashes.
• Ethnicity. More African-American women report menopausal hot flashes than do women of European descent. Hot flashes are less common in women of Japanese and Chinese descent than in white European women.

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com