Hot Flashes/Night Sweats

[les63]

I'll turn 50 this year and have the dreaded perimenopause. I've been waking up throughout the night and it sucks. I'd rather not start on any prescribed hormone treatment if I don't have to. Anyone here have any advice and what worked for them? Thanks.

[Sharon]

B vitamins. 

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

Just give it time and it will all go away.  


<<<<<<<------who thought the screwed up periods are far worse than the hot flashes/night sweats...

[les63]

I've read about E vitamins and soy too.

Same here, bitched and moaned about periods. Scoffed at hot flashes. Ha! Stupid me,

[kittensaver]

Cut out refined sugar completely. Go as light as possible on the grain-based carbs, sticking if at all humanly possible to whole grain only. Make plant-based foods (fruits and vegetables) the majority of your diet. Stick with "good" fats: omega 3's (fish, eat it every week), olive oil, flax oil, organic pastured butter, seeds, nuts, avocados.

Drink AT LEAST 8 glasses of room-temperature water a day. Avoid beverages that dehydrate you like alcohol and caffeine.

Take up yoga and do lots of headstands and shoulder stands.

Supplement your diet with primrose oil. See a naturopathic doctor or Chinese herbalist if your symptoms are really bad - they can figure out a customized supplement program that will work for your individual body chemistry.

Get enough sleep. Get enough exercise.

Good luck!

[alabamagal]

I am trying melatonin. Started last week. Seems to help. When I do wake up, at least I go right back to sleep.

[Opti]

No hot flashes so far. I think I had a period waking up too often but that seems to be gone.


I'm not willing to fully cut out sugar but I've noticed for me its important to not overdo. Ideally I think if I cut my sugar consumption in half my body would be happier. I already eat a fair amount of soy so no issues for me there.

I agree that for me the unpredictable periods are the biggest issue.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Sorry, after dealing with drenching night sweats for 2 years, I finally cried uncle and went with hormones after trying everything mentioned above.  As a matter of fact, I had worse night sweats after I had exercised that day.  I had night sweats worse during the winter, would drench everything and then freeze unless I changed out of my wet clothes and bedding.  During the summer, my a/c bills increased almost 30% trying to keep me comfortable.

Last year, I was taken off hormone replacement therapy after my orthopedic surgery.  While I was in rehab, I had lowered my rehab room to 60 degrees and was drenching through my hospital johnny and the sheets.  They finally took pity on me and gave me back my hormones.

Sorry I don't have any solutions but the one you don't want.....but I wish I had just cut to the chase when it started.  I would have had a hell of a lot less sleepless nights.

[Formerly SK]

I went on hormones at age 38 after suffering for about a year with night sweats.  My naturopath put me on bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.  I feel MUCH safer about using it vs the artificial prescriptions.  They work fabulously too - I think I've been estrogen deficient my entire life.  I've never felt better since I went on HRT.

This book is excellent for explaining it:

www.amazon.com/Natural-Hormone-Balance-Women-Exuberance/dp/0743406664/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363031734&sr=1-1&keywords=natural+hormone+balance+for+women

[Opti]

I do think it must by highly dependent on your own body chemistry.
On the sugar stuff I do think it is a balance you have to change somewhat for yourself. I'm not sure no refined sugar necessarily is the answer because of just one data point. One woman I know had bad hot flashes and she was refined sugar free before and during perimenopause.

Didn't find much reading that helped me at the library except books on sugar balance like Potatoes not Prozac and Sugar Addict's Diet. I did start eating more potatoes with skins, mostly with dinner.


I hope you find an answer that works for you soon.

[les63]

Thanks for the responses! I think mine are more hot flashes. Not drenched in sweat, just wake up hot. Throw off my light blanket until I get cold. Repeat on and off through the night. I can usually fall back asleep but it is so disruptive and does get old. Grrrrrrr, frustrating!

[Green Eyed Lady]

Hi, Les!  It's Ky.  Drink.  Otherwise, you will find yourself mumbling stuff like "I've lost myself", "I have to find me" and a bunch of other psychobabble hogwash!

Seriously?  Don't drink.  It will make your hot flashes worse.  I have suffered through this since being thrown into early menopause from an emergency hyster.  Some people recommend St. John's Wort.  I didn't get any positive results but you may.

Some recent bloodwork determined I am severely estrogen dominant, which is apparently a bad thing.  I also have very low testerone (I didn't even know women had testerone).  I am now taking progesterone.  I'm not sure if I like it either, but I like being like I am even less.  My emotions are a roller coaster.  My anxiety level is at an all-time high and I absolutely KNOW that one of these nights I am going to spontaneously combust from the waist up.  My energy level is zero.

I haven't been on this stuff long enough to know if it is going to help, but I'm going to give it a try.  Perhaps ask your doctor for a blood hormone work up and go from there?

[Green Eyed Lady]

Oh?  Try to avoid caffiene if you can.  Limit your coffee and soda intake.  That's one thing I did find to be helpful - especially no soda at night before bed.

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

Oh, just to give you a heads up, you can also expect an irregular heartbeat (palpitations) and to develop eczema.

Isn't perimenopause fun?  

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Mar 11, 2013 15:06:11 GMT -5 les63 said:

Thanks for the responses! I think mine are more hot flashes. Not drenched in sweat, just wake up hot. Throw off my light blanket until I get cold. Repeat on and off through the night. I can usually fall back asleep but it is so disruptive and does get old. Grrrrrrr, frustrating!

Unfortunately, that is the way that mine started.  My SO told me that he could tell when I started 'power surging' because it was like he stepped in front of a furnace!

[Blonde Granny]

This isn't going to help you at all....but at age 68+ I still have problems at night.  I still get hot, toss the blanket and then get cold.  They just aren't as bad today as before, but they still happen.

I am a 19 year breast cancer survivor and menopause was brought on at age 49 due to chemotherapy.  I could not take any hormones due to my cancer being estrogen receptor positive, so I was put on tamoxifen to stop any hormone production.  The Onco did put me on a drug that was a combination phenobarbital & Belladonna.  It did lessen the intense hot flashes and after a few years I was able to stop taking it.

Keep smiling, sometimes that's all you can do.

[Deleted]

Les, I find it helps to get out of bed for a minute.  Go to the bathroom, get a drink of water, or something.  When I get back, everything is fine.

[Formerly SK]

Mar 11, 2013 15:06:11 GMT -5 les63 said:

Thanks for the responses! I think mine are more hot flashes. Not drenched in sweat, just wake up hot. Throw off my light blanket until I get cold. Repeat on and off through the night. I can usually fall back asleep but it is so disruptive and does get old. Grrrrrrr, frustrating!

Yeah, mine were definitely night SWEATS.  As in, I'd have to get up in the middle of the night to change my jammies and put down dry towels to sleep on (if I didn't have towels under me I'd soak straight through the sheets/mattress pad to the mattress ).

[ilovedolphins]

I had a total hysterectomy at the age of 36.  I am now turning 51 this month.  I have had night sweats and hot flashes all these years and think I still have many more to go.  It does get irritating.  Covers on, covers off.  I started out for a couple of years on the hormone patch then I stopped using it because I couldn't afford it then.  Last year when I went for my yearly exam I asked my doctor about going back on it so maybe I could get some sleep.  She said she wouldn't recommend it.  So I guess that's that.

[Works4me]

Something that friend of mine told me about is Estroven - it's over-the-counter and  really helps take the edge off without lots of hormones. and really reduces the night sweats. Lots of B vitmins in it and a few other things such as Black Cohash and can't remember what else that are supposed to help. I like it because it is only one thing to buy/take. Funny thing is there are about of 4 of us that have heard about it one at a time and it has helped all of us, independent of each other. 

[zibazinski]

I'm taking it now. Not sure if it helps but I'm sure it doesn't hurt.

[skubikky]

Mar 11, 2013 15:17:33 GMT -5 GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl said:

Oh, just to give you a heads up, you can also expect an irregular heartbeat (palpitations) and to develop eczema.

Isn't perimenopause fun?  

I don't know anyone who has developed both of those  while in peri-menopause.  YMMV on these two.

[alabamagal]

Actually glad to hear that I am not the only one who does the covers on covers off thing repeatedly at night.....

[zibazinski]

[Deleted]

I ignore them.  Fortunately mine aren't too bad; one factor is supposed to be your weight, and I'm pretty thin, so I guess that helps.  I can't tell you how often I throw the covers on/off at night or roll up my sleeves or take off may jacket during the day.  I do it without thinking. 

At one point I saaw a notice of a study for something that was supposed to help, but you had to log your hot flashes.  Heck, that would mean I'd have to pay attention to them.  No, thanks.

[kittypuppymom]

OMG! This all really sucks. I don't get the hot flashes very often, do get the night sweats almost every night. They seem to vary between light sweats to having to get up and change in the middle of the night. My periods have been erratic. Skip and then start back normal. Which really pisses me off. If we are having all of this other crap at least the periods need to stop completely. My libido is shot all to hell and I am dry as the Sahara. So not only am I dry down there but my whole body needs mositurizer by the gallons. My head is one of the worst. I know that in the winter time your scalp gets dry but this is ridiculous.

I have now gotten on anti-depressants. Which I thought I would never be on. I scoffed at people taking them. Thinking they are just weanies. But, now I totally understand. When you get to a point were you want to do bodily harm to others for really no apparent good reason. My anger was just off the charts. I could be screaming at someone one minute and then crying the next. This was just crazy.

The weight gain I would have to say is the worst. I have gained almost 30 lbs. I am so upset about it. I walk two miles at least 4-days a week and have tried cutting back. Nothing budges. My stomache looks like I have a beer gut and my thighs are humongus. This also makes me more depressed.

Then there is the joint pain and no reason for swelling. My foot and ankle will swell up. Been to the dr. and had test run they find no reason for it. Dr. says well must be part of the menopause.

So everytime I go to the dr. there is no reason for any of my problems but the big "M". REALLY!!!!!!!

Oh, I almost forgot I am also not a canidate for HRT. Yea me.

[kittypuppymom]

Shoot almost forgot. You do need to watch your blood pressure. BFF has almost hit stroke level with her pressure which is very scary. We go to the same
doctor and he told me to keep track of my pressure. Mine was up to 169 a week ago. I need to get one of those home monitors. I think its rare but there have
been some instances were they have recorded some women having a stroke because of the menopause and peri. So please don't scoff at the heart palpitations. Just be
watchful.

[les63]

kittypuppymom: I'm so sorry menopause is hitting you so hard. I know every woman is different and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that when the big "M" hits full force I'm not ready for the rubber room.

Went to Target this morning and purchased i-cool. Dietary supplement that supposedly is clinically proven to safely reduce hot flashes. Also supposed to reduce sleeplessness, irritability and mood swings. Oh and reduces feeling tired or lacking energy, difficulty in concentrating, loss of interest in most things and vaginal dryness.

I'll probably have to be on it a few weeks to see if there is any improvement. I'll let you all know!

[Peace Of Mind]

Mar 11, 2013 15:17:33 GMT -5 GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl said:

Oh, just to give you a heads up, you can also expect an irregular heartbeat (palpitations) and to develop eczema.

Isn't perimenopause fun?  

That could also be a sign of Grave's disease (hyper thyroid).  You may want to have your TSH level checked just to be sure.  I had it and perimenopause is child's play! 

[Deleted]

Oddly enough the  hot flashes/sweats etc completely stopped when I had an IUD put in.  Worked like a charm!