What is a hot flush?
Find out more about this menopause symptom
What is a hot flush?
Dr Bob Freedman, Professor of Psychiatry and Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, has spent 20 years studying hot flushes. ‘Although falling oestrogen levels are a primary factor, they're not the only one as we've found similar levels of oestrogen in women who do and do not suffer from flushes,' he says.
He believes oestrogen withdrawal affects the master gland in the brain that controls temperature regulation. Research has shown that levels of a substance in the brain called noradrenaline are higher in women who have hot flushes compared with those who don't. Increased noradrenaline seems to narrow the neutral temperature zone between sweating and shivering - from about 0.4ºC wide, to almost zero - so you become sensitive to slight changes in temperature. The result is that blood vessels dilate, blood flow to the skin is increased, raising your temperature, and your body starts sweating to cool you down.
Avoid triggers
Hot flushes can be triggered by things like stress, caffeine, spicy foods, hot drinks, smoking or alcohol. Obviously, once you've identified your own triggers, it's best to avoid the things that trigger your hot flushes, if at all possible.
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