Hot flashes
Hot flashes come on suddenly and are ascending. They usually go away as quickly as they occurred. Sometimes it occurs only once a day, but on other days it occurs up to 40 times. As different as hot flashes appear and occur, their causes can also be different.
In addition to the classic menopausal hot flashes, numerous other forms of rising heat are known, but they occur much less often. The most important forms are described in more detail below.
Symptoms
Hot flashes are noticeable as rapidly rising heat, which begins in the chest area and rises to the head within a very short time. There is a subjective feeling of warmth, in some cases the head becomes red. In addition, the heart rate increases and those affected sweat more.
After a few minutes, the hot flash will subside again. Because of the evaporation of the resulting sweat, those affected now shiver.
Also read the article on the topic: Hot flashes without menopause
Night hot flashes
Very often the symptoms described above also occur at night during menopause. The production of female sex hormones decreases and in return the body produces more stress hormones such as adrenaline and noradrenaline. This leads to hot flushes, which mostly occur at night.
Another possible cause must be an overheated bedroom and serious illnesses such as tumorous neoplasms. Typically, tumorous neoplasms manifest themselves through weight loss, fever and night sweats.
Find out all about the topic here: The hot flashes at night.
Hot flashes after eating
The consumption of coffee, black tea, alcohol and spicy dishes, as well as food that is difficult to digest and food that is served too hot, massively intensify the occurrence of hot flashes. But even on their own, the foods mentioned above can trigger hot flashes after eating.
This is particularly common when you do not consume those foods and drinks regularly or suddenly eat them in extremely large quantities or combinations. Usually such temperature fluctuations are short-lived and do not recur. However, if you are exposed to similar conditions again, these symptoms may reappear.
Excessive Sweating - What Causes It? Read more here.
Hot flashes with nausea
Hot flashes with nausea are an indication of infections of the gastrointestinal tract.
It is then necessary to distinguish whether there is just a feeling of heat or a real fever in order to be able to find the right remedy.
However, both are created by the same mechanism: the pathogens release toxins in the body, which change the target temperature at the body's own thermostat in the brain.
This leads to a rise in body temperature and hot flashes.
The former should then destroy the pathogens.
Hot flush with a cold
Hot flashes associated with a cold are an indication of upper respiratory infections.
It is then necessary to distinguish whether there is just a feeling of heat or a real fever in order to be able to find the right remedy.
However, both are created by the same mechanism: the pathogens release toxins in the body, which change the target temperature at the body's own thermostat in the brain.
This leads to a rise in body temperature and hot flashes.
The former should then destroy the pathogens.
Colds are mostly bacterial pathogens.
In addition to hot flashes, these also cause the other cold-specific symptoms.
Hot flashes and dizziness
Hot flashes and dizziness are both quite unspecific symptoms and should always be assessed in conjunction with other complaints.
These two symptoms are most likely to occur with syncope (fainting), but are also accompanied by a racing heart and low blood pressure.
What are the accompanying symptoms?
The most common accompanying symptom with hot flashes is sweating.
They occur in the sense of a reaction of the sympathetic nervous system (part of the autonomic nervous system) and serve as a cooling method when the body temperature rises.
Depending on the underlying cause of the hot flashes, there can be a wide variety of accompanying symptoms.
In the case of hot flashes, one speaks of a non-specific symptom.
With simultaneous cold sweat and chest pain, the acute heart attack should be considered.
Complaints such as flushing of the face, headaches and dizziness are also an alarm signal, as they could represent a blood pressure derailment (in the case of high blood pressure).
If the blood pressure is suddenly too low, this can lead to a rapid heartbeat, dizziness and fainting (syncope) in addition to a hot flush.
Menopausal women (climacteric) can experience a whole range of other complaints: In addition to sweating and dizziness, headaches, sleep disorders, depression and general irritability can occur.
The unilateral lower abdominal pain in the middle of the cycle, when ovulation rises the so-called basal temperature, is also only relevant for women.
Hot flashes are often also caused by a hormonal disorder, more often from the thyroid gland (see below), less often from the adrenal gland.
The organ-specific complaints of these diseases then arise.
Accompanying symptoms such as weight loss, fever and night sweats should make you think of cancer (so-called B symptoms).
If nausea and vomiting occur at the same time shortly after the hot flashes, there may be a gastrointestinal infection.
If a runny nose, cough, and fever occur, hot flashes may occur as part of a cold.
With cold or accompanied withdrawal (from alcohol, cocaine and / or opioids), hot flashes occur together with the classic withdrawal symptoms.
In general, with any form of hot flashes, stress symptoms such as restlessness and malaise can occur at the same time.
It is believed that hot flashes are both a cause and a consequence of the activation of the autonomic nervous system.
The occurrence of hot flashes accompanied by pustules in the cleavage when eating foods containing glutamate has not yet been researched.
Hot flush with racing heart
Palpitations as an accompanying symptom of hot flashes can be an alarm signal for sometimes life-threatening diseases.
If you suddenly experience chest pain, shortness of breath, severe headache or dizziness, the emergency services should be alerted.
Hot flashes together with palpitations and slight dizziness after suddenly standing up are less harmful.
This can be traced back to a reaction of the body by the so-called sympathetic nervous system, which increases the beats of the heart in order to ensure that all organs are supplied with blood if the blood pressure drops.
This part of the nervous system can then also lead to a hot flash.
Chronic hot flashes with persistent palpitations are more likely to indicate an overactive thyroid.
In general, however, a palpitations as a symptom is definitely worth investigating and is worth a visit to the family doctor.
Hot flush with sweating
Sweating, or medical hidrosis, primarily serves as a method of cooling the body through the evaporation of water on the surface of the skin.
This happens through the activation of the autonomic nervous system, more precisely through the "fight-or-flight" part, the so-called sympathetic nervous system.
Sweating with hot flashes is usually perceived as unpleasant and, depending on its nature, can provide important information about the cause.
A pale, cold, sweaty face with hot flashes and a racing heart would suggest a heart attack, while warm skin with shaky hands and hot flashes would suggest a hypoglycaemia.
Solitary sweating during hot flashes is primarily a physiological reaction of the body and should only be clarified in connection with other symptoms, including the above-mentioned symptoms. For example, hot flashes often occur in the second trimester of pregnancy as the waist circumference increases.
Read more about this under: Hot flashes during pregnancy
Duration of hot flashes
Depending on the underlying cause of the hot flashes, such a phase can last longer or shorter.
Menopausal hot flashes, as the name suggests, can be a problem for years.
Their course is wave-like, which means that there are also phases of normal temperature sensitivity.
In the presence of cancer, hot flashes as part of what are known as B symptoms can persist for a relatively long time.
These “malicious” hot flashes persist, however, without a phase profile.
In the context of acute diseases of the cardiovascular system (e.g. abnormal blood pressure, heart attack, fainting), the feeling of a hot flush is only brief, i.e. for minutes or until the cause has been treated.
The same applies to disorders of the hormone-producing organs, thyroid and adrenal glands (however, these diseases, if recognized late, can cause hot flashes for weeks or even months).
The duration of ovulation is also quite short, because here the basal temperature only rises for the duration of the second half of the cycle (two weeks).
The duration of hot flashes in the context of withdrawal is medium-long, so to speak.
Withdrawals can take different lengths of time, from a few days to a maximum of a few weeks.
In the context of infections, be it in the gastrointestinal tract or the respiratory tract, hot flashes only occur as long as the infection persists.
Here, too, there is a variance from a few days to weeks or months.
Read more about them on our main article Duration of hot flashes
The cause
In most cases, the cause of hot flashes is hormonal imbalance, which leads to hypothalamus dysfunction. The hypothalamus is part of the brain and represents the supreme regulatory center with vital functions. Among other things, it controls the circulatory function, body temperature and hormonal balance.
The hypothalamus is very sensitive to the drop in the concentration of certain hormones in the blood. This creates an imbalance and the body temperature can no longer be properly regulated. The body is cooled. All of the small vessels are now widened, as this is where the most effective heat control takes place. This is called vasodilation leads to increased blood circulation, which is responsible for the reddening of the face and the rising sensation of warmth. In order to cool the skin, which is now warmed up, the body begins to sweat.
Would you like to learn more about this topic? Read our next article at: Causes of Hot Flashes
Hot flashes in the woman
The most common cause of hot flashes in women is a lack of estrogen or a shift in the hormonal balance. This can happen at different times in life and in very different phases of life.
A possible further cause of hot flashes in women is still under discussion as a progesterone deficiency, which, according to the hypothesis, could also have a negative effect on the hormonal system.
For more information, read on: Lack of estrogen.
Hot flashes and sweating during menopause
Probably the best known and most common cause of sudden hot flashes in general and in women in particular are the so-called menopause, the menopause.
The female ovaries are only equipped with a limited number of germ cells and this number is eventually exhausted. As a result, the ovaries stop functioning (so-called ovarian insufficiency) and thus the monthly bleeding does not occur. At the same time, the concentration of female sex hormones in the blood drops significantly because the ovaries can no longer produce them. This decrease in the hormone level leads to the estrogen deficiency described above.
Find out more about this topic at: Menopausal sweating such as Hot flushes during menopause
Hot flashes during your period
Hot flashes can also occur during the monthly bleeding due to a relative lack of estrogen.
With the onset of menstrual bleeding, there is a natural drop in the level of estrogen. At the time of ovulation it was particularly high and in the days before the start of bleeding the estrogen level is still high. During the period, however, this level drops and there is a relative lack of estrogen compared to the previous days.
In most cases, however, these pre-menopausal hot flashes are not particularly severe.
Hot flashes during pregnancy
While many women report a pleasant warmth in the whole body at the beginning of a pregnancy, it is not uncommon for unpleasant hot flashes and sweats to occur in the further course of the pregnancy. Like most female hot flashes, these are also due to an enormous hormonal change.
The placenta uses hormones that it produces to ensure a permanently slightly elevated body temperature and increased blood flow to the entire maternal body so that it can also take care of the unborn child. This can lead to unpleasant hot flashes, especially in the second and third trimester of pregnancy.
More information can be found here: Night sweats during pregnancy.
Hot flush when ovulating
When women ovulate, their basal temperature increases by 0.2 ° C to 0.5 ° C.
This happens through the release of the so-called luteinizing hormone or gestagens (progesterone).
The increased temperature disappears together with the hot flashes at the beginning of the period, so after two weeks.
The measurement of the basalt temperature or the active awareness of hot flashes can be a method of contraception.
But the latter is a very unsafe method.
It is also important to distinguish that this sensation of warmth is much gentler than the hot flashes during menopause.
The term hot flash in the context of ovulation is therefore misleading.
Read more about this under These symptoms accompany ovulation.
Hot flashes in men
While a lack of estrogen is described as the cause of hot flashes in women in most cases, men with hot flashes suffer from a testosterone deficiency in most cases. The male sex hormone presumably also influences the hypothalamic temperature reaction, so that effects analogous to the estrogen effect arise. The hypothalamus is a vital area in the brain that regulates circulatory function, body temperature and hormonal balance.
In addition to disorders or imbalances of the sex hormones, hot flashes occur as part of drug side effects, as well as a sign of hypoglycaemia in diabetics, as a hormone excess in the case of an overactive thyroid or certain tumors. Endocrine tumors, which produce hormones and thus intervene in highly sensitive endogenous systems, and lymphomas, which are very often associated with heavy night sweats, come into question here. The combination of night sweats (= night sweating until it is necessary to change pajamas and bedclothes), fever and an unwanted weight loss in a short time is characteristic of lymphoma diseases, but can also occur in the context of other neoplasms. These three signs are referred to as the so-called B symptoms.
In general, it can be said that men suffer from hot flashes less often than women and then mostly from drug-induced heat attacks that occur as a side effect of certain therapies (for example, when treating prostate cancer with hormone receptor blockers).
Find out more about the topic here: Hot flashes in men
Hot flashes from thyroid disease
The thyroid function can in principle be disturbed in two directions.
Hot flashes only occur when the thyroid gland is overactive.
This can be due to Graves disease or benign or malignant tumors.
The thyroid gland produces too many hormones that promote a catabolic (decomposing, rapid) metabolism.
In addition to hot flashes, those affected have heat intolerance, palpitations, high blood pressure, trembling hands and profuse sweating.
Hair loss, irritability and insomnia can occur.
The hands are typically warm and moist.
The patients are prone to diarrhea and sometimes lose a lot of weight.
Sometimes there is excruciating pain in the muscles (especially in the thighs).
All these complaints can be completely eliminated with proper therapy (medication, surgery, radiation).
You can find more information about hot flashes caused by the thyroid gland in our related article:
Hot Flashes and Thyroid - What's Behind Them?
Hot flash from stress
Both mental and physical stress can cause hot flashes.
Physical stress would be for example pain or high blood pressure.
Hot flashes and stress are both fairly non-specific symptoms that can affect one another.
The "stressed body" can cause hot flashes, but hot flashes alone can also lead to a perception or association of stress.
In general, the reduction of stress factors has a positive effect on the development and perception of hot flashes.
Hot flash from the pill
If the pill is the classic contraceptive pill, consisting of estrogen and progestin preparations, it is true that the most common side effect of progestins can be hot flashes.
This is based on the same mechanism as the hot flashes during ovulation. They are very rare when taking the pill, but can be a contraindication (that is, a reason to stop taking the pill) if the hot flashes are too distressing for the woman concerned.
You can read more side effects of the pill in our article: These are the side effects of the pill
Hot flush from cortisone
Cortisone itself does not primarily lead to hot flashes, but rather secondarily via the general side effect of high blood pressure.
Therapy for this can only be achieved by discontinuing the cortisone-containing medication.
If you are dependent on the intake of cortisone and are heavily exposed to hot flashes, antihypertensive medication can be considered.
For information on how to stop cortisone correctly, see: Stopping cortisone - how and when is the best way to sneak out cortisone?
Hot flashes and difficulty sleeping
Hot flashes of any origin can fundamentally affect our sleep behavior.
The underlying mechanisms have not yet been adequately researched.
In general, it can be said that healthy sleep hygiene also includes a body and ambient temperature that is perceived as pleasant.
For severely restrictive sleep disorders, a thin blanket or a cold shower before bed can provide relief.
What are the psychological causes?
In general, stress can lead to hot flashes by activating the autonomic nervous system (sympathetic or “fight or flight” system).
These can then be assigned to specific situations with a detailed anamnesis and detect a psychological cause for the hot flashes.
Stress can generally be perceived as negative or positive.
Situations that are perceived as positive can trigger a feeling of heat due to so-called Eu stress (sexual arousal, being in love).
Rarely, a hot flush can also appear as a hallucinatory discomfort, including as part of a mad life.
The withdrawal syndrome is one of the psychological causes.
This is where hot flashes occur along with other withdrawal-specific symptoms.
The diagnosis
If the age, gender, and other circumstances match menopause (menopause), those affected with hot flashes usually need not worry. An appointment with a gynecologist is only useful if you have exceptionally severe symptoms or if you need further information and / or medical support.
If menopause can be ruled out as the most common cause due to age (too young / too old), gender (male) or for other reasons, a doctor's appointment should be made in any case. The attending physician will first conduct a detailed questioning and check the blood count and determine the concentration of various hormones in the blood, in order to be able to initiate further diagnostic steps so that a serious illness can be excluded.
Also read the article: The menopause.
The therapy
The therapy of hot flashes consists primarily in becoming aware of and changing lifestyle: Alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, hot spices as well as overheated rooms and clothes that are too warm can both intensify and trigger hot flashes and should be avoided if possible.
The effect of plant extracts, so-called phytotherapeutic agents, against hot flashes has not been scientifically proven, but there are some patients who have achieved very good results with herbal preparations.
Red clover, lady's mantle or cimicifuga (black cohosh) are said to contain many so-called phytoestrogens. These are natural substances that are very similar to the female sex hormone estrogen and can replace it slightly in the event of an estrogen deficiency.
If herbal supplements or a lifestyle change do not help enough and the suffering of those affected is high, synthetic estrogen therapy is an option. However, this should be taken with caution, as it can sometimes cause serious side effects. An intensive discussion and advice from the gynecologist is essential before starting such therapy.
Homeopathy as a therapy option
For homeopathic medicines, too - similar to the above-mentioned plant extracts - no scientific effectiveness can be confirmed.
In some cases, however, the drugs used in homeopathy contain almost identical active ingredients as tried and tested phytotherapeutic agents and achieve similarly good treatment results.
Black cohosh is also used in classic homeopathy for hot flashes.
In this case as Cimifuga racemosa with the potency D12.
3 globules are taken as needed.
Also Acidum Formicicum (formic acid, D4-D12, 5 globules / 2x daily), Trogoncephalus Lachesis (Bushmaster snake secretion, D12, 3 globules / 3x daily) or for example Sanguinaria (Canadian blood root, D 12, 3 globules if required) can be used.
The homeopathic remedy of choice for hot flashes during menopause is cimicifuge rhizome, better known as lady's mantle.
It has an estrogen-like effect and thus works via substitution (i.e. like a replacement hormone).
In addition to being administered as globules, it can also be taken as a tea or grated powder.
In higher doses, it is also available in tablet form.
The herbal remedies red clover and black cohosh have a similar effect.
Depending on the other cause of the hot flashes, organ-specific homeopathic therapy should be sought.
With the second most common cause of hot flashes, an overactive thyroid, treatment with homeopathy alone is life-threatening.
It can only be applied in a supportive manner.
Arsenicum album and iodatum come into consideration here, followed by potassium nitricum or phosphoricum.
It is difficult to give general homeopathic recommendations for the other causes of hot flashes.
It is important to tailor this to the complexity of the individual patient and their complaints with the help of a naturopath.
Since all herbal remedies are not recommended according to evidence-based medicine, but rather empirical medicine, it is important to discuss taking them with your family doctor, as otherwise there may be sometimes life-threatening interactions with other drugs.
Prognosis
If the problem is climacteric hot flashes as part of the hormonal change in the course of the menopause, the prognosis is very favorable: All symptoms usually disappear after the new hormonal situation has leveled off, i.e. after 3-5 years. In a few exceptional cases, the symptoms last a little longer and only then weaken again.
For other causes, the prognosis always depends on the appropriate therapy. Correct diagnosis and treatment of the prevailing problem is crucial.
The prophylaxis
To avoid the occurrence of hot flashes completely, aggravating factors should be avoided. As mentioned above, the luxury foods alcohol, nicotine and caffeine should be mentioned in particular. You should also avoid hot spices.
In addition, a regular stay in the fresh air is recommended, also in combination with exercise (walking etc.), or moderate endurance sports (Nordic walking, cycling, etc.), but also rest and relaxation. If you suffer from hot flashes, especially at night, you should ensure that the bedroom temperature is adequate (around 18 degrees Celsius) and ventilate frequently.
