Lifestyle changes

  Although the following approaches are currently not well supported by research, they will do no harm, cost nothing, and may offer relief for some hot flashes.

1. Identify and avoid personal hot flash triggers. These could include external heat (such as a warm room or using a hair dryer), strong emotions, hot drinks, hot or spicy foods, alcohol, caffeine, and cigarette smoking.

2. Exercise regularly to reduce stress and promote more restful sleep—but not too close to bedtime. Meditation, yoga or tai chi/qi gong, biofeedback, positive visualization, acupuncture, or massage may help.

3. Try to stay cool during the day and while sleeping. You may try these:

• Dress in light cotton nightclothes.
• Use layered bedding that can be easily removed during the night.
• Cool down with an electric fan or air conditioner.
• Keep a frozen cold pack under the pillow, and turn the pillow often so that the head is always resting on a cool surface.
• Keep cool water at the bedside to sip when awakening during the night.
• Learn effective techniques for getting back to sleep (for instance, don’t just lie there, but get up and read until becoming sleepy).
• Check out nightwear marketed to help avoid soggy sheets during night sweats.
• A high-tech fabric can absorb moisture from the skin, forcing it to the surface of the fabric where it evaporates.

4. Try paced respiration at the beginning of a hot flash. Take slow, deep, abdominal breaths in through the nose and release out through the mouth.

Tagged as: effective, Exercise, hair, Lifestyle, Reduce, relief, stress, strong, use