It has been found that as many as 80% of women who are experiencing menopause have a number of symptoms including hot flashes. Hot flashes are the experience of a sudden sensation of heat in the face, head, and chest, followed by perspiration, flushing, and chills.
When you have hot flashes at night, it can make it incredibly difficult to get a full and satisfying night’s sleep.
Are you wondering how to keep cool at night when you are suffering from hot flashes?
Let’s take a look at some hot flash remedies, habits, and practices you might consider trying to help reduce your symptoms and help you get a great night’s sleep.
Avoid Triggers
If you can’t sleep because of hot flashes, there are a number of triggers you can purposefully avoid to help reduce your experience of these symptoms. Here are some of the activities and habits that can encourage night sweats and hot flashes at night:
- Wearing restrictive and tight clothing
- Smoking and inhaling secondhand smoke
- Drinking caffeine and alcohol
- Using heavy sheets or blankets on your bed
- Eating spicy foods
- Experiencing excess stress
- Being in warm rooms
You might find that changing your habits can help to reduce hot flashes at night. If you find that you are still experiencing discomfort during the night, there are a number of other habits and practices you can adopt.
Establish a Calming Bedtime Routine
Having a bedtime routine is a good idea for everyone, but it can be particularly useful if you suffer from hot flashes and night.
There have been a number of studies that suggest that poor sleep can have an immediate negative effect on your brain function, hormones, and exercise performance. It can also increase disease risk and cause weight gain. When you get good sleep, I can help you exercise better, eat less, and be healthier overall.
Here are some of the things you can do to ensure that you get the highest quality sleep at night:
- Increase bright light exposure during the day
- Reduce blue light exposure and evening
- Avoid consuming caffeine late in the day
- Try to have consistent sleep and wake times
- Reduce long or irregular daytime naps
- Avoid alcohol
- Optimize your bedroom environment including temperature, external lights, noise, and furniture arrangement
- Avoid eating late in the evening
- Clear your mind and relax before bed
- Take a relaxing shower or bath
- Make sure your bed, pillow, and matches are comfortable
- Get regular exercise, but not right before bed
- Avoid drinking liquids right before bed
There are a number of relaxing practices you might consider adding to your bedtime routine. This might include breathing exercises, listening to music, a spiritual practice, reading, or taking a soothing bath.
Exercise During the Day
Getting regular exercise is one of the best things you can do for your overall health in addition to prioritizing high-quality sleep. It can make you feel happier, help you with weight loss, increase your energy levels, and so much more.
One of the benefits of exercise is that it can help you sleep better and relax. When you exercise, the energy depletion you experience stimulates a number of important recuperative processes while you sleep. They can also help to do your temperature at night while you are sleeping.
A number of studies have found that regular exercise is particularly beneficial for older people who are more likely to be impacted by sleep disorders.
Dress For Comfort
If you are wondering how to sleep your hot flashes, one thing you might try is changing the way you dress for bed. Instead of wearing restrictive and tight clothing, consider wearing light clothing that is loose. This can help to keep you cool at night and make you feel more comfortable.
Keep the Room Cool
Another hot flash remedy is to simply keep the temperature in your room cool at night. You can do this by turning down your thermostat before you go to bed or using a bedside fan.
Natural Foods and Supplements
It can help to reduce night sweats and hot flashes to add natural foods and supplements your diet in a long-term way. Different people might find some of the supplements more helpful than others. It’s important to consult a doctor if you take natural supplements because they can interact with other medications or have side effects.
There are a number of prescription therapies and over-the-counter supplements that might bring you relief from hot flashes. One is hormone replacement therapy. Follow this link to learn more about the relationship between hormones and insomnia.
Other therapies and medications include:
- Vitamin B
- Vitamin E
- Acupuncture
- Gabapentin
- Certain antidepressants
- Sleeping medications, which don’t get rid of hot flashes but can help you sleep through them
- Ibuprofen
Some of the foods and supplements you might consider adding to your diet in a long-term way include:
- Evening primrose supplements
- Black cohosh supplements
- Including soy in your diet
- Eating flax seeds or taking flaxseed oil or supplements
It’s always a good idea to talk to your doctor about which of these hot flash remedies would be healthiest and most effective for you.
How to Keep Cool at Night: Prioritizing Good Sleep Is Essential
Different women might find that some hot flash remedies are more effective for them than others. However, there is a good chance that there are steps you can take to help increase your comfort during the night when you are trying to learn how to sleep through hot flashes. Whether you change your bedtime routine or start taking natural supplements, there is relief out there for you.
Did you find this article about how to keep cool at night interesting? If so, be sure to check out the rest of our blog for more information about all things women’s health!
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