Cooling Down Hot Flashes During Fall Weather
Menopause is one of the biggest changes a woman goes through during her life. During menopause, the mix of mood swings and hot flashes can make you feel as if you’re coming undone.
This holds true even more during the Fall weather months, when cooling off during a hot flash is difficult without the right techniques.
According to studies, over 75% of women suffer from hot flashes even during the fall and winter weather months, but with these effective tips you can cool down in no time, thereby making these months easier on you.
What Are Menopausal Hot Flashes?
Many women have heard the term ‘hot flash’ yet they are unaware of what they really are. When you have a hot flash, your estrogen levels within your body change, which affects the area of the brain that regulates your body’s temperature.
The blood vessels near your skin become dilated, which creates a flow of heat that travels to your neck, face, and head. When these changes occur, your heartbeat increases and some women even experience nausea in menopause. Once the hot flash is over many women experience a chill.
Hot Flashes in Groin Area
Some areas of the body are more prone to sweating than others. If parts on your body make contact, for example, it’s likely you sweat more there due to heat and friction. In perimenopause, you’re already sweating more due to hot flashes, so areas like your elbows, breasts, and groin are even more prone to annoying sweat.
Inner elbow sweat and sweating between the legs are, unfortunately, just another part of menopause women have to deal with. Excessive sweating between legs is made even more uncomfortable in the warm summer months, when we’re already prone to sweating, and often wear more leg-baring clothing.
Some women report their perimenopause sweating gets so bad it looks as if they’ve had an accident. If you’re experiencing the “sweaty crotch” symptom of menopause, try:
- Wearing loose-fit clothing, such as long dresses and skirts
- Natural fabrics, like cotton, as opposed to synthetics like polyester
- Ditching your panty-hose
- Changing underwear several times a day
- Wearing panty-liners
- Using unscented powder or antiperspirant on your inner thighs
- Wearing sleeping gowns and going commando at nighttime
If these techniques don’t work for you, speak to your doctor about hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) for treatment options. Relief for hyperhidrosis includes anticholinergic medications, Botox, and prescription antiperspirant.
This quick change in hormones during menopause can be stressful, but you can survive even during the hottest days by using these great techniques.
Carry Cold Scarves
Placing a cool scarf around your neck is a great way to prevent hot flashes. You can place a cold towel or scarf around your neck after it’s been placed in water and kept in the freezer. There are also devices you can buy that work in a similar manner, but many women find a cold scarf from the freezer to be just as effective and less expensive.
User Rose Water
Rose scented water not only offers a great fragrance, but it’s also an effective tool towards preventing hot flashes. Filling a spray bottle with rose infused water, and even lavender essences, allows you to mist the back of your neck and ward off hot flashes. Some women like to use the fragrance diluted in water while others prefer to use it undiluted and placed on the inside of their wrists.
Stay Nourished
Regularly eating during the day is one effective tool towards combating hot flashes. Calcium and magnesium-rich foods are great for regulating your body’s temperature and preventing hot flashes.
According to experts, drinking plenty of water during the day is effective in replenishing fluid that’s lost to perspiration during hot flashes. By staying nourished and hydrated, you can prevent hot flashes altogether or at least reduce their symptoms.
