Hot flashes are not exclusive to women in the midst of menopause or perimenopause, but can be experienced by women of any age, according to HuffPost.
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Both estrogen and progesterone are necessary in the female cycle, and their balance is key for optimal health. Many women have an imbalance of these hormones during their lifetimes, regardless of their age, which can cause hot flashes and other symptoms such as headaches, heart palpitations, vertigo, painful intercourse, vaginal dryness, decreased sex drive, sleep issues and night sweats.
Hot flashes involve intense feelings of heat that spread across your upper body and face. Flushing and red blotches may also occur, along with rapid heartbeat and perspiration.
Because hot flashes are so uncomfortable, they can interfere with sleep when they occur during the night, and over time may lead to chronic insomnia, related anxiety and even depression in some women.
Hot flashes are common during menopause, impacting up to 75% of women, but other factors can bring on hot flashes, including being overweight, stress and lack of exercise or proper nutrition.
Here are six ways to defeat those annoying hot flashes:
1. Lose weight —Overweight women who lose weight are more likely to see improvements in their hot flashes compared to women who do not lose weight.
2. Adopt a balanced diet that includes organic fruits and vegetables, grass fed meats, raw nuts and seeds, high quality animal-based omega-3 fats such as krill oil, organic-pastured egg yolks, avocados and olive and coconut oils.
3. Exercise regularly to optimize your insulin levels and balance your estrogen levels. Those levels are much lower in women who eat little and perform strenuous physical work.
4. Try one of these natural essential oils to help to balance female hormones: clary sage, geranium, lavender, pine and rose.
5. Eliminate refined carbohydrates, processed and heated fats, empty foods and fast food from your diet — all will raise your estrogen to abnormal levels.
6. Black cohosh — Nearly as effective as estrogen at treating hot flashes, black cohosh is also useful in managing the mood swings and irritability that sometimes accompanies menopause.