Hot Flashes and Night Sweats During Menopause? Find Out How Yoga Can Help

“Is it hot in here or is it just me ... being incredible?!”

Are You One Of The 3 Out Of 4 Women That Get Hot Flashes?

Hot flashes are probably the most recognisable symptom of the menopause. Described as a sensation of sudden heat that spreads throughout the body, they can last for a few seconds, several minutes or even an hour. Some women experience several a day, others a few times a month. It’s believed that three out of four women experience them during their menopause journey. Night sweats aren’t much more fun either, waking up to find yourself drenched in sweat and having to change your nightwear.

As you probably already know, the menopause is caused when your ovaries stop producing eggs. As a result, your levels of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone fall. And as estrogen has so many functions within the body, when it reduces it affects us in so many ways. This explains why there are 34 symptoms of the menopause!! In general, I categorise symptoms into three groups: fiery symptoms, flighty symptoms and heavy symptoms.

Fiery Symptoms

The fiery symptoms relate to those that create heat in the body: hot flashes (or sometimes called hot flushes), night sweats and the heated emotions of anger or rage. 

Why Do We Get Hot Flashes And Night Sweats?

These hot symptoms are believed to occur because of the hormone noradrenaline, which helps regulate body temperature. Estrogen has an effect on noradrenaline so as its levels fall during menopause then so does our ability to regulate our temperature.

Mood Changes

Anger surges (meno-rage or meno-rant as I like to call it) can froth up from nowhere along with other dramatic mood swings. Estrogen helps to regulate our feel good hormone serotonin, so this is why we are prone to mood swings during this season of life. In years gone by many women who experienced this symptom were often misdiagnosed with depression and prescribed anti-depressants. Fortunately, today there is a lot more awareness and understanding amongst health professionals about the menopause.

How You Can Reduce Heat In The Body

The number one thing you can do for yourself during menopause is to reduce your stress levels. You can read here all about why stress is so bad during the menopause. Other things you can do to reduce heat include:

Avoiding stimulants like caffeine, nicotine and alcohol

Cutting out sugar (sugar is heating in the body)

Cutting out hot drinks at bedtime

Wearing natural fabrics rather than synthetic

Keeping a fan by the bed

Yoga And The Menopause

Yoga has been practiced for centuries and is synonymous with reducing stress and improving overall physical health and wellbeing. That’s why yoga is perfect to help alleviate some of the symptoms of the menopause.

Because there are so many different symptoms, when I teach a yoga class for menopause support I only focus on one particular type. For example, for heavy symptoms I incorporate energising postures like heart openers and twists. But in a class for flighty symptoms I would include more calming poses like forward bends.

For the fiery symptoms, I recommend to practice poses that reduce heat in the body. These include:

Forward Folds

Forward folds are cooling to the body (whereas a backbend is very heating) and stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system bringing about a sense of calm and peace. They move us from fight or flight mode to rest and digest. Forward folds also encourage introspection and help you turn inward, to connect with who you really are. During the seasons of the menopause this is particularly valuable as we  move into the next phase of our lives. They can be practiced standing or from the floor.

Hip Openers

Hip openers are great for releasing physical and emotional heat in the body. The hips are said to store our emotions and when we are experiencing a stressful situation or something negative, we can often feel tightness in this area. Hip openers can often induce a strong reaction as the body starts to let go and release trapped emotions. Most hip openers are floor based poses and benefit from being held for a number of long deep breaths, which allows true surrender. 

Inversions

When you think of an inversion, you may think of balancing on your hands, but an inversion can be all simple as putting your legs up the wall. When you invert your body, it reverses blood flow, helps with lymphatic drainage and floods your brain with fresh blood helping improve cognitive function. Whilst some inversions can be very energising, practicing in a more restorative way can bring about a calming and cooling sensation to the body. Stay in the pose for at least five minutes to receive the true benefits. 

Want to try a yoga class for fiery symptoms? 

If you are experiencing the fiery symptoms of the menopause then you might like to try out my cooling and calming yoga class below, which is aimed at helping reduce heat in the body.

If you require an additional support remember I offer coaching for midlife women. The menopause can sometimes be an isolating experience but you don’t have to go through it alone. You can find all the details here.

Remember, the Menopause is a natural part of a woman's life cycle so let’s embrace it together 😊