subject: Difference Between Hot Flashes Symptoms & Night Sweats [print this page] Difference Between Hot Flashes Symptoms & Night Sweats
Though many people may think that hot flashes symptoms are the same as night sweat symptoms, they are two completely different conditions, which the majority of women will experience during menopausal years. Knowing the symptoms of these two conditions will help you to analyze your experience and know whether you are suffering from hot flashes, night sweats, or both.
If your entire upper body turns red accompanied by a sudden heat sensation from the waste up, then that is one of hot flashes symptoms. You may begin to sweat heavily during this time and some women will have sudden chills at the ending of the hot flash. This can happen at any time of the day, and not just limited to nighttime as night sweats are. Hot flashes symptoms may also cause rapid or irregular heartbeat, along with anxiety.
Night sweats as I've mentioned before tend to happen only in the nighttime. Day cases are extremely rare. Because of the nighttime occurrence of night sweats, this will generally lead to the side effect of the individual losing sleep. This is accompanied by heavy sweating in the chest and head.
The reasons behind these two sensations are completely different. Hot flashes symptoms take place because of a lack of estrogen in your blood vessels. This lack of estrogen leads to the widening of the blood vessels, which in turn leads to a sudden increase in blood flow. This results in mixed signals being sent to the brain, which causes some confusion and causes the blood vessels to contract and expand. This creates overheating in the body, which causes the body to sweat in an attempt to balance out the body temperature. These sensations will only last for a few minutes and are known hot flashes symptoms.
Night Sweats on the other hand are caused by a whole different set of reasons. These reasons include infections, and side effects of a medication you may be taking, to name a few. Aspirin is an example of a medication said to cause night sweats at times. Other night sweats symptoms include nausea, chills and just as in the case of hot flashes symptoms, irregular heartbeat. These are normally accompanied by tiredness and memory loss.
The treatments for these problems are also relatively different. If you are experiencing any of these problems, it is recommended that you avoid hot drinks, as well as spicy food. You should also try to dress in cotton and other natural fabrics, especially for your underwear, and try to keep yourself as cool as possible. Using cotton sheets are also a good idea. If symptoms persist, there are hormone therapy options that are available to you.
If you are experiencing hot flashes symptoms or night sweats, you can find alternative natural therapies by clicking here.
