subject: Hot Flashes Causes – Your Solution For Them Found [print this page] One of the common symptoms for menopause or perimenopause is a hot flash. This is when there is increased sweating and a rapid heart beat when hot flashes occur. Perimenpause may also be associated with a feeling that there is a rush of intense heat over the upper portion of the body including the face. Many women do not know what causes hot flashes.
Hot flashes may vary depending on whether a woman is in the perimenopausal stage or at the menopausal stage. Perimenopausal stage is a transition stage that takes you gradually into the menopausal stage. Researches are still finding out the causes of hot flashes while some have concluded that hot flashes occur due to hormonal imbalances.
Such imbalances may occur when the body feels that too much is demanded from it, especially during the menopausal stage. When such a hormonal imbalance takes place, the nervous system may try to compensate for the imbalance by changing the skin temperature.
The lack of estrogen may be one of the causes of hot flashes. When estrogen levels suddenly dip, hypothalamus, a part of your brain, gets "confused". Hypothalamus is the built-in thermometer of the body. This thermometer will read the heat of the body as too hot. The brain then commands your nervous system to act to control the heat of the body.
When this command is delivered instantly, heart beat quickens. This dilates the blood vessels in the skin so that more blood circulation happens. This process produces more sweat to cool the body. The same phenomenon happens during hot seasons or when one exercises intensely. The same thing happens during hot flashes which occur during menopause. The body is cooled at odd times leaving one wondering why they are perspiring and overheating at odd times.
Though hot flashes causes are still not known, there are medical and natural solutions for them. In general, hot flashes last for two or three minutes. But if there are triggers like anxiety, spicy foods, tobacco, hot seasons and taking a bath in hot water, they may last for a longer duration. During the perimenopausal period, you may experience hot flashes once in two to four hours and this may last for about two to five years. For middle-aged women, this is common. These symptoms may improve with time.
