How to Manage Hot Sweats in Summer

Whether you love summer or not, sweltering days can be a nightmare for menopause symptoms. Here are some lifestyle tips and evidence-based natural remedies to help you manage hot flashes and night sweats in summer (and all year round!).

Lifestyle and Diet

Around 85% of people going through menopause experience hot flashes (Philp, 2003), leading many to seek out hormone replacement therapy (HRT). HRT isn’t the only answer, though, and can have some unpleasant side effects.

Many nutritional supplements are well researched for their usefulness in managing menopausal symptoms, but before we jump into those, let’s look at even easier ways to handle hot flushes and sweats.

During the hot summer months, you’ll be better able to keep your cool by switching things up in the bedroom and in the kitchen.

1. Choose breathable bedding:
   1. Skip the synthetics and even tight weave cotton and go for hemp or flax linen sheets instead. These are excellent for temperature regulation and are moisture-wicking, making them a great choice for anyone going through menopause and suffering with night sweats and insomnia.
2. Avoid trigger foods for hot flashes, including:
   1. Wine and other alcohol
   2. Sugar

• Refined white flour products

1. Coffee.

3. Stay hydrated:
   1. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day can help regulate body temperature, especially in summer. Carry a reusable thermos or water bottle that keeps your water cool, and beware the drying effects of air conditioners that leave you dehydrated and more susceptible to hot outside temperatures.
4. Stay on top of stress:
   1. Easier said than done, but managing stress better can help reduce menopausal symptoms. Consider incorporating the following into your daily routine:
      1. Meditation
      2. Yoga

• Deep breathing exercises

1. A daily walk in the woods – tree bathing!

5. Maintain a cool environment:
   1. It sounds obvious, but taking some simple steps to cool down your home or work environment can make a big difference to hot flashes and night sweats. Try:
      1. Keeping windows and doors closed during the hottest part of the day, then opening them up when outside air cools down at night
      2. Using blackout blinds with reflective backings

• Installing a heat pump that works as an air conditioner in summer

1. Using a ceiling fan to circulate cooler air
2. Avoiding using the oven, stove, or other heat sources (such as washing machines and dryers, and even large computers and televisions!).

All the above will help reduce the impact of night sweats and hot flashes, but if you need more help, nature has a bounty of remedies to assist with menopausal symptoms.

Herbal Remedies for Hot Flashes and Night Sweats

Here are the best researched herbal remedies and nutrition supplements shown to support anyone suffering from hot flashes and night sweats in menopause.

Black Cohosh

Black cohosh is one of the most well-studied herbs for menopausal symptoms. A meta-analysis conducted at McGill University found that two-thirds of available studies reported significant improvements in menopausal symptoms compared to placebo, with up to 40% improvement in vasomotor symptoms, including hot flashes and palpitations (Shams et al., 2010).

In one clinical study, 91% of women taking a black cohosh extract standardized to 2.5% triterpenes experienced significant relief from menopausal symptoms after 12 weeks (Ruhlen et al., 2007). Symptoms included:

• Hot flashes
• Numbness in limbs
• Problems sleeping
• Nervousness
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Depression
• Heart palpitations.

Dong Quai

By itself, dong quai doesn’t appear to be helpful at treating menopausal symptoms. However, its use alongside other herbs in Traditional Chinese Medicine is supported by scientific research.

Specifically dong quai appears to have a synergistic effect with black cohosh and chasteberry for controlling hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms (Borrelli & Ernst, 2010).

Chasteberry (Vitex agnus-castus)

Chasteberry has been used for thousands of years to treat various women's health issues. Scientific research strongly suggests that chasteberry can help balance hormones by influencing levels of progesterone, oestrogen, luteinizing hormone, and prolactin (Hajirahimkhan et al., 2013).

Chasteberry also appears to decrease hot flashes via dopaminergic effects (Ghazanfarpour et al., 2013).

Soy Isoflavones

Soy isoflavones, such as genistein and daidzein, are phytoestrogens that can modulate estrogenic effects in the body. They have been shown to effectively treat many symptoms of reproductive hormonal imbalance, including hot flashes, in postmenopausal women. Soy isoflavones don't raise oestrogen levels, per se, but may help balance hormones in all adults.

Lesser-known herbs: Cynanchum wilfordii, Phlomis umbrosa, and Angelica gigas

A combination of less well-known herbal extracts has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for over 400 years.

In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 64 pre-, peri-, and postmenopausal women, those receiving Cynanchum wilfordii, Phlomis umbrosa, and Angelica gigas for 12 weeks had a significant reduction in menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes and night sweats (Lee et al., 2005).

Gamma-oryzanol

Found in rice bran oil, gamma-oryzanol has been associated with reducing menopause symptoms. One clinical study found that supplementing women who had hysterectomies with 100 mg gamma-oryzanol for 38 days lowered their symptoms of menopause by 50% and hot flashes by more than 67% (Patel & Naik, 2004).

Hesperidin

This highly bioavailable flavonoid is known to improve vascular integrity and lower inflammation. In an older, placebo-controlled trial, 53% of women experienced complete relief of hot flushes when taking a combination of 900 mg of hesperidin, 300 mg of hesperidin methylchalcone, and 1200 mg of vitamin C for one month. Another 34% experienced at least some relief from hot flashes. The supplement also led to improvements in nocturnal leg cramps, nose bleeds, and bruising (Smith, 1964).

Final thoughts

There’s no magic bullet for managing menopausal symptoms like night sweats and hot flashes. Instead, keeping your cool often requires a multifaceted approach. By combining lifestyle changes, dietary adjustments, and carefully selected herbal remedies, relief is possible.

Finally, while natural remedies have a lot to offer for managing night sweats and hot flashes, it’s important to acknowledge that their effectiveness can vary from person to person and not all remedies are suitable for everyone going through menopause.

Always consult your healthcare practitioner before taking any new supplements, especially if you have pre-existing health conditions or are taking medications.

References

Borrelli, F. & Ernst, E. (2010). Alternative and complementary therapies for the menopause. Maturitas, 66, 333-343.

Ghazanfarpour M., et al. (2013). Comparison the efficacy of Hypericum perforatum and vitex agnus-castus in hot flushes: A double-blinded randomized controlled trial. Chronic Diseases Journal, 1(2), 67-73.

Hajirahimkhan, A., et al. (2013). Botanical modulation of menopausal symptoms: Mechanisms of action? Planta Medica, 79, 538-553.

Lee, K.H., et al. (2005). Evaluation of Effectiveness and Safety of Natural Plants Extract (Estromon®) on Perimenopausal Women for 1 Year. J. of Korea Society of Menopause, 11(1), 1–11.

Patel, M. & Naik. (2004). S. Gamma-oryzanol from rice bran oil – A review. Journal of Scientific & Industrial Research, 63, 569-578.

Philp, H. (2003). Hot flashes – A review of the literature on alternative and complementary treatment approaches. Alternative Medicine Review, 8(3), 284-302.

Ruhlen, L., et al. (2013). Black cohosh does not exert an estrogenic effect on the breast. Nutrition and Cancer, 59(2), 269-277.

Shams, T., et al. (2010), Efficacy of black cohosh-containing preparations on menopausal symptoms: A meta-analysis. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 16(1), 36-44.

Smith, C. (1964). Non-hormonal control of vasomotor flushing in menopausal patients. Chicago Medicine, 67, 193-195.

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