Three out of four women in menopause suffer from flushing. It can happen during the day, but when it happens at night it will often interfere with your sleep and cause you to wake up drenched in sweat.

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Decreased hormonal levels affect the central thermoregulation zone in your brain, which regulates your body’s temperature. We all have a thermal neutral zone, which means our body temperature stays stable even when the temperature around us changes slightly. A change in your estrogen levels may narrow the thermal neutral zone, so that small changes in outside temperature cause an uncontrolled rise in body heat.

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Your body is programmed to keep your core temperature the same, so when the air temperature rises, blood pours into blood vessels in your skin. You’ll become flushed, and your body may start to sweat to cool down. You may also experience accelerated heartbeats or chills following the heat wave.

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Controlling the air temperature, keeping a cool drink by your side and balancing your hormonal levels will assist you in dealing with this ​drenching experience.

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