Drug-free strategies for beating the heat during menopause — morning, night, and in between.
If you had to sum up menopause with one word, it would probably be “hot.” After all, hot flashes and night sweats — known as vasomotor symptoms, because they involve the dilation of blood vessels — get the lion’s share of the attention when it comes to menopause symptoms.
And with good reason: More than 80 percent of women deal with both as they transition to menopause, according to a review in the Journal of Mid-Life Health.
Medication, such as estrogen and even certain antidepressants, can help. But not everyone needs — or wants — to pop a pill to fend off menopause symptoms. That’s where more natural approaches to managing hot flashes and night sweats can come in handy.
1. Commit to cardio
Turns out what’s good for your heart can also be good for menopausal misery. “Exercise almost always improves symptoms and overall well-being,” says Cynthia Flynn, MD, a board-certified ob-gyn in Daytona Beach, Florida, and contributor to Just Answer. This is especially true of aerobic or sustained activities, such as walking. Research backs that up: A study published in the journal Menopause found that women who took part in a 16-week exercise program had fewer hot flashes than women who didn’t do the program.
2. HIIT the gym
High-intensity interval training (HIIT), which alternates stints of hard and easy activity, could help your body fight vasomotor symptoms by training it to respond more quickly to the dilation and constriction of blood vessels. This is key for rapidly off-loading heat, according to Stacy Sims, PhD, a physiologist who specializes in female-athlete performance and the author of Next Level, a guide to fitness for women in menopause or postmenopause.
Plus, HIIT increases your body temperature. As a result, the hypothalamus (part of your brain) learns to react better to sudden, intense temperature changes. A workout lasts no more than 30 minutes and uses intervals of 60–120 seconds with 1:1 or 2:1 work-to-rest ratios, so you’re either working and resting the same amount or working twice as long as you’re resting.
3. Hit the mat
Night sweats can make it hard to get a good night’s sleep. Yoga may help. A study published in June 2022 in Nursing & Health Sciences found that women who practiced yoga for 20 weeks got better sleep, plus previous research showed it can lower stress and relieve symptoms of depression among menopausal women.
You can always sign up for an online class or find a registered yoga instructor through the Yoga Alliance’s database.
4. Lift weights
You’ve probably heard that strength training can keep your bones strong. Now you can add reducing hot flashes and night sweats to the list of reasons to strengthen those muscles. In a study published in 2019 in Maturitas, women who did strength training three times a week experienced a nearly 50 percent reduction in hot flashes after 15 weeks.
5. Add more soy to your diet
Soy contains isoflavones, which are essentially plant-based estrogen. One of these isoflavones, daidzein, is converted by gut bacteria into a compound called equol, which has been shown to reduce the severity and frequency of hot flashes.
Case in point: One study, published in 2021 in the journal Menopause, found that when women added a half cup of cooked soybeans to their low-fat, vegan diet every day for 12 weeks, their hot flashes decreased by 79 percent. What’s more, most of the women stopped having hot flashes rated moderate to severe. You can find soy in tofu, miso, edamame, and soy milk.
6. Try a supplement
Many supplements are touted for menopause symptom relief, but the one that may be worth trying is black cohosh, a plant native to North America. The supplement rarely eliminates symptoms completely, Dr. Flynn says, but a study found that it reduced the number and severity of hot flashes among menopausal women. Talk to your doctor before trying black cohosh (or any supplement), because it may cause side effects or interfere with certain medications, such as statins.
7. Meditate
If you don’t already meditate, now may be a good time to start, because it may help reduce the number of hot flashes you have, according to a study published in Menopause. Meditation can help activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is the part of your body that helps you relax, says Dr. Sims. Need help getting started? Try doing guided meditation on an app like Headspace or Calm.
Important Notice: This article was originally published at www.everydayhealth.com by Karen Asp where all credits are due. Medically reviewed by Kara Leigh Smythe, MD
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