Why am I getting hot flashes?

The symptoms of hot flashes are: 

• Sudden hot feeling on the face and upper body
• Rapid heartbeat (tachycardia)
• Sweating
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Headache
• Feeling of suffocation
• Flush (reddening and sweating)
• Chills (marks the end of the episode)

Hot flashes are mostly seen in women. The main reason behind hot flashes is menopause. In fact, hot flashes are one of the common symptoms seen immediately after the beginning of menopause.

The other causes of hot flashes can be:

• Consumption of spicy food
• Alcohol consumption
• Smoking
• Excessive consumption of tea or coffee (caffeine)
• Fever
• Stress and anxiety
• Medications like calcium channel blockers for high blood pressure treatment and drugs like nitroglycerin for heart conditions
• Hyperthyroidism
• Diabetes
• Tuberculosis 

Night sweats are pretty common in patients who are getting treated for any type of cancer. 

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is the treatment given to women after menopause to fulfil the need for hormones like progesterone and estrogen, which are lost after menopause. This therapy helps in relieving hot flashes in women.

Women may get estrogen-only HRT or combination HRT in which they get both estrogen and progesterone hormones.

HRT can be given in various forms: 

• Tablets: HRT tablet is taken once daily.
• Gel: Estrogen is available in the form of gels which has to be rubbed on the skin to provide relief from the hot flashes.  
• Skin patches: Patches are placed on the surface of the skin. These patches deliver hormones to the system slowly. The patch has to be replaced every few days.
• Implants: A small pellet-like implant is placed under the skin of the tummy, thigh, or buttock. This implant releases hormones for several months and then is replaced with a new one. 

Some doctors may prescribe some non-hormonal medications like gabapentin, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and clonidine for the treatment of hot flashes.

Apart from HRT, there are other alternatives which can be used to manage hot flashes:

• Plant sources of estrogen, such as isoflavones, can help in reducing hot flashes. Soybeans and yoghurt are good dietary sources of isoflavones. 
• Avoid smoking, caffeine and alcohol consumption as they can trigger the hot flashes.
• Different forms of exercises like yoga and martial art forms like Tai chi may help in reducing the episodes of night sweats. 
• Wear loose clothes and sleep in a cool setting to prevent night sweats.