What constitutes a "hot flash"? Does anyone just feel "warm and miserable"?
Posted , 5 users are following.
From what I've read, they come on suddenly, make you feel very hot, and cause you to flush red in the face. They also apparently only last a short while each time.
I've not experienced those, but I'm wondering if there's such a thing as a "mild" hot flash, where you don't necessarily flush red, but still feel very warm, particularly in the head, and crappy and headachey as well?
Sometimes I even wonder if those are what wake me suddenly in the middle of the night -- not bathed in sweat, as many describe, but just really uncomfortably warm (and then of course the insomnia hits..).
3 likes, 18 replies
susan34930 cat38281
Edited
Cat
these are how i feel exactly. just a feeling of warmth/heat which make u feel so uncomfortable. & yes they wake me at 2:30-3 am then insomnia kickin cant get back to sleep.
its so miserable !!!
cat38281 susan34930
Posted
Gah! THANK YOU! I couldn't figure out why I'd go to bed feeling pleasantly coldish, so I'd put a cardigan on to feel all cozy, and then in the middle of the night I'd suddenly jolt awake, and feel so warm that I'd have to peel the cardigan off!
Of course then I'm awake and lying there with my thoughts...! I wonder if these so-called heat waves trigger headaches/migraines? Do you have headaches?
susan34930 cat38281
Posted
yes i get tension headaches but i think there also from my tight neck muscles stiffness
its so miserable.,
cat38281 susan34930
Posted
Yes, I hear you. Have you tried neck stretches? or changing your pillow? I switched to a lower profile (thin) pillow and trained myself to sleep on my back -- it does seem to help.
susan34930 cat38281
Posted
yes ive switched my pillow as well i try sleeping on my back but its so damm hard. i do notice a difference when i do sleep on my back though. i also think some of my neck tension is from anxiety from this hell!!!
cat38281 susan34930
Edited
Yes!! It's so exhausting. Hang in there; feel free to write me on here any time X
toria_07298 cat38281
Edited
i think everyone experiences hot flushes differently, i get the ones you say but also get night sweats now and again (everynight since vaccine) and i sometimes feel like im in an oven and im going to pass out, some last seconds some last minutes and some last hours x
cat38281 toria_07298
Posted
Just awful! Do you think they trigger your migraines?
toria_07298 cat38281
Edited
i think the heat does as i feel dehydrated even though i drink alot of water, im having a terrible pressure migraine right now and feel sick, been thinking its a blood clot, dont you just love this! 😦 x
cat38281 toria_07298
Posted
Hang in there!! Remind yourself how every time it does pass, and you are okay. Do ice packs work for you? I've just discovered how wonderful they are!
toria_07298 cat38281
Posted
yes i use ice packs all the time, my skin is itching like crazy today grrrrr x
Ella23ps cat38281
Edited
There are several different types of hot flashes. They can be mild or severe. They can last anywhere from a few minutes to several hours to several days. There is your basic hot flash, you can also have simple or rather annoying warm fronts, then there are your hot flash aura's (HORRIBLE) and then there are super hot flushes (HORRIBLE), and then there is menopause fever (it can last days and it is also HORRIBLE) then there are night sweats, then there are adrenaline hot flushes (HORRIBLE X 10 and can last days). Stress and anxiety makes them all worse. Also they get worse the more periods you skip. Peri-menopause hot flashes do not seem to be as bad as menopause hot flashes. Some women have no choice and have to use HRT. Chills or cold flashes can show up before or after any of the hot flashes. Prayers, fans and slow deep breathing help.
cat38281 Ella23ps
Posted
"Prayers, fans and slow deep breathing help" -- haha yes, you got that right!
Funny how the standard medical literature just glosses over all this. Thank you for sharing; it definitely helps with the anxiety to know one is not alone!
toria_07298 Ella23ps
Posted
im in perimenopause my periods are super heavy and closer together and i have severe flushes! everyone is different x
toria_07298 cat38281
Posted
hot flushes are simply caused by a drop in estrogen, alot of people in peri (not all) have higher estrogen than normal, the bigger the drop the worse the hot flushes are, for instance on one of my tests my estrogen was over 800 then it was 270 x
Ella23ps toria_07298
Posted
I am not saying women in peri menopause can not have severe hot flashes. They most certainly can and they can become disabling for them (Sorry it came across like that). I was trying to say they can get much worse in menopause or I guess I should say the year leading up to menopause. That 1st year with no period. So hang in there hopefully they want get much worse. That last year is about as bad as it can get for some women when their estrogen suddenly crashes. Like you said, all women are different : ). However once you're in menopause after a few years technically they should let up, but I know 2 women in their mid 70's still having them.
Ella23ps cat38281
Edited
I have nurses and nurse practitioners in my family and was told that they do not teach about hormones in school. Crazy right??? Most the women on here seem to be in the 25%. The women that have it so bad that it can become disabling . You are not alone : ) you just happen to belong to a unique group of women. I consider them very special women. 50% of women just walk though this with a few highs and lows and they manage fairly well. Not great but ok. Then there are 25% of women that just wake up one day and say oh my, my periods have stopped oh well I guess I am in menopause.
toria_07298 Ella23ps
Posted
i think if you have 800 estrogen one day and 270 the next that would explain my severe flushes, and 2 women isnt many really is it, also estrogen drives histamine which can cause hot flushes so fingers crossed when mine drops i will feel better x