Hot Flash! Hot Flash!
Approximately 85 percent of all American menopausal women suffer from hot flashes, those sudden, intense, sweaty flushes that quickly turn into chills. Most hot flashes occur in the middle of the night, causing women to bolt up from a sound sleep. But hot flashes can really happen at any time—in a restaurant, during a meeting, or when you’re in the playground with your child. Although hot flashes eventually pass once the body adjusts to its new estrogen levels, they can be torture. Here are some tips for welcome relief:
Do what the Japanese do: eat soy products. Tofu, tempah, soy milk—all of these contain the phytoestrogens that create usable estrogen in the body. Avoid caffeine. The stimulant does just that—stimulating (or triggering) the body to raise blood pressure, create nervous tension, and add one or two of those hot flashes. Try relaxing with deep breathing. As soon as you wake up in the morning, during the afternoon, or in an evening yoga class, taking long, deep breaths and slowly exhaling will help steady your body and its out-of-kilter hormonal structure. Fight hot with cold. If you get a hot flash, be practical. Place a cool washcloth on your forehead. Wear loose clothing.
Swing High, Swing Low
Feeling exhilarated and energetic one minute, and then anxious, irritable, and hopeless the next? You’ve got ’em! They’re called sudden mood swings, and they go hand in hand with the hormonal imbalance of menopause. The most important thing to do if you experience the intense highs and lows of mood swings is to recognize them for what they are: a symptom of menopause. There’s no cause for panic; they will pass. In the meantime, try any of these suggestions for relief:
Fit routine exercise into your life. It’s good for the heart, the nerves, and the hormones. Add calcium and magnesium to your diet. (The calcium calms and the magnesium helps the body absorb the calcium.) Listen to relaxation or visualization tapes. Close your eyes, breathe deeply, and let your mind relax. Relaxation helps you gain back your self-control.
