Hot Flashes: What They Really Mean (And How to Cool Them)
- Kary Florez
- Aug 14
- 2 min read
Hot Flashes: The Symptom Everyone Talks About
Hot flashes are the diva of menopause symptoms—the one that shows up uninvited, center stage, and steals the spotlight. Around 50 to 85% of women experience them during perimenopause and menopause. For some, they’re a mild annoyance. For others, they’re life-disrupting—wrecking sleep, productivity, and peace of mind.
Mainstream medicine blames low estrogen. But here’s the twist: women with high or fluctuating estrogen also get them. They show up premenstrually, during pregnancy, and yes—loudly during perimenopause.
What Hot Flashes Feel Like
A hot flash (a.k.a. vasomotor flush) is a sudden surge of heat, usually in the face, neck, or chest. You might flush, sweat, then feel chilled. Some women also get:
Dizziness or headaches
Heart palpitations
Fatigue or weakness
Sleep disruption (night sweats are basically hot flashes in bed)
What Causes Hot Flashes
Hot flashes happen when blood vessels near the skin surface suddenly widen. The deeper cause? Shifts in neurotransmitters triggered by hormone changes. And it’s not just estrogen—progesterone, testosterone, cortisol, and even endorphins all play roles. Stress, emotions, and even nutrient deficiencies can make them worse.
10 Common Hot Flash Triggers
Every woman has her own pattern, but here are the usual suspects:
Spicy foods
Hot drinks
Caffeine
Alcohol (red wine is infamous)
Sugar
Stress
Hot weather
Saunas & hot tubs
Smoking
Bottled-up anger
7 Ways to Cool Hot Flashes Naturally
If avoiding triggers isn’t enough, here are other options:
Bioidentical estrogen replacement → the gold standard for severe symptoms.
Natural progesterone cream → helps balance estrogen dominance.
Stress reduction → relaxation practices reduce hot flashes in up to 90% of women.
Improve your diet → whole foods, less sugar, balanced nutrients = calmer hormones.
Herbal support → options include Angelica (Dong Quai), burdock, chasteberry, licorice, motherwort, or Pueraria mirifica.
Emotional awareness → hot flashes often intensify with unexpressed anger or unresolved stress.
Peer support → talking openly with other women makes symptoms easier to handle.
My Bottom Line
Hot flashes aren’t just a random body glitch. They’re signals—your body asking for support, balance, and sometimes release. With the right tools, they don’t have to define your perimenopause or menopause experience.
👉 Ready to take the next step? You can:
Join my Menopause Course (for yourself, or share it with a man around you who needs to understand your transition).
Invite me to your workplace for a talk (because menopause belongs in the conversation).
Or book a 1:1 discovery session with me for personalized advice.
Your body’s not betraying you—it’s inviting you to pay attention.
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