In this article, we will explain the ways you can stop hot flushes without HRT.
Hot flushes are one of the most common symptoms of menopause, appearing as a sudden change in body temperature. Also known as vasomotor symptoms, they cause warmth, particularly in the upper body, including the face, neck, and chest.
After losing body heat due to temperature variations, there may also be a sudden fall in temperature, and you may feel chills. At night, hot flushes cause ‘night sweats’.
Some common symptoms of hot flushes are the sudden sensation of warmth, a reddish appearance, fast heartbeat, sweating, chills after episodes of hot flushes, and anxiety. The frequency and duration of hot flushes vary from woman to woman, ranging from around 7 years to 10 years [1].
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What happens when hot flushes appear
During hot flushes we can get a sudden increase in our body temperature, leading to a blushing face because of the heat and sweating. This could be due to our decreasing oestrogen levels, and alterations in the region of the brain called the hypothalamus, which is responsible for controlling our body temperature.
During a hot flush, the blood vessels towards the outer side of the skin broaden to lower the temperature and cause sweating. After that subsides, you may also feel cold.
Hot flushes at night may disturb your sleep, and you might become so hot and sweaty that you may need to change your clothes and bedding [2].
How to stop hot flushes without HRT
There are several ways to treat hot flushes, including changes in your lifestyle, diet, and reducing stress. An effective way to stop hot flushes without HRT is by using hypnotherapy.
Medically, hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) is the most important way of treating hot flushes. However, in many cases, there are chances that HRT does not alleviate the symptoms of menopause, and you may need to increase the dose of hormones.
Increased levels of hormones may have several side effects, such as an increase in heart problems, and a higher risk of ovarian and breast cancer.
Common side effects of HRT in menopausal women include breast tenderness, nausea, mood swings, headaches, vaginal bleeding, hair loss and fluid retention.
Hypnotherapy is a natural, drug-free and effective treatment to stop hot flushes without taking HRT [3].
How does hypnotherapy stop hot flushes?
Hypnotherapy is an effective way of regulating hot flushes by regulating the temperature-controlling region of the body. Evidence shows that hypnotherapy can reduce hot flushes by as much as 80 per cent without HRT.
Many women prefer to stop their hot flushes without taking HRT, and hypnotherapy has the ability to treat those hot flushes by working with the mind and the body [4].
In research from JAMA, the results have shown that hypnotherapy also reduces the symptoms of menopause, such as hot flushes and night sweats, in menopausal women who have survived breast cancer and are unable to take HRT [4].
Mechanism of hot flushes and Hypnotherapy
The hypothalamus is the temperature-controlling region of the brain, regulating the body’s heating and cooling. It works to keep the temperature in a neutral zone, i.e., not too warm, not too cool.
Before menopause, the range of the neutral zone is broader, and it manages temperature fluctuations. However, in transitional menopause (perimenopause), reduced oestrogen levels disturb the hypothalamus and limit the neutral zone range of temperature.
This narrower neutral zone of the hypothalamus makes your body more receptive to those little temperature variations. The hypothalamus may be getting the wrong information about heating the body without it realising. So, it sends signals to cool down the body causing the blood vessels to dilate, and your body perspires. It also increases blood circulation and heart rate.
Hypnotherapy works by managing the cooling response of the hypothalamus. It calms down the body’s stress response and reverses the increased heart rate, blood flow, and perspiration.
A study was conducted on 200 women with fifty hot flushes a week, to evaluate the impact of clinical hypnotherapy in the treatment of postmenopausal hot flushes. After five sessions of hypnotherapy for 45 minutes, the results showed that their hot flushes were 74% reduced.
Using hypnotherapy, the women were hypnotised and shown how to create visuals of colder settings to lessen their hot flushes. The women also had their hypnotic reduction recordings to continue their therapy at home [6].
How hypnotherapy works
Hypnotherapy creates a peaceful and relaxing state of mind, making your body learn how to adjust the response to temperature alterations. Hypnotherapy can stop hot flushes without HRT in various ways.
Hypnotherapy cognitive technique
Hypnotherapy also works on cognitive restructuring that works on the subconscious mind, and helps deal with the activities and tasks associated with the conscious mind.
Hypnotherapy relaxing technique
In hypnotherapy, a trained hypnotherapist will guide and take you through calming exercises. They can help you to focus on your breathing by closing your eyes and relaxing your body. This practice is known as relaxation; concentrating your thoughts on the present moment while soothing your body.
Hypnotherapy imaginary technique
The relaxing technique helps you to forget the outside chaos and thoughts and lets you focus on the imagery and advice from your therapist.
Cooling imagery helps the brain to re-learn the regulation of your temperature control mechanisms. After getting access to the cool imagery that looks real for you, your hypnotherapist will give instructions on how to deal with the hot flushes in daily life.
These suggestions will also provide you with feelings of calmness. And when your hypnotherapist brings you back to a normal state, you remember all the happenings, and you will end up with a calmer and more relaxed state of mind and body.
Hypnotherapy relieves other symptoms
Hypnotherapy can not only stop hot flushes without HRT, but it can also help with other menopause symptoms, such as improving sleep, minimising stress, and dealing with anxiety and mood swings at the same time.
Improves sleep
Hot flushes and night sweats bring sleep difficulties with them, and hypnosis manages not only the hot flushes but also the associated sleep disturbance.
CDC declared that approximately one-third of menopausal women have an average sleep duration of seven hours per night, and almost 50% of women feel that they wake up four days a week like they never slept [7].
Moreover, many women have a tough time going to sleep, or they feel it’s difficult to stay asleep through the night. Hypnotherapy calms you and helps you to get a better quality of sleep. In an investigation of the effects of hypnotherapy on hot flushes, 43% of women have better quality sleep [6].
Reduce anxiety
Those reductions in hormone levels can also bring mood swings, and feelings of anxiety or depression are common mental health issues during menopause.
Women suffering from hot flushes can feel more anxious and depressed, partly due to disturbed sleep patterns, poor life quality and other symptoms.
Hypnotherapy is based on techniques to make you feel calmer and help alleviate any anxiety and stress. In this way, it helps improve the psychological health of women during and after menopause [6].
Summary:
All in all, hot flushes, a common symptom in menopausal women, can affect life to a great extent.
These hot flushes can be treated in many ways including diet, exercise and most commonly, medically, the use of HRT. An effective way to stop hot flushes without HRT is hypnotherapy.
Hot flushes happen because of the defective regulation by the hypothalamus, and it sends the wrong signals to the body. The body then overheats in an attempt to cool down.
Hypnotherapy can stop hot flushes without HRT by helping to restructure cognition, through relaxation and imaginative techniques. In this concentrated and relaxed state of mind, the suggestions of cool imagery from the hypnotherapists help you to manage your temperature, control mechanisms and minimise hot flushes.
Hypnotherapy also improves sleep and reduces anxiety and mood swings. The positive effects of hypnotherapy for hot flushes, and other symptoms, are supported by many research studies. Don’t despair our approach can stop hot flushes without HRT as well as a lot of the less well-known symptoms of menopause.
Finally, there is one other thing to think about. Although hypnotherapy can stop hot flushes without HRT. What happens if HRT is not working or simply not an option, then what?
This is a reality for some women because HRT may not be suitable for those that have a history of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, cancer of the womb, have a history of blood clots or have untreated high blood pressure; your blood pressure will need to be controlled before you can start HRT. For these women, the ability to stop hot flushes without HRT can be a godsend. There are other natural remedies for hot flashes without hormones but none of them seems to have been researched as thoroughly as hypnotherapy.
References:
- Hot flushes – Symptoms and causes. (2022, May 20). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hot-flushes/symptoms-causes/syc-20352790
- What Are Hot Flushes? What Can You Do About Them? (2022, July 3). WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/menopause/menopause-hot-flushes
- Green, J. (2015, November 17). Is HRT safe to use for the menopause? What the science says. The Conversation. http://theconversation.com/is-hrt-safe-to-use-for-the-menopause-what-the-science-says-50564
- Elkins, G., Marcus, J., Palamara, L., & Stearns, V. (2004, July). Can Hypnosis Reduce Hot Flushes in Breast Cancer Survivors? A Literature Review. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 47(1), 29–42. https://doi.org/10.1080/00029157.2004.10401473
- Elkins, G. R., Fisher, W. I., Johnson, A. K., Carpenter, J. S., & Keith, T. Z. (2013). Clinical hypnosis in the treatment of postmenopausal hot flushes: a randomized controlled trial. Menopause (New York, N.Y.), 20(3), 291–298. https://doi.org/10.1097/gme.0b013e31826ce3ed
- Brooker, E. (2020, March 12). Cognitive Hypnotherapy. Cognitive Hypnotherapy | IntechOpen. https://www.intechopen.com/state.item.id
- CDC. (2017). Sleep Duration and Quality Among Women Aged 40–59, by Menopausal Status. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db286.htm