Anatomy of a Hot Flash
I’ve been thinking quite a bit lately about hot flashes.
They’re so strange.
Hot flashes can happen at any time of day, but for many women they often occur during sleep, resulting in interrupted sleep. They may also not be a full blown flush with a lot of sweating, but a feeling of restlessness and heat that again, prevents deep sleep.
Western/allopathic medicine doesn’t exactly know what causes this: there are some theories around problems with thermoregulation due to hormone fluctuations.
Ayurveda attributes it to vata (air and ether) + pitta (fire and a littel water), plus undigested toxins (ama) in the lymph and blood.
I’ve written about some Ayurveda practices to help decrease them here.
Today I want to talk more about the EXPERIENCE of them.
I used to be a person who ran cold. If the air conditioning was on slightly too high, I needed a sweater.
My cold tolerance has increased for a couple of reasons: 1- moving to Colorado thirteen years ago and acclimating; and even more 2- perimenopause
I’m also a person who has always had trouble breaking a sweat, especially in the very dry climate of Colorado.
Nature walk on a perfect warm March day. Near Denver. Photo by Ron Michael Photography.
I experience hot flashes (also called hot flushes) as a heat that builds intensely in the belly, then swells up and out into my face. Sometimes they’re super intense– I literally feel like ripping my clothes off. One time, it was below freezing outside, and the heat rose suddenly up into my face and I began to sweat. I yanked my sweater off and walked outside bare-armed, gulped in the cool air, and experienced profound relief.
Sometimes, I break a sweat across my brow. (I know some of you sweat buckets with these!)
Sometimes, they’re not so intense– just a minor passing through where pulling my hair up is enough.
Sometimes, they wake me up at night.
Even more interesting– I seem to hot flash when I get mad or really sad or have a strong reaction to a situation (particularly with friends and family)
I have been taught (without it being overt) that hot flashes are “bad.”
I want to reframe this for you. What if it's an exploration?
First– what’s the message of the hot flash? What might it be telling you?
For me:
Physically, it tells me that I need to ground myself more (vata) and slow down more (pitta and vata). I have had times where I’ve cooled my mind and grounded my body enough that they’ve completely gone away.
Emotionally– they may be telling me I’m worked up, need to let go of control, or…. It might be nothing at all.
One of my favorite ideas about hot flashes (a theory from another midlife woman) is that it may be tapas- a term used in yoga to describe heat built in a practice that results in the transformation and/or shedding of what is no longer needed.
Isn’t that part of what we’re doing in this perimenopause transition, anyway? We’re shedding what’s not longer needed to step into our power!
Last idea: A dear friend in my circle of yogis who is now post-meno said that she became an observer of her experiences (aka symptoms) and was able to stay with the discomfort. For those of you who practice asana, you’ve heard about the idea of staying with yourself during discomfort in a pose (and easing out if it becomes painful) as a way to explore our edges, or those uncomfortable spaces in which we grow.
We’re growing and transforming so much right now!
Sunset beach walk a month ago at Anna Maria Island. Photo by Ron Michael Photography.
The anatomy of a hot flash is SO hard to convey to someone who’s never had one… they’re like nothing else. They’re even different from person to person!
I would love to hear how hot flashes present for you. I’m serious– if you’re up for it, hit reply and tell me a little about how it’s been for you.
And, if you need a little help managing them, read about the practices. There have been times when I’ve been consistent, and those babies have majorly decreased and/or gone away completely for a while. I know this is ridiculous, but sometimes when I don’t have them at all, I kind of miss the drama. KIND OF. 😜