How To Alleviate Hot Flushes, Ayurveda Style
We’ve started down the road of my little mini-series on perimenopause symptoms and ways to treat them.
Last week I discussed why these are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what you can do! Feel free to revisit that here. You have the power to take your health into your hands.
I think that when many of us hear perimenopause or menopause, the first thing we think of is moodiness and hot flushes (also called hot flashes). Just me?
Hot flushes can happen at any time of day, but for many women they often occur during sleep, resulting in interrupted sleep. They may or may not be a full blown flush with a lot of sweating; it might only be a feeling of restlessness and heat that prevents deep sleep.
Western 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 + pitta, plus undigested toxins (ama) in the lymph and blood.
To prevent this symptom, first decrease vata.
A few ways to do this:
Find ritual and routine in your days (an open and close to each day)
Decrease stress as much as possible (let go of what doesn’t need to be done!)
Incorporate more rest, move slower
Less travel
Mindful eating
Abhyanga (self-oil massage)
To treat once it’s happening, you’ll want to decrease vata as above, and decrease pitta and clear undigested toxins.
A few ways to do this:
Support the liver (there are SO many things under this one bullet… I’ll give you three)
Hydrate throughout the day with warm or room temperature water or tea
Exercise to a sweaty glow most days (don’t over do it)
Journal to release excess anger or bitterness (undigested emotions!)
Decrease or eliminate caffeine (hits both vata + pitta)
Eat more cooked bitter greens and cruciferous vegetables
Legs up the wall for 10 minutes before bed
As always, I welcome your questions and comments. If you need 1:1 coaching support, start with booking a complimentary call with me. 💕