Menopause Minute – August 2014

By: Red Hot Mamas

Published: August 12, 2014

“Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot“…   – Buster Poindexter

Well, it’s August and I certainly have received confirmation that I truly have earned membership into the Red Hot Mamas organization! As the outside temperature swelters, I see beads of water gushing through my pores. It feels like a bolt of lightning has hit my head and comes out of my shoes.
How many of you have begun your rite to passage into menopause, and are looking to control this soggy symptom of hot flashes?
Well, we are stuck with the warm weather for a few months. And yes, warm weather certainly can set off your body temperature and cause hot flashes.
Here are few other things that can trigger hot flashes, and how to impact them…. it’s best to try to limit consuming things like caffeine, alcohol, and spicy foods. Also, try to reduce your stress levels. This may help somewhat.
You can also practice deep breathing when you feel a hot flash coming on; exercise daily, wear cotton and avoid wearing silk or synthetics.
One of the best things I did was invest in a ceiling fan. It really helps when I wake up with a hot spell as my body temperature rises a hundred degrees per second. And, yes, I do turn the temperature down in my bedroom at night to a temperature as cold as a meat locker which causes a lot of friction with my husband. I just remind him that he should always realize how “hot” I am, just not like I was at age 25.

And, there is an upside of summer, try to forget those hot flashes, get outdoors. Try eating your lunch or dinner outside. The fresh air will lift those menopausal spirits right up. It really helps rejuvenate our mental health. So stay cheery, and add a little extra fun in your life to lessen the stress that menopause sometimes brings on. Try to spend time or talk with others (like women in Red Hot Mamas programs at your area hospital or on www.inspire.com, Red Hot Mamas community forum). And, try to find some activities that you enjoy doing.
Remember, perimenopause and menopause are times of major change, but you can live through and laugh through things like hot flashes, or forgetting your car keys, or sobbing reading Hallmark cards.
This is temporary and brings all of us women together like a common thread.
I always tell women to take charge of menopause, before it takes charge of you.

Enjoy the month of August!
Good Health to You,

Karen Giblin

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