COLD FLUSHES....

YES THEY REALLY ARE A THING!

So who would have thought that you can get cold flushes? You get hot flushes with the menopause right? WRONG!! When I started getting cold flushes i honestly thought there was something wrong with me, I must have an infection, brewing something as why am i getting bone chillingly cold?

I must have checked my temperature 100 times, but it was always normal, what was wrong with me?

I must admit being a nurse who has worked in Gynaecology for many years I had no idea that you can have cold flushes as part of the menopause. Hot flushes are always talked about, but you never hear cold flushes being mentioned. I often heard women say that after a night sweat they got cold especially if their PJs got wet, but this was different, this wasn't after a flush this was exactly like a hot flush but instead of feeling intense heat you feel "goose-bumpy cold"

So the science bit:-

Like hot flushes, cold flushes are linked to the drop in Oestrogen levels that occur during the menopause. When these levels drop the Hypothalamus Gland (the gland that regulates body temperature) becomes more sensitive to subtle changes, resulting in it 'overreacting' by having a hot or cold flush.

Cold flushes are less common that hot flushes but can be just as disruptive and can occur multiple times a day or night, they can last for a few seconds up to 20 minutes or more. They can affect your entire body, or just part of it and make you feel cold to the bone! Having these chills especially at night can have a huge impact on quality of life as sleeping during the menopause is hard enough!

Things we can try:-

Although we can't stop these chills from happening, there are things that we can do to manage them -

• Wear layers so you can add and remove as required and be prepared at work .

• Limit the amount of spicy food and sugar as these can also affect your body temperature.

• Reduce/stop smoking.

• Avoid caffeine and alcohol especially before bed as these can also have an effect on your body temperature.

• Wear socks to bed to keep your feet warm.

• Have an extra blanket handy next to the bed just incase you feel cold overnight.

It's important to remember that the symptoms of cold flushes should come and go. If you feel cold all the time no matter what you do you just cant get warm, its advisable to see your GP as you may need your thyroid checking. It has been found that thyroid function starts to slow down around the time of the menopause, so a simple blood test may be needed to check levels to rule this out.

It's so important that as women we start talking about things surrounding the menopause. Gone are the days when any mention of anything "HORMONAL" was a taboo subject. So, start a conversation with your friends ad colleagues as chances are they may be going through similar to you and may have handy tips to help you manage, as having support is extremely important during this time.