Today's topic
Today on A.Vogel Talks Menopause, I take a look at why hot flushes can be worse first thing in the morning.
It's amazing how many women contact me really puzzled, wondering why the minute they wake up, they're hit either with a hot flush or a hot sweat. So, what I'm going to do today is talk about this explain why this can happen, and what you can do to help yourself.
What causes hot flushes to be worse in the morning
So, let's take a look at things that could be triggering your hot flushes in the morning:
Your nervous system and morning anxiety
If you think about it, you've been asleep all night, you're suddenly awake, and especially if it's a really loud alarm clock, your nervous system suddenly springs into action. So, the minute your nervous system kicks in, it's going to trigger a rush of adrenaline. And this adrenaline can then trigger a sweat or a flush.
Anxiety first thing in the morning is also a common issue during menopause for many women, which can also trigger a hot flush.
Dehydration
Again, we know that dehydration will affect the nervous system and if you've been getting night sweats, you're going to be doubly dehydrated first thing in the morning. And that can suddenly trigger a flush or a sweat.
Low blood sugars
It could also be due to low blood sugar levels. Again, this will affect the nervous system. If you think about it, if you go to bed at say 10:00, 11:00 and you're up at 6:00, 7:00, you've gone probably about 9 hours, 8 to 9 hours, without any food at all. So, your blood sugar levels are going to be very low and again, that can be a trigger.
Your evening coffee
It could be that last cup of coffee in the evening. We know that it can take the liver roundabout 8 hours to process a cup of coffee. And if you've had one just before bed, as well as affecting your sleep, it revs up your nervous system and it can make you very jangly first thing too and make your hot flushes worse.
Poor sleep
Probably, the most important one of all is general poor sleep. Poor sleep, problems getting off to sleep, waking up during the night, either with a sweat or having to go to the toilet and then not being able to get back to sleep are all common problems during menopause that can affect the amount of sleep you get and interfere with your sleep quality. If you're in a state of exhaustion when you wake up, you're much more likely to end up with a hot flush or a night sweat.
What can help prevent hot flushes in the morning
So, what can you do here just to try and alleviate this? There are a few things you can do just before you go to bed, as well as some things you can do in the morning to help prevent or lessen the number of hot flushes you get first thing:
Things to do before you go to bed
Be calm and relaxed: Make sure you're not rushed and take time to relax before you go to bed. Don't watch horrible, scary things on the TV or read thrilling books just before you go to bed because that can rev up your nervous system and affect your sleep.
Avoid caffeine in the evening: Instead have calming drinks, such as Rooibos tea. Maybe try our Bambu which is a coffee substitute. And you can also look at things like chamomile tea. These are very relaxing and they're going to help to stabilise your nervous system.
Have a good snack before bed: There are lots of sources that say, "Don't eat anything before you go to bed." But for me, I can't sleep well if I don't have a snack. I learned the hard way that a good snack maybe about an hour to an hour and a half before you go to bed makes all the difference for me.
It needs to be a protein and fat-based snack, not a sugary one, because again, the sugary one will rev everything up. Protein and healthy fats will help to stabilise your blood sugars all during the night. And you may also find that this kind of snack will reduce the number of night sweats that you can get too.
My favourite snack in the evening is something like an oatcake and nut butter, so maybe peanut butter or almond butter. But make sure these butters are organic and don't have any sugar in them.
The other thing that I really love to eat is a small amount of full-fat Greek yoghurt with a teaspoon of organic cocoa powder. Mix them together, and you have a lovely chocolate mousse. And you don't need any sugar in that either. If you've got a little bit of a sweet tooth, you will soon find that you can take that.
Another really good snack is a quarter of an avocado with a little bit of full-fat cream cheese in the middle. All of these snacks are roundabout 100 calories. So, if you're watching your weight, they're really not going to add much to your daily total.
Have a little shot glass of warm water before you go to bed: This calms the digestive system down and it can help stop you from getting dehydrated during the night but it's not enough to trigger your bladder. This small amount of water won't make you get up more to go to the toilet during the night.
Sage to help ease hot flushes and night sweats: To help ease morning hot flushes and if night sweats are an issue, you could look at our Menoforce Sage tablets.
A.Vogel Menoforce Sage Tablets for Menopausal Hot Flushes and Night Sweats, One-a-Day, 30 tablets
£15.99 (30 tablets) In Stock
Sleep aids: You could also try taking a magnesium supplement before you go to bed to calm everything down or you could try a combination of valerian and hops, which can be found in our Dormeasan Sleep Oral Drops, to help you get a better night's sleep.
Things to do when you wake up
Rehydrate yourself: First thing to do when you wake up is to drink water because you will be dehydrated. Again, 7-8 hours without any water can really make you dehydrated first thing. A really good tip is to have a big glass of water sitting by your bedside so the minute you swing your legs out of bed before you stand up, you've got that first glass of water to drink.
For me, it's an ingrained habit now to have a big glass of water before I do anything else in the morning. And what I found is that that glass of water, your body is so thirsty, it uses it up and it doesn't make you go to the toilet anymore first thing in the morning either, because your body is like a sponge at that point. It will really take that up. And again, if I miss it, I notice the difference by mid-morning.
Eat breakfast: A lot of people will get up first thing in the morning and they'll have a cup of coffee that will rev up their nervous system. They will have nothing to eat, and their blood sugar levels will dip even further. And that can give you the mid-morning flushes and sweats as well. So having a good breakfast can not only help prevent hot flushes, but also helps prevent mid-morning slumps and fatigue.
Take some time to relax: I like to sit down and see what's going on in the world for 10 or 15 minutes, just to get myself into the right mood. I know a lot of women have told me that they do a little bit of meditation or mindfulness in the morning. That can be really helpful. And try not to rush. You know, I would far rather get up 10, 15 minutes earlier in the morning to have a relaxed morning because that really stands me in good stead for the rest of the day.
So, I hope you found this one helpful. If any of you out there have tried anything, to help prevent hot flushes in the morning, then please share it with us in the comment section below. We would love to hear about it.
Until next week, take care.
