4 Yoga Poses for Hot Flashes and Night Sweats

Understanding Hot Flashes and Night Sweats

Menopause is a natural transition period. It officially begins when you miss your period for a year. The years that build into Menopause that is, the perimenopause phase, is also a massive period of transition. It is the beginning of puberty. It can bring up different problems and emotions which are individual-specific. Hot flashes and night sweats are the most common and most disturbing symptoms of Menopause.

A typical characterisation of hot flashes includes sudden and intense warm sensations which spread all over your body. Flushing of skin in the face, neck and chest often accompanies this. Usually, this lasts from a few seconds to several minutes.

The other concerning symptom, night sweats, are the hot flashes during sleep. It results in disrupted sleep due to excessive sweating and drenching of night clothes.

Hormonal Changes and Triggers Affecting Body Temperature

During this natural transition of your body, the hormonal levels of oestrogen and progesterone decline drastically. This decline can affect the temperature control of your body and make your body sensitive to slight changes in your body temperature. This sensitivity causes exaggerated reactions to the minute temperature fluctuations, resulting in hot flashes and night sweats. Some of the trigger factors of these two symptoms are:

• Stress and anxiety
• Smoking
• Spicy foods
• Caffeine and alcohol

The Benefits of Yoga for Menopause Symptoms

From my clinical experiences, I can safely say Yoga works as a fantastic therapy in managing menopausal symptoms. Many studies, including the ones published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and the journal Menopause, underline the positive impact of Yoga on menopausal women.

Overall benefits of Yoga on menopause symptoms include:

• Reduced cardiovascular risks
• Increased flexibility and strength
• Better bone health
• Promotes sound sleep
• Reduced stress and anxiety
• Manages mood swings effectively
• Improved temperature coping mechanism

4 Yoga Poses for Hot Flashes and Night Sweats

As discussed earlier in this blog, hot flashes and night sweats occur due to the improper functioning of your body's temperature regulation due to hormonal imbalance. Hence, practising yoga poses that can help regulate body temperature and reduce stress is the ideal way to practise Yoga for hot flashes and night sweats. Yes, this is the logic behind practising yoga sequences for Menopause, especially practising calming Yoga for hot flashes.

Let us look into some of the poses that can help:

Sheetali Pranayama

The word "sheetali" itself means cooling. As the name suggests, it is a cooling breathing exercise and a straightforward practice you can perform anywhere at any time.

• Sit comfortably with your spine straight.
• Position your tongue's tip on the roof of your mouth, just behind your front teeth.
• Slowly and deeply inhale through your mouth, producing a hissing sound as you breathe in.
• Hold your breath for a few seconds.
• Gently exhale through your nose.
• Repeat this for 5-10 rounds.

Remember always to inhale through your mouth and exhale through your nose.

How Does it Benefit?

It cools the body, improves concentration, increases oxygen intake, and improves digestion. Many women find this Yoga alone very beneficial for dealing with their hot flashes.

Sheetkari Pranayama

This posture is also similar to sheetali Pranayama. Here, you can practise the same procedure slightly differently. Let us look at how:

• Sit comfortably with your spine straight.
• Clench your teeth and open your lips.
• Slowly and deeply inhale through your mouth, producing a see-see sound as you breathe in.
• Hold your breath for a few seconds.
• Gently exhale through your nose.
• Repeat this for 5-10 rounds.

It has the same benefits as the Sheetali Pranayama.

Horse's Pose (Ashwasanchalanasana)

• Stand in a kneeling position, keeping your knees hip-width apart.
• Inhale and extend your right leg back, keeping your right knee bent and the right foot flexed.
• Exhale and lean forward from your hips, bringing your torso over your right thigh.
• Reach your arms forward, keeping your spine long.
• Hold for 3-5 breaths, then repeat on the other side.

Pranayama

Pranayama is the ultimate Yoga for balancing the pitta in your body. Pitta dosha is responsible for your body's temperature. Pranayama is a helpful practice for managing hot flashes and night sweats during Menopause.

• Sit in a comfortable place.
• Close your eyes and do initial warm-up breathing, inhalation, and exhalation.
• Once you feel comfortable with the breathing, start practising pranayama techniques like Alternate nostril breathing, Victorious Breathing, Skull shining breathing, etc.

By practising these techniques, you can easily regulate your body temperature irrespective of hormonal fluctuations. Experience a hot flash and night sweat-free life. Practice Yoga daily and feel the difference.

The Final Takeaway

Menopause is another experiment you must pass to become stronger as a woman. This phase with imbalanced hormones has the potential to make your life imbalanced; never allow it.

Yoga can be a helpful solution for women going through Menopause who experience hot flashes and night sweats. Incorporating simple yoga poses and sequences into a daily routine can relieve discomfort, improve sleep quality, and promote balance. It is essential to listen to your body and find the best practices for you, as Yoga's soothing and empowering practices can support a transformative journey towards wellness.