Hot flashes and night sweats: why they happen and what helps

Hot flashes are the single most reported peri symptom. Most women get them, and they usually start years before your period stops. They are your bodys thermostat briefly misfiring as estrogen levels fluctuate, not a sign that something is broken.

Peri hit you like a truck? Thats normal. Heres what is happening: estrogen dips widen your bodys "comfort window," so a 0.5° change feels like a furnace. Things that help: dressing in layers, a fan or cooling towel by the bed, and cutting caffeine and alcohol near the evening. For many women, hormone therapy or non-hormonal prescriptions like fezolinetant stop them almost entirely. That is a conversation worth having with your doctor.