Cooling Off

     Good Morning, Family...  Okay this is for the Ladies of a Certain Age...Why?  Because I want to talk about 'night sweats' and 'hotflashes'.  If you don't know what it is, read up on it.  But a simple explanation is sweating to the point that when you wake up your pajamas are wet and sticking to you and your pillow is damp and you spend most of the night tossing and kicking off your covers because you feel like you are in a furnace.  The hotflash is a feeling that starts at your chest and elevates up to the top of your head, leaves you with perspiration dripping down your face, your face is flushed, and anyone coming near your head can actually feel the heat coming off of you!!!  Do you feel it, yet???

     Studies have found that some women experience this between the ages of 40 and 55, as their hormones levels change and their bodies attempt to adjust.  It's basically the onset of perimenopause.
I did some research and found out that there are triggers that should be avoided:

•      Warm environments
•      Heat makers (hot weather, showers, rooms, saunas)
•      Stress and anxiety
•      Hot and spicy foods and drinks
•      Smoking cigarettes
•      Overconsumption of alcohol, caffeine, and sugar
•      Diet pills

     I don't know about you, but 5 of those items are unavoidable for me.  Maybe I can ask my boss for a less stressful assignment.  That's a thought...Here are some suggestions to staying cool:

•     Dress in layers (so you can do a stiptese as the heat rises)
•     Stay hydrated ( NON-alcoholic/NON-caffeinated drinks)
•     Carry a personal fan or mini-spray bottle to give yourself a refreshing mist when needed (oh, please)
•     Lower your blood pressure (that will happen when I retire and have no more bills)
•     Stop stressing (once again, that will happen when I retire and have no more bills)
•     Exercise and change your diet
•     Accupunture
•     Anti-depressants (definitely check the side effects)
•     Hormore therapy (some folks cannot take these)
•     Herbology (check websites that offer these products, like GNC, Vitamin Shoppe, etc..)

     For Your Info...I went the Herbology way.  I tried a product called Primose Oil.  I took 2, I repeat, 2 pills in the morning and can I say, I actually had to turn my fan off during the night, because I did not need it.   My "flashes" during the day were decreased.  Now,  I am planning to take the Primrose Oil Capsules for the rest of May and I will let you know if they worked consistently for me... stay cool...SMOOCHES...