How to Deal with Hot Flashes at Work

Hot flashes are a common symptom in menopause but they can adversely affect daily life for up to 25% of menopausal women. For some women, they can be overwhelming and embarrassing, especially in social and professional environments.

Some women have no problem letting those around them know what it’s happening. Others want to be a little more discrete.

Depending on your place of employment, some women may be able to endure hot flashes while at their desk or excuse themselves until the hot flashes passes. For others who are around people all the time, they may not have that luxury and may find it difficult to hide their hot flashes.

Here are some tips on how to deal with hot flashes at the workplace:

• Have a portable or battery-operated fan for a convenient way to cool down.
• Always have cold water available.
• Wear cool and light fabrics or layer your clothing so that’s it’s easy to remove.
• Avoid triggers like caffeine, spicy foods, acidic foods, and alcohol while at work or a work-related function.
• Prepare a grab bag with deodorant, wipes, hair ties, and a change of clothes.
• Practice slow deep breathing to ease the hot flashes and manage associated symptoms like anxiety and heart palpitations
• If you are comfortable let your employer or a close coworker know what you are experiencing so that they can provide extra support

Outside of work incorporate these habits to reduce the severity:

• Exercise 4 days a week to tonify your cardiovascular system and to reduce the severity.
• Incorporate stress management practices like yoga, meditation, acupuncture, and massage.
• Include fiber, whole grains, and a variety of vegetables to manage your menopause symptoms.
• Talk to your doctor about appropriate hormone therapies to manage your menopause symptoms.

Herbs for Menopause

There are many herbs that can help reduce symptoms of menopause. Discuss with your naturopathic doctor which herbs would be helpful to reduce hot flashes.

• Black cohosh
• Motherwort
• Dandelion
• Chickweed
• Violet leaf
• Elder flower
• Red Clover

Menopause symptoms can cause a lot of inconvenience for many women. And there are options out there to help.