Cold flashes and menopause: what you need to know

Some women experience a cold flash after a hot flash. Others only get cold flashes. Cold flashes can cause your hands and feet to feel cold, or even your entire body. You can’t seem to get warm, no matter how many blankets you pile on top of yourself. Hormonal changes can affect how and how often you experience cold flashes. 

Much like their counterparts hot flashes, the origin of cold flashes is in the thermoregulatory centre of the hypothalamus. This is the part of your brain that helps keep your body's internal functions, including body temperature, in balance. Oestrogen has multifaceted effects on the hypothalamus. When oestrogen levels begin to fluctuate and fall around menopause, this can cause disruptions in the bodily functions regulated by the hypothalamus as well. Your brain's internal thermostat can become more sensitive and unstable, causing you to suddenly experience shivers and chills, or an intense feeling of heat. Or both, right after each other. 

There are also other factors that influence body temperature regulation. In addition to hormonal fluctuations, stress and anxiety can also cause temperature dysregulation. When you're busy and in a constant state of being reactive, your cortisol levels rise. Elevations in cortisol levels can impact thermoregulation, potentially leading to changes in body temperature. 

By the way, it's common for women to experience cold flashes at night. These chills can develop either all of a sudden or after a nocturnal hot flash (night sweat) in response to body cooling. 

Cold flashes are less discussed than their counterparts, hot flashes, but that sudden freezing cold feeling is also a symptom of menopause. In fact, many women report feeling cold regularly, and experts confirm that chills or cold hands and feet are a common symptom in women dealing with menopause. These so-called cold flashes can develop either all of a sudden or after a hot flash. 

Cold flashes tend to be most common in perimenopause, the first stage of menopause before you’ve stopped menstruating, when hormone fluctuations are most extreme. The more dramatic the fluctuations, the greater the chance of symptoms such as hot flashes and cold flashes. After menopause, when your body has reached a new hormonal balance and oestrogen levels are consistently low, these temperature fluctuations usually even out. Have you reached menopause years ago and are still having hot flashes or chills? Then consult your GP. 

There are no rules for how often hot or cold flashes hit or how long they last. Episodes can last anywhere from 30 seconds to 10 minutes, sometimes longer. Some women spend the best part of the night shivering, chilled to the bone and unable to get warm. So, what can be done about cold flashes? 

• Avoid alcohol, smoking and caffeine. This disrupts your body's temperature regulation. Try to cut back on caffeine and alcohol, and quit smoking. 
• Sleep with socks on. Wearing socks in bed increases blood flow to your feet, which helps prevent cold flashes and cold feet.  
• Do strength training two or three times a week. Muscle mass can influence body temperature. People who have more muscle mass also generate more heat. What’s more, physical activity relieves stress and tension, which in turn helps reduce fluctuations in body temperature. 
• Try to limit stress in your life. Shifting hormones make you more sensitive to stress when you go through menopause. This can make juggling responsibilities more difficult. Set priorities and carve out moments in your day to rest and relax. Yoga, reading, mindfulness and breathing exercises are proven activities that help decrease overwhelm.  
• Consider taking dietary supplements. Red clover has hormone balancing effects and contributes to a more stable body temperature*. Solgar® MenoPrime has also been designed for menopausal women and helps ease hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms.  
• Don't wait to get medical help. Research shows that vasomotor symptoms affect as many as 80% of midlife women, but only one in four women receive treatment. If you suffer from hot or cold flashes and the above tips do not provide relief, there are still options. It may be time to talk to your doctor about hormone therapy. Would you like more information about hormone therapy? Read more about hormone therapy.  

*Health claims pending approval by the European Commission.