Night Sweats

[prp_1901]

My GP is unwilling to give me HRT due to the fact I am overweight, pre diabetic and high cholesterol. I am trying to reduce by weight by improving my eating better. I know I should exercise more but the night sweats are affecting my sleep which affects my work and my energy during the day. I am taking menopausal supplements but does not help with the flushes/sweats. Can you suggest anything I can take to control the sweats/flushes. Thank you Susanna

[Susie Debice]

HI there

I think you could find that focusing on losing weight may more than likely help to address your night sweats and possibly other menopausal symptoms too.

There are lots of different dieting strategies to follow and there are also dieting groups you could sign up to if you wanted more support.

However, my advice would be to follow the principles of healthy eating, combined with reducing your portion sizes, choosing to limit your food within an 8 hour eating window and also increasing your level of activity. Even a 20-30 min fast paced walk around the block daily could really make a big difference.

Healthy eating would mean cutting out sugary, starchy and refined carbohydrates and replacing them with wholegrains, pulses and lentils. So swap white bread for brown bread, swap white rice for brown rice etc.
Next is to switch from fatty meats to lean meat and fish - so swap beef, lamb and pork to chicken, turkey and fish. Make sure you eat plenty of fresh vegetables a day - a good rule for weight management is to make half your plate vegetables, 1/4 of your plate protein (poultry or fish) and the final 1/4 for complex carbs (lentils, pulses, rice, quinoa, etc)

I'm not sure which supplements you are taking but the Cleanmarine MenoMin provides a great range of vitamins, soy isoflavones, rosemary oil and omega-3 krill oil which together are designed to support and help regulate hormone balance during the menopause. An independent study reveals that
- 80% felt that Cleanmarine MenoMin had a positive impact on their menopause symptoms.
- 77% of the women suffering with severe hot flushes saw a significant reduction within 30 days and this reduction continued to reduce by the end of the 3 month study.
- 66% of the women who had developed libido problems during their menopause noticed a significant improvement in sexual desire by the end of the study.

Combining healthy eating, with increased activity and nutritional supplements is a good step forward for hormone balance and your general health and wellbeing.

Susie Debice - Food Scientist and Nutritional Therapist
Susie's Women's Health and Menopause Nutrition Clinic
http://www.talkhealthpartnership.com/on ... debice.php

[Dr Shahzadi Harper]

Hi,

I don’t think you should be denied HRT because of your weight. Albeit this should be addressed. Poor sleep can lead to less energy and motivation as well as causes wt gain because you feel mor hungry the following day. Sometimes once HRT is started women feel better because they sleep better and then feel more motivated to take exercise and lose weight.
Do take action to lose weight as in the previous reply and do go back to your GP or a menopause doctor.
There are other alternatives that can help with hot flushes and night sweats which are non hormonal eg clonidine, fluoxetine and gabapentin.