Using a chilled washcloth to wipe down can help you cool off quickly during a workout. While exercise offers numerous benefits for women going through menopause, recent research indicates that sudden increases in physical activity may trigger more frequent hot flashes.
Key Insights:
- Activity and Hot Flashes: Sudden changes in activity levels can increase the likelihood of experiencing hot flashes. This means that ramping up your exercise intensity too quickly might lead to more frequent and severe hot flashes.
- Consistent Exercise: Despite the potential for increased hot flashes, it’s crucial for midlife women to maintain a regular exercise routine. The benefits of physical activity, such as improved cardiovascular health, better mood, and enhanced overall well-being, outweigh the temporary discomfort of hot flashes.
- Choosing the Right Activities: To minimize the risk of triggering hot flashes, opt for activities that are less likely to make you sweat excessively. Swimming, gentle yoga, or exercising in an air-conditioned environment are excellent choices that can help you stay active without overheating.
By staying mindful of these factors and incorporating cooling strategies like a chilled washcloth, women can continue to enjoy the benefits of exercise while managing the symptoms of menopause.
The Impact of Exercise on Menopausal Symptoms
If you’re going through menopause and feel like your workouts are aggravating your symptoms, here’s some validation: A new study suggests that spikes in physical activity during the day may contribute to hot flashes.
For the study, scientists examined data on 188 middle-aged women who wore a variety of monitors to objectively measure hot flashes, physical activity, sleep, temperature, and humidity over a 24-hour period. Separately, participants also reported how many hot flashes they experienced.
The study, published in the journal Menopause, found that sudden increases in physical activity were associated with 31 percent higher odds of objectively measured hot flashes during the day and a 17 percent greater risk of hot flashes at night.
The Subtlety of Activity Shifts
These abrupt shifts in activity levels could involve an intense change—like sprinting during a jog—but could just as easily involve subtle shifts in activity levels, like getting up from the couch to grab a snack or tossing and turning in your bed at night, says Stephanie Faubion, MD, the director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Women’s Health and the medical director of the Menopause Society.
Benefits of Exercising During Menopause
Despite these findings, Dr. Faubion advises against altering exercise routines based on this study alone. “Exercise is helpful for so many reasons, including known benefits on stress, mood, heart disease, and cancer risk. It is and should be considered an important component of a healthy lifestyle for all women, including midlife women and those experiencing hot flashes,” says Dr. Faubion, who wasn’t involved in the research.
Menopause typically occurs in women in their forties or fifties, marked by the cessation of menstruation and a decrease in the production of estrogen and progesterone. This hormonal shift can lead to a variety of symptoms, such as mood swings, joint pain, vaginal dryness, insomnia, memory problems, and vasomotor symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats.
Hormonal Influence on Symptoms
While the study wasn’t designed to prove whether or how abrupt changes in activity levels might directly cause hot flashes or night sweats, it’s likely that shifting hormone levels during menopause play a role, says JoAnn Pinkerton, MD, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville.
“Declining estrogen levels are associated with a narrowing of the temperature zone in the brain,” Dr. Pinkerton explains. “When women exercise, the increases in core body temperature in this narrowed temperature zone can lead to sweating or increase the frequency or severity of hot flashes.”
Adjusting Exercise Routines
If women feel like their hot flashes are worse right after a workout, the last thing they should do is give up on exercise, Pinkerton says. Instead, they should think about how they can tweak their routine to make themselves more comfortable.
“To avoid worsening of hot flashes, exercise earlier in the day, when it is cooler and less humid, stay adequately hydrated, and cool off with iced washcloths after exercise,” Pinkerton suggests.
Working out indoors with the air-conditioning on can also help, as can wearing lightweight or moisture-wicking workout clothes. Even just keeping a good towel on hand to wipe away sweat during your workouts can make a difference.
Finding the Right Balance
One thing to avoid, however, is pushing yourself too hard if you feel like hot flashes are worse after workouts. “Don’t acutely increase the intensity or duration of workouts,” Pinkerton advises. “And remember, sweating is a natural process that your body uses to cool itself down.”
Some people also find focusing on workouts that aren’t as sweaty can help minimize hot flashes, says Rebecca Thurston, PhD, a psychiatry professor at the University of Pittsburgh who specializes in women’s health. This could mean taking up swimming, doing less-intense activities like yoga, exercising indoors, or staying in the shade during outdoor workouts.
“What I always say about exercise is the right kind of exercise is the kind you will do consistently,” says Dr. Thurston, who wasn’t involved in the new study. For women going through menopause and struggling with hot flashes, sticking with it matters more than what kind of workout a woman chooses.
Consistency Over Intensity
“Don’t be discouraged by hot flashes,” Thurston also adds. “Just pay attention to which forms of exercise are most enjoyable for you and stick with those.”
Please Take Note
This article is designed to provide general information and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used for diagnosing, preventing, or treating health issues. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not strictly regulate dietary supplements, so they may not be appropriate for everyone and could interact with other medications or supplements you are taking. Always consult with your healthcare provider before starting any new supplement, medication, or health regimen.
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