Menopause can be a tough time in a woman's life, riddled with hot flashes, night sweats, and unbearable mood swings. Night sweats are especially distressing because they interrupt much-needed sleep.
What can you do about night sweats, though? Are you doomed to continue suffering through drenching sweats every night? The good news is that there are steps you can take so don't have to let them take over your life.
If you're dealing with unbearable night sweats, Dr. Inga Zilberstein can help. When lifestyle treatments aren't enough to improve the symptoms of menopause, she offers hormone replacement therapy to provide relief.
Night sweats usually come on suddenly at night, causing you to soak through your clothes and sheets and making you uncomfortable. If night sweats alone aren't bad enough, they usually have an uncomfortable feeling of overheating, fast heart rate, and red, blotchy skin.
The most common reason women experience night sweats is due to menopause. When you enter the menopause years, your body begins slowing its production of estrogen and progesterone, the primary hormones for reproduction. This change in hormone levels causes uncomfortable symptoms like night sweats.
Other medical problems, including hormonal conditions, viral or bacterial infections, and digestive issues, can cause night sweats.
Many women can make lifestyle changes during menopause that slow night sweats and give them some relief. While not everyone can manage night sweats with lifestyle changes, they're a great place to start.
Several contributing factors in your bedroom and lifestyle could worsen your night sweats. Dr. Zilberstein suggests making the following changes to alleviate nighttime symptoms:
Another way to reduce night sweats during menopause is to avoid common triggers. Spicy foods, caffeine, and alcohol can exacerbate night sweats – staying away from these can significantly cut back on the amount of night sweats you experience.
If you've tried lifestyle changes but they alone aren’t enough to stop you from suffering through sweaty nights, you may want to consider hormone replacement therapy. Dr. Zilberstein offers both traditional HRT and bioidentical HRT, both of which are effective for treating various menopause symptoms.
HRT and bioidentical HRT are very similar — both address hormone fluctuations and treat menopause symptoms. The significant difference is what the lab uses to make them. HRT typically comes from the urine of pregnant horses, while bioidentical hormones come from plants and are more like those in our body.
Dr. Zilberstein discusses both forms of HRT with you and makes a recommendation based on your needs and symptoms. She may prescribe HRT in the form of creams, pills, vaginal suppositories, or patches.
When lifestyle changes alone aren't cutting it, hormone replacement therapy can help you reduce night sweats, hot flashes, and other menopausal symptoms. To learn more about HRT and menopause, call or text Inga Zilberstein, MD, at 830-254-5941, or request a consultation online.
