Hot flashes and cool, crisp air – sounds like a beautiful thing, now, doesn’t it? You’d think that, one menopausal symptom in particular – hot flashes – would make getting through those cooler months of the year would be a picnic. However, that isn't always the case at all. According to the experts, the part of the brain that controls your temperature, the hypothalamus, goes a little wonky during menopause.

Since your hormones, including estrogen and progesterone, control more than just your reproductive system, they can also make it easier for your hypothalamus to get confused about what temperature it actually is, especially in the winter. The result? You end up either sweating a lot despite the cold temperatures, due to those joyous hot flashes, or you end feeling colder than usual, thanks to your hypothalamus.

With so much hormonal confusion raging inside, what can you do to survive the cooler weather? Luckily, we have a few suggestions to keep you less sweaty and more comfortable!

Mama always said, “Layer, layer, layer!” And she was right! One of the best things that you can do to survive winter without completely losing your mind is to wear layers. By layering a sweater over a tank top, it's easy to cool off (and stay decent) when you have a hot flash.

Alternatively, when you start getting cold (thanks again hypothalamus!), you can always pull on another sweater or top off your ensemble with a wool poncho or shawl. Layering allows you to alter what you're wearing when your internal temperature changes, without having to take drastic action.  

Hot flashes and heaters? It may seem counterintuitive, but if you're frequently cold during the winter months (except for those hot flash moments), it’s helpful to make sure that your heater is on. Using your furnace when you need to will keep you from freezing and keep your body from experiencing hot and cold extremes.

In addition, if everyone else around you is sweating, but you're still cold, thanks to those hormonal fluctuations, you can turn on a space heater. These useful devices ensure that you manage to stay warm, toasty, and oh-so-happy!

Now back to those hot flashes. If hot flashes are getting the best of you no matter how hard you try and how many adjustments you make, it's time to pull out that portable fan. There’s no need to suffer in silence. You can choose to use a hand-held non-powered one to keep your face cool, as long as you don't mind waving it around. But a powered one (there are plenty of tiny battery-powered and electric ones on the market) will keep you cool even when you’re powering through the worst hot flash days.

As it turns out, stress and fluctuating hormones go hand in hand. What does this mean? Well, if you spend a lot of time stressed out during the holidays with all of the presents, parties, and planning, then you're more likely to have a lot of hot flashes. Simple solution? In order to avoid them, try to stay as calm as possible and avoid stress, as much as you can.

Of course, you can also choose to proactively balance out your hormones so that your hypothalamus calms down and stops making your temperature fluctuate.

Drinking one cup of Menopause Support Tea per day (containing red clover which helps with hot flashes and eleuthero root, which helps with night sweats, among other all-natural ingredients designed for women going through perimenopause and menopause) can regulate your temperature, even out your hormones, and make those cooler winter months much more bearable.

We like to say, “A cup a day will keep those hot flashes at bay!”