Overview
Pregnancy is a time of great discrepancy and hardships, as the baby grows mature into your womb, you might experience different, weird, unusual and unpleasant symptoms and sensations.
One of those uncomfortable and unpleasant symptoms you may experience is the nightly hot flashes which can be extremely annoying to your part, although there are some ways to minimize the heat and cool down your body, read further to know-how.
Is it normal for me to experience hot flashes during pregnancy?
Yes, it is a normal experience that is a common symptom of many pregnant women, experiencing hot flashes would arise especially at night although any time of the day could be no exception
When will I experience hot flashes?
If you still haven’t experienced hot flashes and you’re probably curious about when it will happen, or worried when it will occur.
Hot flashes generally occur during the first and second trimester of the pregnancy, during those first and second-trimester hot flashes will just unknowingly hit you.
Hot flashes could also possibly happen even after the birth of your baby, especially if you’re already breastfeeding your child.
What is the cause of hot flashes?
To simply put, pregnancy is the main culprit of why you’re experiencing hot flashes, but let’s dive deeper into your physiology to know exactly the cause of your bothersome and annoying hot flashes
Deep inside your body, your very own fluctuating hormonal levels could also be the main trigger of nauseating hot flashes, this increase surge in hormonal levels can also be deeply inverse related to menopause, fluctuating hormones during pregnancy is the result of the body sending signals to your brain to produce more of the female hormone called estrogen.
In addition to that, hot flashes can also be caused or exacerbated by high anxiety and stress levels, it can also be induced by dehydration and poor unbalanced diet.
What are the risks and complications of experiencing hot flashes?
Hot flashes during the night is a common experience affecting half of the pregnant women population, although most women are affected by this condition, it is generally considered to be a harmless symptom of pregnancy and requires no unnecessary medical treatment is needed.
Hot flashes are a normal occurrence of pregnancy and it happens for a reason, disrupting it could only cause you more harm than usual.
Hot flashes are also more likely to be experienced in more by obese or overweight women, and women who are expecting twins or multiples, this is due to the fact that they create more estrogen surge and supply in their body by burning their own body fat.
What are the known symptoms of hot flashes?
Hot flashes can have a number of manifesting symptoms such as:
- Nausea
- Headaches
- Blurry vision
- Vomiting
- Feeling of extreme heat or feverish like temperature especially during the night
Those are the symptoms of hot flashes during pregnancy, any kind of nightly hot flashes that are outside of pregnancy, should be considered a risk and should need a proper medical intervention, hot flashes outside of pregnancy could be an alarming symptom of a serious disease such as diabetes, thyroid cancer or Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
What are some ways to cope, prevent or minimize the uncomfortable feelings of hot flashes during pregnancy?
Hot flashes can be an annoying experience for most pregnant mothers and they may deem it as unnecessary, hot flashes have no possible medical treatments up to this moment.
There can be a number of ways to minimize the effects of hot flashes, some of the effective things to do are:
- if you are experiencing hot flashes by now, always be wary of your clothing choices, tight fit and uncomfortable clothes that are usually dark which can trap more heat than usual is generally not advised to wear, instead, you should wear comfortable and loose clothing to help the heat escape more from your body.
- Always be wary of your clothing choices, like mentioned beforehand avoid those sky clothes and instead switch to clothes which are more breathable, choose clothes that are made from linen, cotton and natural fibers.
- Have a proper air ventilation system at home and always stay cool especially if the weather is hot and humid, try considering installing an air conditioning system in your room.
- Be sure to be properly hydrated, drink 7-8 glasses of water a day, you can also be properly hydrated by eating high-water content fruits such as grapes, cantaloupes, and watermelons.
- Make sure to take your prenatal vitamins as prescribed by the doctor, and make sure you are eating a well-balanced and nutritious diet.
- Try to stay active, even if it seems counterintuitive because you want to stay cool as possible, exercising the right type and intensity can release a surge of sweat stored in your body which can cool your body down.
- If approved by your doctor, you could try relaxing and stress-relieving activities such as hydrotherapy and acupuncture, hydrotherapy works by exercising your body and at the same time cooling down your body because you’re in the water, on the other hand, acupuncture works by relieving the pressure points in your body that induces stress and pain relief
- Try maintaining your body equilibrium by meditating and deep breathing
- Avoid food stimulants such as coffee, sugary foods, and spicy foods.
- Try taking hormone stabilizing supplements such as primrose oil, vitamin D and codfish liver oil, always take it with the knowledge of your doctor, never ever take any supplements without your doctor knowing.
- Think of happy thoughts and positivity! This condition will usually fade in your daily life, instead of stressing it out, be more focused on the outcomes of your after pregnancy.
Final notes
Hot flashes during pregnancy is a healthy and normal sign of the period you are going through right now, there are also no known preventive or medical treatments available, it is only a symptom that you should undergo and survive.
Although there are possible instances where hot flashes could be due to a serious condition and instead of ruling out on the internet on what could have happened inside your body, it is best to make your doctor your first place of assessment and consultation.
Doctors have enough medical knowledge and proper capabilities of using medical tools to assess whether the hot flashes you’re experiencing on your pregnancy is just a normal thing or a relative symptom of a serious disorder such as thyroid or endocrine problems.
Read also:
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- Can you take excedrin while breastfeeding
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