Approaching menopause brings profound changes in a woman’s endocrine system. The unsettling days of infertility are not a cakewalk ahead. Your hormones start behaving unpredictably and bring weird physiological consequences to deal with. One of them is hot flashes. Even though there are quite a few ways to deal with the effects of hot flashes, women these days incline towards therapeutic relief.
Essential oils are one of the most widely accepted therapeutic gateways since time immemorial. Ancient treatment methods mostly resorted to plant-based medication for several complicated diseases recorded in the human system. Keeping the tradition on, nowadays, several professionals also suggest essential oils to treat hot flashes.
What Are Hot Flashes?
A hot flash is a feeling of sudden heat that pulsates through your body. Any external factors do not cause it. Generally, hot flashes appear very unexpected, but you can sense them coming.
Hot flashes are very sudden, but their lasting may vary from woman to woman. Some may pass after a few seconds, and some might take 10 mins to settle down. On average, it generally lasts around 4 mins. The frequency and intensity of hot flashes also vary in each woman.
What Causes Hot Flashes
Hot flashes mainly occur due to the change in hormonal levels during or after menopause. It’s also quite unclear that how a change in hormonal levels affects hot flashes. But most studies found, hot flashes occur when your body’s estrogen levels reduce. Therefore, it causes your hypothalamus to reacts to subtle changes in body temperature. So, if your hypothalamus detects that your body is getting warm, it makes an effort to help it cool down.
Generally, menopause is the primary factor behind hot flashes and night sweats to occur. But other possible sources include medicinal side effects, thyroid, cancer, or radiation therapies.
Symptoms of Hot Flashes
During a hot flash, you might experience the following symptoms.
- An unexpected warmth expanding through your neck, face, and chest areas.
- You may experience redness all over the skin and also blotches.
- You may also feel a faster heart rate.
- Experience sweating mainly on the upper body.
- Chilled flashes as the hot flashes fade away.
- Experience anxiety.
The recurrence of hot flashes may differ from woman to woman. But it can occur at any time of the day or night. In fact, severe hot flashes can interrupt your ability to perform daily activities. Generally, hot flash symptoms can continue for more than seven years.
Are Essential Oils Helpful to Treat Hot Flashes?
If you’re trying to avoid prescribed medication to deal with your symptoms, you can look for other alternatives. Essential oils can help you out. They have provided relief from several discomforts when applied to various body parts.
The essential oils derive from various plant sources and are primarily natural. Some of these oil products show more effective actions than other mainstream medications. These oils also serve well in aromatherapy. You can inhale the essence or apply the oil directly to your skin. However, you cannot ingest essential oils.
Some Essential Oils for Hot Flashes
Here, we have listed down a few essential oils for you to treat hot flashes.
- Clary sage
A hot flash is a sudden sensation of heat that runs through your body. Clary sage can help you to reduce the frequency and intensity of hot flashes. It also helps balance your hormones, ease menstrual cramps, relieve insomnia, and improve mental strength.
- Lavender
Lavender oil helps you to ease your perineal soreness and balance hormones. It also encourages your mood for relaxation. During your menopausal transition, insomnia and various sleep-related issues are common. Lavender oil aromatherapy can help to relax for a goodnight’s sleep.
- Geranium
Geranium oil also helps menopausal women to deal with hormonal changes. In fact, inhaling a few drops of geranium oil from a piece of cloth also reduces stress. It also helps to fight anxiety and depression.
- Peppermint
Peppermint oil helps to refresh and uplift your mood during the menopausal period. It also helps to fight mental stress and improves concentration. Peppermint oil also has cooling abilities that will assist you in preventing the frequency of hot flashes.
- Citrus
Citrus oil therapy has numerous health benefits for women experiencing menopausal symptoms. Several studies found that it increases sexual desires in postmenopausal women. Citrus oil also has refreshing properties that help to reduce fatigue, pain and improves mental health.
- Cypress
Cypress oil is excellent for balancing emotional and hormonal changes during the menopausal period. It also helps to restrict fluid retention. Cypress also has cooling properties that help to treat hot flashes.
How to Use Essential Oils for Hot Flashes
You can use the essential oils for hot flashes in the following ways.
- You can sprinkle the oil throughout the room. It can help you relax and fight mood swings throughout the day. Use 3-5 droplets of the essential oil.
- You can apply some of the essential oil products directly to your skin. But make sure to check the ingredients and the reliability of the product.
- You can also mix the essential oil with another carrier oil such as coconut, almond, or jojoba. Then, apply the mixture and massage all of your body. A proper massage with essential oils can help you reduce hot flashes, fatigue, depression, and pain.
Risks of Using Essential Oils
Essential oil mainly contains natural ingredients, but they are not safe in all forms. In fact, traditional medicines also use them, but we know very little about their effects on certain conditions. So, queries remain there regarding how much to use, how to use it, and the safety of these oils. Before using, try to maintain the following precautions.
- Always buy your oil from reliable sources and follow the usage guidelines.
- Only use the recommended or prescribed dosages.
- Before applying it to the skin thoroughly, perform a small test.
- Do not use all the essential oils at the same time. It may trigger some allergic reactions.
- Take additional precautions if you already have any medical conditions such as asthma.
Conclusion
Women in their 40s and 50s can seek therapeutic relief from menopausal symptoms with the help of essential oils. Using essential oils is comparatively safer and also shows positive impacts on your life. The aromatic essence of many essential oils helps heal several psychological issues and get through visible menopausal changes.
