More Research on Night Sweats, Hot Flashes and Insomnia in Menopause

Over one billion women in the world are age 50 or older, with the average age of menopause being 51 1/2. When a woman reaches menopause, she arrives at a time of life with more freedoms. It’s the end of her monthly menstrual bleeding, and the beginning of a time when her wisdom and experience can lead her to new and fulfilling horizons. At least one third of a woman’s life is lived after menopause.

However, for many women, the steep drop in estrogen and progesterone that ends the menstrual cycle can also lead to menopause symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, migraine headaches, anxiety, fatigue, bone loss, sleeplessness and insomnia. This article brings to light new research on additional natural remedies that can ease menopause and support women in enjoying their liberty and creativity.

A hot flash, also called hot flush, is a sudden feeling of warmth and often a breakout of sweating in the upper half of the body. When they occur at night, they are called night sweats. Hot flashes are caused by a reduced function in the body’s temperature regulation, which is brought about by changing hormone levels. When estrogen in women, or testosterone in men is depleted, a rapid increase in skin temperature can occur due to dilatation (widening) of the skin blood vessels -- and it can become frequent. This process of blood vessel dilation is the body’s way to release the heat.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) drugs can provide some relief for hot flashes and night sweats, but at a considerable price. The Women’s Health Initiative study, which followed 16,608 women being given hormone replacement therapy, discovered a high risk of breast cancer, coronary heart disease, and stroke from the use of these drugs.

One natural remedy proven in a research study to relieve hot flashes may come as a surprise to some, as it is such a well-known, widely used vitamin with many benefits. It’s the famous vitamin C. The study was called “Non-Hormonal Control of Vaso-Motor Flushing in Menopausal Patients”, published in the journal “Chicago Medicine.” The word vasomotor refers to the nerves and muscles causing blood vessels to constrict or dilate. Extensive research indicates that vitamin C strengthens blood vessel membranes and acts as a potent antioxidant. An antioxidant keeps cells healthy by preventing them from combining with oxygen.

In the vitamin C study, A total of 94 patients were studied, all of who had reached menopause. They were given 200 milligrams of vitamin C and 200 milligrams of bioflavonoids six times daily. Therefore each subject received 1200 mg of both the bioflavonoids and vitamin C each day. The results: 67% of the subjects reported complete relief from hot flashes and 21% reported partial relief, giving this combination an overall 88% success rate.

And here's another remedy: Exercise may be one of the most effective ways to reduce both hot flashes as well as heart trouble. From the April 2007 issue of the Annals of Behavioral Medicine comes a study from Steriani Elavsky, a kinesiologist. Kinesiology is the study of human movement and motion. The study included 164 menopausal women in their 50’s who were experiencing hot flashes and insomnia. They were put into three different groups – walkers, yoga-doers and sedentary non-exercisers, and were studied for four months.

Elavsky concluded: "We found a significant association between changes in cardiorespiratory (heart and lung) fitness and changes in menopausal symptoms. Women who experienced decreases in menopausal symptoms in the study also experienced improvements in all positive mental health and quality-of-life outcomes."

Night sweats and hot flashes can become a form of insomnia in which a woman wakes up drenched in sweat and unable to sleep. Regarding mineral deficiency at the time of menopause, the pioneering nutritionist Adelle Davis says, “The amount of calcium in a woman’s blood parallels the activity of the ovaries. During the menopause, the lack of ovarian hormones (estrogen and progesterone) can cause severe calcium deficiency symptoms to occur, including irritability, hot flashes, night sweats, leg cramps and insomnia. These problems can be easily overcome if the intakes of calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D are all generously increased and are well absorbed.”

One sleep remedy becoming popular among menopausal women is Sleep Minerals II from http://www.NutritionBreakthroughs.com. This natural sleep aid contains six different types of calcium, three types of magnesium, Vitamin D, Vitamin K, boron and horse tail herb. The ingredients are formulated with carrier oils such as evening primrose, an oil that has been shown to increase mineral absorption, reduce calcium excretion, and increase bone density.

Lyn K. of Los Angeles, CA. says: "I have had chronic insomnia for some years now and had been taking other calcium products to help with my sleep. No other insomnia remedy has worked as effectively or consistently as Sleep Minerals II. I can count on it whenever I need help falling asleep at night or going back to sleep in the middle of the night. This is what sets it apart from the rest – it works reliably. And in my life, I need to be well-rested 7 days a week, so I call this product my "Sleep Insurance". It also eases my menopause symptoms, evens out my hormonal changes, and seems to put my body into a healthy balance."

Natural remedies continue to be a force to be reckoned with in our quest for good health at menopause and beyond.

For more information on Sleep Minerals II visit: http://www.nutritionbreakthroughs.com/html/sleep_remedy_for_insomnia_help.html

Nutrition Breakthroughs provides science-based health articles that are designed to clarify and simplify what can sometimes be a complicated subject. Their natural remedies include the effective insomnia remedy Sleep Minerals II.

Nutrition Breakthroughs
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Jobee Knight

This release was published on openPR.