Are Hot Flashes Related to Brain Changes in Women?

Hot flashes are a thing that many women will have to deal with at one point or another. When menopause starts to come around, one thing that most women are not looking forward to are those hot flashes, but they cannot be ignored. But what are the reasons for these hot flashes? Could it have something to do with the brain changes that are going on during this time, or are all the hormones you are dealing with to blame? There have been some studies done which show that women who go through more of these hot flashes when they are in menopause, especially if these occur when they are asleep, may be also having some more brain changes, some of which bring about a higher risk for getting cerebrovascular disease. Just because you are getting hot flashes does not mean there is a need to worry. Over 70 percent of all women who are in menopause right now have, at some time, had a hot flash, or a sudden feeling of sweatiness and intense warmth that is not brought on by outside forces like hot weather. There are also a lot of different reasons why you might be having hot flashes, like higher cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, and the changing hormones. But those who are dealing with a large amount of hot flashes might find that they do have some abnormal changes going on in the brain. Those in this study would have 3 or more of these each day, some up to 8. If you are dealing with a lot of hot flashes and are worried about whether it is going to be something that occurs from brain changes, it is important to talk to your doctor and make some of the right changes. They have found that those who were able to treat their high blood pressure and stop smoking to help out with the health of their heart were able to help lower their amount of hot flashes. Still more studies will need to be done to determine what kind of brain changes are occurring that make these hot flashes more frequent. Some believe that the changes in the brain are due to some of the other conditions that have been going on for too long, like high blood pressure, while others think that the brain changes are on their own and is the cause of your other issues in menopause.