Hot flashes are episodes of extreme heat that frequently strike women going through menopause. However, men can also get hot flashes for a variety of medical, lifestyle, and hormonal reasons.
A hot flash is a sudden, intense feeling of heat that is unrelated to your immediate environment. It often appears out of nowhere. Menopausal women frequently experience hot flashes. However, this condition can also affect men.
Possible Causes of Men’s Hot Flashes
As women age, they develop hot flashes as a result of a sudden change in hormone levels. Men do not, however, naturally experience a sharp decline in testosterone.
In actuality, after age 30, men’s testosterone levels decline by less than 2% annually. This decline is steady and healthy.
Therapy with Androgen Limitation
Men who undergo androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer are most likely to experience hot flashes as a side effect. To prevent testosterone from promoting the growth of cancer cells, this treatment limits the amount of testosterone produced.
According to estimates, up to 80% of men who receive this type of therapy experience hot flashes.
Lifestyle Factors
Men’s hot flashes can occasionally coexist with the following symptoms:
- Erectile dysfunction
- Loss of libido
- Mood changes
Stress, depression, or anxiety may be to blame for these symptoms. To fully comprehend the relationship between these symptoms and hot flashes, more research is required.
Medical Reasons
Men with low testosterone levels, also known as “low T,” can also have hot flashes. Low T can be caused by a number of factors. Medical testing done on the advice of expert doctors can easily solve the problem of hot flashes in men.
Men’s Hot Flashes Signs And Symptoms
These signs include:
- Sudden appearance of a warming sensation
- Heavy perspiration
- Skin turning red
While men and women experience hormone decreases for different reasons, both sexes experience the same hot flashes symptoms.
The head and trunk regions experience the strongest warming and flushing sensations. These symptoms could also be accompanied by excessive sweating and skin reddening.
Such symptoms might last only four minutes on average and end in a cold sweat. While some men and women only occasionally experience these symptoms, others may do so up to ten times per day.
How to Stop Men’s Hot Flashes
The frequency and intensity of male hot flashes can be decreased in a number of ways. Try the following advice if you are having hot flashes to find relief.
- Avoid spicy foods because they are known to raise temperatures, including those inside of you.
- Rather than wearing clothing made of synthetic fibres, choose cotton instead. Cotton not only keeps you cooler, but it also has a quick evaporation rate.
- Reduce Your Alcohol Consumption – Alcohol abuse can result in male hot flashes. Try reducing your alcohol consumption if you are having hot flashes.
- Exercise – Regular exercise can lessen or even get rid of hot flashes. You can better manage your weight by exercising for at least 150 minutes every day, which also helps to balance your hormones.
- A healthy diet gives your body the nutrients it needs to produce testosterone. You should especially increase your intake of proteins and healthy fats like oysters, beef, beans, and tuna.
- Limit Tea, coffee, soda, and chocolate all contain caffeine, which can speed up your heart rate and raise your body temperature.
- Remain Calm – Anxiety and hot flashes frequently coexist. Men’s hot flashes can be prevented and treated by using stress management techniques and deep breathing when you’re feeling stressed.
- Warm shower: Have a warm shower. Avoid taking a hot or cold shower because doing so can result in a big temperature change.
- Reduce the Heat – Using fans and keeping your home a few degrees cooler are great ways to help reduce uncomfortable hot flashes.
- Low testosterone levels have been associated with vitamin D deficiency. Your vitamin D levels can rise and your testosterone levels can improve by taking a vitamin D supplement and getting some sun.
- Put It On Loosely – Wearing loose-fitting clothing is advised because wearing clothing that is too tight can trap your body heat and make you overheat.
Treatment options for Hot Flashes in Men
Your doctor must identify the underlying cause of your symptoms before recommending a course of treatment. Low testosterone levels are frequently the cause of hot flashes in men. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is one of the best treatments for andropause.
The use of synthetic hormones derived from plant sources is known as bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). Our own hormones and this type of hormone are chemically identical. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy can be administered orally, topically, or as pills, gels, patches, or insertable pellets.
Small doses of testosterone are given to men as part of BHRT, which aids in the relief of male menopause symptoms. In order to increase and regulate hormones that have decreased due to ageing, illness, medications, or persistent stress, bioidentical hormones have been shown to be both safe and effective.
Hot flashes, anxiety, and other symptoms will lessen when a man’s hormone levels are balanced, and he will be able to reclaim his youthful vitality and lead a healthier lifestyle.
Men can experience hot flashes, and the answer is unambiguously yes. When testosterone levels are so low that the hypothalamus thinks the body is overheating, hot flashes happen as a result of the body becoming confused. To help the body cool down quickly, the hypothalamus widens the blood vessels.
An integrative physician with expertise in men’s health can assist you if you’ve been dealing with symptoms of male menopause like night sweats, hot flashes, and short-term temperature deregulation.
Integrative medicine is aware that for optimum health, each of the body’s systems must be functioning properly. Integrative medicine seeks out the underlying cause of your symptoms rather than just treating the symptom, thereby enhancing your health and reducing your symptoms.