hot flashes at night men
If you are one of those people who want to know what causes hot flashes in men and why men get hot flashes at night, we recommend that you read on.
What you will read next:
Introduction
Although most people think that hot flashes are a female problem, but men may also get hot flashes. The cause of hot flashes in men is a sudden and severe drop in testosterone. In this article, we want to talk more about hot flashes in men.
Definition
What is hot flashes? Hot flashes will mean a short-term feeling of intense sweating and heat. This condition usually occurs during menopause in women, medical studies say that the exact cause of hot flashes is not known, but there are theories that we are going to address. In women, hot flashes occur due to low levels of the female hormone, estrogen, during menopause. Also, Men may also continue to experience hot flashes of the face and chest and sweating profusely if they experience sudden and severe drops in testosterone or male hormone levels.
Why does hot flashes occur?
We have said that research cannot yet determine the exact cause of hot flashes, but some theories and hypotheses say that the drop in blood estrogen levels around menopause affects the female hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is the part of the brain that regulates body temperature and controls body temperature. During hot flashes, the hypothalamus feels that the body is very hot, so it tells the body to expel excess heat. One of the ways he later adopts this extra heat is to dilate the arteries, especially in the areas around the face and chest, at which time a feeling of hot flashes occurs.
When the size of the arteries returns to normal, it means that the walls of the arteries are no longer dilated and dilated, the person feels cool.
Epidemiology
Eighty-five percent of women before and after menopause are said to have hot flashes. Menopause is usually fifty-one years old.
Hot flashes usually occur two or three years before the last menstrual period. Hot flashes can last up to six to fifteen years after a woman's last period but on average, the duration of hot flashes in postmenopausal women is two years. Some women may have experienced short-term hot flashes only once in a year, but there are others who have had hot flashes up to twenty times in twenty-four hours.
Hot flashes are common in postmenopausal women, as well as in women whose ovaries have been removed for any reason and are ineffective, as well as in women taking estrogen-lowering drugs.
These drugs are gonadotropins-releasing hormone agonists that reduce the amount and size of estrogen.
These drugs include:
danazol (Danocrine)
Leuprolide (Lupron)
But you should not think that hot flashes are only for women because men can also experience hot flashes. In men, the cause of hot flashes is a sudden drop in male hormone. Seventy-five percent of men with prostate cancer and men whose testicles were removed during surgery are also said to have nocturnal hot flashes, the causes of which are described in the next section.
What causes nocturnal hot flashes in men?
- Men who take medications that lower their testosterone levels experience hot flashes at night.
- Men with prostate cancer.
- Men whose testicles are removed during surgery.
Hot flashes in men and women with pituitary or hypothalamic glands can occur in some serious infections, such as HIV or tuberculosis, as well as thyroid problems and alcoholism. Symptoms such as hot flashes can sometimes occur following the use of certain supplements. Also, some medications can cause hot flashes.
These supplements include MSG or monosodium glutamate and medications such as:
- Nitroglycerin
- NIFEDIPINE
- Niacin
- Vancomycin
- Calcitonin
Symptoms
Hot flashes have certain symptoms, which we will discuss in the following.
Hot flashes are said to start with a sudden feeling of warmth in the upper parts of the body and heat, followed by intense sweating and redness of the skin. Eventually, with the return of the inner diameter of the arteries of the face and body to their normal level and the disappearance of the dilation of the arteries, these symptoms disappear and are accompanied by a feeling of coolness.
These symptoms are said to usually start in the head and face and go down. Hot flashes usually last 30 seconds to five minutes. On average, hot flashes are said to last four minutes. The feeling of hot flashes can be accompanied by another unpleasant feeling as follows
For example, a feeling of pressure in the head, a feeling of dizziness, a feeling of weakness, a feeling of palpitations, a feeling of lightness in the head, and a feeling of nausea, when hot flashes occur in the night may cause insomnia, resulting in memory loss, fatigue and irritability during the day.
Diagnosis
When a person goes to the doctor with nocturnal hot flashes, a detailed history is taken and, if necessary, a series of special tests are performed to assess the testosterone level in the blood of the man with nocturnal hot flashes. The history of previous surgeries and history of genital diseases is also required.
What causes nocturnal flushing in men?
The following are some of the most common reasons for a drop in testosterone in men after the age of 30. Men who have had less than a 2% reduction in implantation and experience it every year after the age of 30 will eventually have a day when testosterone levels are very low and they get hot flashes at night.
The following three reasons can be mentioned:
- Androgen deprivation therapy
Nocturnal flashing can be very common in men undergoing androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer. In fact, this treatment works by restricting the production of male hormone so that the hormone is reduced and cannot stimulate the growth of cancer cells. It is estimated that about eighty percent of men who are treated are likely to experience nocturnal hot flashes.
- Lifestyle problems
Hot flashes in men are sometimes associated with other manifestations such as erectile dysfunction and lipid depletion, as well as mood swings. Generally, these symptoms can be associated with depression, anxiety and stressful situations.
- Low testosterone or Low T
These conditions are the result of a wide variety of causes during which men can experience nocturnal hot flashes due to a drop in testosterone.
Symptoms of hot flashes in men
These symptoms are as follows:
- A feeling of intense heat that starts quickly and suddenly
- Excessive sweating
- Redness of the skin
We have to say that men hormone reduction triggers are different in men and women.
Symptoms of hot flashes in both sexes and have their own characteristics. The feeling of warmth and redness is often felt very much and usually affects the head, neck and torso. Sweating as well as redness of the skin are usually associated with this redness and increase in body temperature. These symptoms usually resolve quickly and last for an average of only four minutes, and then there is a feeling of coldness or cold sweats. Some men can experience these symptoms many times. For example, some can get hot flashes ten times a day. Most men experience hot flashes about three or four months after the end of their prostate hormone treatment. They will experience these hot flashes frequently.
Treatment of hot flashes in men
Modifying and optimizing the diet, optimizing the sleep pattern as well as maintaining body fitness are some of the things that will allow you to control your condition to some extent and reduce the effects of hot flashes, a study has shown that the use of antidepressants, as well as a drug called megestrol, which contains the hormone progesterone, can control hot flashes in men and sometimes even cure them.
Another way is to use hormone replacement, during which estradiol and testosterone are replaced. With this hormone replacement therapy, hot flashes can be controlled and treated, but keep in mind that using testosterone replacement in men with a history of prostate cancer can stimulate cancerous cells. so, it is better to consult a doctor to choose the appropriate treatment and drug and the appropriate treatment method for nocturnal hot flashes in men. It is better to avoid the triggering cases of hot flashes that we will discuss in the following.
Alcohol, Smoking and consumption of spicy and peppered foods, Use of beverages and caffeinated substances and settling in hot environments and wearing tight clothes as well as heavy clothes
Concluding remarks
When complaints and manifestations such as lightheadedness, excessive sweating, hot flashes and nausea occur at the same time, many conditions can be considered as a differential diagnosis, some of these conditions are not serious and resolve spontaneously without any problem, but you should pay attention that Some of these conditions can have the potential to be life threatening, For example, a heart attack requires immediate treatment, and if you have any of the warning signs mentioned in the previous section, be sure to go to the emergency room. You must consult a doctor daily if you have severe disorders in these conditions.