Hot flashes and anxiety

For me the issue has been hot flashes and anxiety. These feel almost like I have gone into panic mode. There’s a certain sensation that’s hard to pin down—like when you’re driving, and a split second of distraction could lead to catastrophe. The immediate rush of adrenaline, a wave of heat and panic cascading through the body, that’s how they feel to me now.

The early signs, for me, were really discreet. I would label them ‘warm flashes.’ I would get them when I was drying my hair or slipping into my jeans – those seemed to be triggers. I wasn’t sure what they were – it was Summer and I shrugged them off as me not adjusting fully to the heat. But later in the year as the weather cooled, my body felt as if it was standing inches away from a blow torch, the intense heat had me shedding layers of clothing, only to be shivering cold a few minutes later. The scariest for me was that my mind would temporarily switch off during these episodes.  The hot flashes and anxiety are hardest at night – I wake up drenched in sweat, and very anxious.

Sometimes the hot flashes and anxiety come with other symptoms like a rush of lightheadedness, and a pounding headache. As they became more severe I would think I was having a stroke. I ended up at a cardiologist’s office. Tests, anxiety, and a significant medical bill later, it turned out to be perimenopause.

There’s irony in there somewhere, that a naturally occurring phase of life can feel so alarmingly unnatural.

What are the solutions? For me I’ve found some help with a cooling blanket – though that’s not perfect because of how variable my temperature can be throughout the night. I’ve heard of new wearable cooling tops that I’ve looked into getting. Otherwise, I would just love to know how long this lasts for – if there was an end in sight it would help me get through it more easily.

MK, United States