A mature woman with blonde hair, wearing a white top and a burgundy blazer, sits on a white couch in a brightly lit room. She has her eyes closed and one hand resting on her forehead while holding a small, white handheld electric fan near her face.

What is it?

A hot flush is a sudden feeling of heat, usually spreading through your face, neck and chest, sometimes with sweating and going red. Night sweats are the same thing happening while you’re asleep, often disrupting it. It can enough to soak through your nightwear and bedding, leaving you cold, clammy and exhausted.

Why does it happen?

Falling oestrogen affects the part of your brain that controls your body temperature, making it more sensitive to small changes. So your body overreacts as if it’s overheating, triggering sweating and widening your blood vessels to try to cool you down.

Hot flushes and night sweats are reported by around 60% of women during the menopause transition in large US and European studies, and they’re probably the most well-known menopause symptom, though not actually the most common one. In UK survey data, 70% of women with current symptoms reported them, behind tiredness/poor sleep and brain fog.

Things that can help

  • Layering your clothing and keeping your space cool, especially at night
  • Working out your personal triggers. Common ones are caffeine, alcohol, spicy food, and stress
  • Keeping a cold drink and a fan nearby
  • Regular exercise and keeping to a healthy weight, both linked to fewer/milder flushes
  • Stopping smoking, if relevant. Smoking is linked to more frequent and worse flushes
  • Taking a cool or lukewarm shower before bed rather than a hot one. A hot shower raises your skin temperature, which can itself trigger a flush, especially close to bedtime. A very cold shower isn’t necessarily better though: for some people, a sudden drop in skin temperature can trigger a flush too, so lukewarm is usually the sweet spot

Can anything medical help?

HRT is the most effective treatment for hot flushes and night sweats, and it’s recommended as the first choice in NICE guidance. If HRT isn’t right for you or you’d rather not take it, there are non-hormonal options too. Your prescriber will set out what might suit you as part of your plan.

When to get more help

Hot flushes and night sweats usually ease off over a few years, though this varies a lot from person to person. Get more help if:

  • they’re badly disrupting your sleep or daily life, even after trying lifestyle changes
  • you’re not sure whether HRT or a non-hormonal option is right for you
  • they come with other symptoms that worry you (like unexplained weight loss or fevers). These need a separate check

The bottom line

Hot flushes and night sweats are the “classic” menopause symptom for a reason, but they’re far from the only one, and there’s effective treatment whether or not HRT is right for you.

If hot flushes or night sweats are affecting you, book a menopause consultation to find out what might help.

References

  1. BMS Conference Poster: Not just hot flushes — British Menopause Society, UK survey of 4,014 women aged 45–55
  2. Beyond Hot Flashes: The Hidden Toll of Menopausal Sleep Disturbance on Well-Being — Soares et al., Menopause (2026), US/Europe prevalence data
  3. NICE NG23: Menopause — identification and management
  4. 5 lesser-known hot flush triggers you need to know about — on hot showers/baths raising skin temperature as a trigger, and the less common opposite pattern with sudden cold