What to do when you have night sweats, hot flashes and a body that runs hot

Here’s a little secret about me: I get sweaty at night. 

After my daughter was born and my period started back up again, I would wake up in a sweaty pool.  My husband was less than excited to roll over and feel damp sheets and an over heated wife.  He would wake me up and say, Lisa, you’re a sweaty mess…LOL.  And I sure was.  I only got hot in the middle of the night and my only indication was night sweats.

I’ve never been one to run warm and will be that odd person who’s wearing jeans and a jacket on an 80 degree day.  Over time my hormones changed and the stress of having an infant started to noticeably deplete my YIN. Some may wonder why they run cool most of the time but have bursts of unexplained intense heat.

In Chinese medicine YIN is the precious force that opposes YANG.  Yin is cooling and nurturing and depletes over time. YANG is warming and active. This ancient energetic principle also corresponds to the hormones. 

When women get older (ahh hem) or mature YIN depletes.

YIN can also be damaged from medications and drugs, excessive activity, poor nutrition and improper rest.

It’s important to keep the YANG activities in our life in check when there’s less of counterbalance.

For those of you who may experience exceptional heat at night while you sleep, you may say, 🤷🏾‍♀️ but why at night????? 

Let me explain… .the principles of YIN and YANG are not just reserved for the body but rather the body follows patterns in nature.  Regarding time of day, YIN is evening and YANG is day. So at night, when it’s yin time and your yin is deficient, YANG has it’s way and you experience what is called deficiency heat.  This can look like night sweats, thirst and irritability.

Now you may say, what about hot flashes that occur ANYTIME of day? Well, stress, spicy foods and inflammation caused by sugar (to name a few) are all possible triggers to a heat outburst as they are more YANG in nature.  I’ve also noted that folks may have a hot flash if they are energetically sensitive and walk into a room with overwhelming vibes.

So what to do?  Well do what nature does and put some balance back into your life. The most obvious thing is to do the opposite of what you’re doing to trigger the heat.  If you’re stressed and not replenishing yourself then find a way to STOP and recharge.  You may also need to cut out sugar, particularly before bed.  Furthermore, I’m a former spicy food addict and that had to go to.

Here’s a list of yin/cooling foods to help:

Asparagus

Barley

Black sesame seeds

Cucumber

Green Foods 

Kidney beans

Millet

Mung beans

Seaweed

Sprouts

As alway, it’s important to balance both life style with nutrition for the best outcomes.

I hope this has been helpful for you.

Blessings…