Minimising symptoms

Keep up to date with regular health checks with your GP, particularly preventive health checks, such as your blood pressure – hypertension can cause hot flushes.

✔ Exercise: Exercise is essential for the prevention of chronic disease and is also helpful for managing irritability, helping you sleep and maintaining a healthy weight, strong bones and muscles.

✔ Smoking: May worsen hot flushes and also increases the risk of heart and blood vessel disease, as well as some cancers.

✔ Alcohol: May worsen hot flushes, night sweats and insomnia, and it can increase your body weight and blood pressure.

✔ Nutrition: Attention to your diet is important. Eat five serves of vegetables and two serves of fruit a day, and think about calcium for bone health.

✔ Dress sense: Dressing in layers can help you manage your way through hot flushes.

✔ Alternative therapies: Acupuncture is helpful for some women for hot flushes, fatigue, anxiety and sleeping problems. Relaxation strategies such as meditation, Tai Chi, yoga and breathing techniques can help alleviate anxiety, irritability and sleep problems.