Why Hot Flushes Happen and What You Can Do About It

Let’s be honest — when someone says “menopause,” the first thing that flashes into your mind (pun intended) is… hot flushes.Those sudden waves of heat feel like stepping out into a scorching Aussie summer — except it’s happening inside your body.

As a Clinical Nutritionist who’s also walking the perimenopause path, I can tell you: hot flushes are just the beginning. They’re just the most dramatic symptom, not the only symptom.

In fact, there are over 30 clinically recognised symptoms of perimenopause and menopause — including:

• mood swings
• brain fog
• joint pain
• gut changes
• sleep issues.

Hot flushes just happen to have the best PR team.

Why Do Hot Flushes Happen?

It all comes back to our brain’s thermostat: the hypothalamus.

During perimenopause and menopause, fluctuating (and eventually declining) oestrogen levels narrow the thermoneutral zone — the small temperature range your body considers “comfortable.”

As oestrogen levels drop, even tiny changes in core body temperature can trigger an outsized response: your body thinks you’re overheating, so it triggers vasodilation (the widening of blood vessels), sweating, and an overwhelming feeling of heat.

This isn’t “just menopause,” either. Research shows that hot flushes can actually start in late reproductive years and perimenopause, sometimes 8–10 years before menopause itself (Freeman et al., 2020).

How Brain Chemistry Impacts Hot Flushes in Perimenopause & Menopause

Oestrogen doesn’t just influence hormones — it also affects the brain’s serotonin pathways, which regulate mood, sleep, and body temperature.

When oestrogen declines, serotonergic activity becomes disrupted, narrowing the body’s thermoregulatory zone and making it more reactive to small temperature changes — a key driver behind hot flushes.

Nutritional Strategies: Food as Medicine

Nutrition plays a massive role in supporting the systems that regulate heat, hormones, and stress response. A whole-food, anti-inflammatory diet based on a wide variety of plants, healthy fats, and quality proteins helps to:

• reduce oxidative stress
• support hormone metabolism
• stabilise nervous system function

Specific nutrients with strong emerging evidence for supporting hot flushes include:

Vitamin E

• Acts as an antioxidant to help stabilise the hypothalamus’ response to temperature shifts.

• Clinical trials show that 400 IU daily Vitamin E supplementation can reduce the frequency and severity of hot flushes (Liao et al., 2019).

Food sources:

Sunflower seeds, almonds, spinach, avocado.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids (EPA/DHA)

• Omega-3s support anti-inflammatory pathways and serotonin production, both of which help regulate thermoregulation and stress responses.
• A 2022 systematic review found that omega-3 supplementation helped reduce both the frequency and intensity of hot flushes (Taheri et al., 2022).

Food sources:

Salmon, sardines, mackerel, chia seeds, walnuts.

Glycine

• While glycine doesn’t directly prevent hot flushes, it’s been shown to improve sleep disturbances caused by hot flushes.

• A 2021 randomised controlled trial found that 3 grams of glycine before bed improved sleep quality in postmenopausal women (Yamadera et al., 2021).
  

Better sleep means less overall stress and potentially fewer triggers for night sweats.

Food sources:

Collagen peptides, bone broth, gelatin, chicken skin.

Magnesium

• Magnesium is vital for neurotransmitter balance (particularly GABA and serotonin) and stress modulation.
• Small studies suggest that magnesium supplementation may decrease the intensity of vasomotor symptoms, although larger trials are still needed (Tarleton et al., 2020).

Food sources:

Pumpkin seeds, spinach, dark chocolate (at least 70%), almonds.

Phytoestrogen Foods and Hot Flushes

Certain plant foods naturally contain phytoestrogens — compounds that have a mild oestrogenic effect in the body. These compounds gently interact with estrogen receptors, either mimicking or modulating oestrogen activity depending on the body’s needs.

While they are much weaker than human oestrogen, regular intake of phytoestrogen-rich foods has been linked to a reduced frequency and severity of hot flushes in several studies. Incorporating these foods daily offers a safe, food-as-medicine approach to support hormonal balance during perimenopause and menopause.

Foods That Provide Mild Estrogenic Support:

• Freshly ground flaxseeds (rich in lignans)
• Whole soy foods (tempeh, tofu, edamame, miso)
• Sesame seeds (source of lignans)
• Chickpeas and legumes (contain low-level isoflavones)
• Berries (contain phytoestrogenic polyphenols)

While building a strong foundation with whole foods is always the goal, sometimes it’s challenging to reach therapeutic levels of key nutrients like Vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, glycine, and phytoestrogens through diet alone — especially when supporting specific symptoms like hot flushes. In these cases, high-grade, practitioner-only supplements can safely and effectively bridge the gap, tailored to your individual needs.

Lifestyle Strategies to Support Hot Flushes:

Minor, strategic lifestyle adjustments can significantly reduce the frequency and severity of hot flushes:

Manage Stress

Mindfulness, breathing techniques, yoga, and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) strategies can help regulate the nervous system and reduce the intensity of the flush.

Cool Your Environment

Layer clothing, use fans, sleep with light bedding, and keep your bedroom cool to minimise overheating triggers.

Exercise Smart

Regular moderate exercise supports hormone and nervous system health, but intense workouts late in the day can raise core temperature.
Where possible, prioritise morning or early afternoon sessions.

Identify and Minimise Triggers

Certain foods and drinks can stimulate thermoregulation and vascular responses, including:

• Very spicy foods (chilli, hot curries)
• Caffeine (coffee, black tea, energy drinks)
• Alcohol (particularly red wine and spirits)

Tracking your responses can help identify and avoid key triggers.

Minimise External Heat Exposure

Heated hair tools, such as straighteners, curling irons, and blow dryers, that can raise scalp temperature and trigger hot flashes.
Minimising their use during flare periods may help reduce symptom severity.

Final Thoughts

Hot flushes are the celebrity symptom of menopause, but they’re not something you just have to “grin and bear.”
Through a combination of targeted nutrition, lifestyle tweaks, and supporting your nervous system, you can turn down the heat — literally.

As someone in the trenches alongside you, I promise: there are real, sustainable ways to make this transition more comfortable (and way less sweaty).

 

Navigating perimenopause

By understanding what’s happening in your body and making small, sustainable shifts, you can support your hormones and feel so much better.

Are you ready to explore what’s really going on for you? Book in a free 15 minute discovery call with me & let’s have a chat about what working together & creating an individualised treatment plan for you might look like.

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