Cold Flashes

This story will help you understand as to why one may experience sudden 'chills' which may or may not be accompanied by hot flashes as well.

If you know what it feels like to suddenly feel a chilling sensation all over your body, you know exactly how one feels while getting those unexpected cold flashes! Usually, these follow after a hot flash, which is an absolutely warm and sweaty feeling, like you have been under the sun for hours together.

The combination of cold and hot flashes is what you must be experiencing. It might come off as an alarming sign for you to be shivering with cold, and at the same time, watching others being absolutely comfortable about the weather. Cold flashes have nothing to do with the weather! In fact, most people even fail to understand the causes behind the same.

The causes of experiencing cold and hot flashes depend upon many factors. These are explained as under.

• Cold flashes during pregnancy is a very common phenomenon. This is due to changes in the levels of the hormone named estrogen which tends to increase during pregnancy.

• Many women also experience cold flashes during menopause, which is again due to the change in the levels of estrogen in the woman's body. In fact, menopause is highly linked with this symptom when experienced among older women.

• Another cause of these in women is the onset of the menstrual cycle. Since a lot of blood is lost during that period, a woman may tend to get anemic and become extremely sensitive towards the temperature. This may also cause a series of hot and cold flashes during that time.

• When it comes to men, there are some who are prone to experience andropause, which is also known as male menopause. This happens due to a decline in the testosterone levels and the reason for the same could be aging, stress, surgery, etc.
• Fluctuation in the blood sugar level may also cause this bothersome symptom.

• There are several diseases that are associated with this problem. Some of them include -
• Thyroid
• Urinary Tract Infection
• HIV/AIDS
• Gastroenteritis

• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Certain respiratory problems including common cold, strep throat, influenza, etc.
• If you are prone to switch between temperature levels on a regular basis, as in, sitting under the air conditioner after coming from an extremely hot environment, then you may be susceptible to experiencing both hot flashes and chills at the same time.

As mentioned earlier, cold flashes usually occur after hot flashes wherein you end up feeling extremely hot and sweat without any reason, and the next thing you know is that you are shivering and looking for a blanket to keep your body warm! Mentioned below are the noticeable symptoms for this condition.

• Feeling extremely hot and then feeling severely cold

• Shivering
• Cold flashes at night accompanied by sweat
• Disturbed sleep patterns
• Fatigue
• Discomfort
• Restlessness
• Night sweats

Cold flashes are temporary and tend to disappear on their own. As mentioned earlier, there are many illnesses associated with them, so if you suspect that an illness could be the reason behind these, then you must consult your doctor as soon as possible.

If you are a woman going through your menstrual cycle, then make sure to keep yourself warm. Menopause and pregnancy are considered to be the major causes of this symptom due to the change in estrogen levels.

Women going through menopause can check with their healthcare specialist about hormone replacement therapy. A home remedy for cold flashes during menopause is to prepare a tea with a pinch of Cayenne pepper and honey. Pepper is hot and gives instant relief.

Cold flashes during certain stages are common and almost everyone has to deal with them at one point or the other in life. However, if you think that they are interrupting your life's routine activities to a great extent, kindly consult a doctor as soon as possible.

Disclaimer: This story is meant for informational purposes only and should not be considered as a substitute for expert medical advice.