The surprising connection between blood sugar and hot flashes

The Surprising Connection Between Blood Sugar and Menopause Symptoms

Ever wondered why your hot flashes are worse? Could it be blood sugar?

Delve into this episode where your host, Lynda Enright tells you about the connection between blood sugar regulation and menopause symptoms, particularly hot flashes. 

Learn how diet and lifestyle choices impact blood sugar levels and discover practical strategies to manage and potentially reduce hot flashes. 

Key topics include the importance of protein, fiber, low glycemic carbohydrates, hydration, stress management, and avoiding alcohol and caffeine. 

Lynda discusses blood sugar fluctuations as triggers for hot flashes and highlights the benefits of monitoring hemoglobin A1c levels and using continuous glucose monitors. 

Additionally, she introduces a free guide, 'Five Natural Ways to Reduce Menopause Symptoms,' offering actionable advice to help women feel their best every day.

00:00 Introduction to Hot Flashes

01:33 Understanding Hot Flashes

02:51 The Role of Blood Sugar

05:23 Practical Solutions for Managing Blood Sugar

05:53 Protein and Fiber: The Dynamic Duo

06:21 Balanced Meals: The Key to Steady Blood Sugar

06:44 Low Glycemic Carbs: What and Why

07:06 Hydration: The Unsung Hero

07:41 Stress Management: A Crucial Component

08:03 Avoiding Alcohol and Caffeine

08:20 Final Thoughts and Recommendations

09:34 Question of the Week: Is My Diet Working?

When you're ready, here are 3 ways I can help you to feel your best during perimenopause and menopause:

1. Want more science-backed health tips? Click here to sign up for my free weekly newsletter for practical advice on navigating menopause with confidence:

2. Click here to get the free guide: 5 Natural Ways To Reduce Menopause Symptoms.

2. For more information about Lynda and how she supports women on their health journey, click here to learn more.

3. Interested in seeing if nutrition coaching with Lynda is right for you? Click here to book a free discovery call with Lynda.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
You feel like a sudden wave ofheat hits you out of nowhere,

(00:04):
leaving you flushed, sweaty, anddesperate for relief.
You are having a hot flash.
Welcome to Joyful Menopause, thepodcast where we explore
practical ways for women tonavigate perimenopause and
menopause.
I'm your host, Lynda Enright.
Hot flashes during thistransition in life are common
and can be super frustrating,but what if I told you that your

(00:24):
diet could help reduce theirfrequency and intensity?
You might be surprised intoday's episode to learn that
even if you are not diabetic orhave normal lab values, that
blood sugar regulation may beimpacting your hot flashes.
Today we're going to explore thelink between blood sugar and hot
flashes.
Maybe this hasn't happened toyou yet, but by the end of the

(00:46):
episode, you will know how toprevent it or reduce the
intensity when it does.
You'll know if the things you'reeating are making it worse or
not.
And stick around and I'll letyou know how you can get quick
tips to take home and startpracticing today.
So let's get started.
Menopause doesn't have to feellike you are living in someone
else's body.
Your host, Lynda Enright, hasspent the last 25 years helping

(01:08):
women to thrive in midlife.
Here you'll find science basedpractical advice that you can
start using today to get realresults for your health.
Welcome to Joyful Menopause.
In the 20 plus years ofexperience working with women, I
have gotten lots of questionsfrom my clients about hot
flashes.
At the end, I'm going to answerthe number one question I get

(01:30):
about this, and there's a goodchance you're wondering the same
thing.
Let's start by quickly breakingdown what hot flashes are.
If you've ever experienced thatsudden rush of heat, Sweating
and sometimes even dizziness,you know how disruptive a hot
flash can be.
They can last anywhere from afew seconds to several minutes
and can happen during the day oreven wake you up at night, and

(01:51):
those are called night sweats.
If you've felt that intensesurge of heat suddenly flood
your body, leaving you flushedsweating and even lightheaded,
you know, just how overwhelmingthey can be.
These waves of heat can lastanywhere from seconds to several
minutes, striking at any time.
Sometimes they even sneak up atnight, jolting you awake with

(02:11):
soaked sheets and a racingheart.
It's not just an inconvenience.
It's a full body experience thatcan disrupt your day, your sleep
and your peace of mind.
So what's happening here?
Well, during menopause andparamenopause, your estrogen
levels start to fluctuate, andthis can mess with your body's
internal thermostat.

(02:32):
So your hypothalamus, the partof your brain that regulates
temperature, can become moresensitive to changes which can
trigger those sudden bursts ofheat.
But here's also where it can getinteresting.
Other factors Like what you eatand how your diet impacts your
blood sugar levels can aggravatethis process.
Blood sugar and hot flashes,it's probably not something you

(02:54):
hear about often.
And if your doctor says you'renot diabetic or pre-diabetic,
and your labs continue to lookgood, it's likely no one is
going to even mention that yourdiet may be impacting your hot
flashes.
This is something I work with myclients on a regular basis for
because they're trying to figureout how their diet can impact
their blood sugars so they canimprove their hot flashes and

(03:15):
get rid of these symptoms.
First, let me just explainquickly what I mean when I talk
about blood sugar.
I'm talking about the amount ofglucose or sugar in your blood.
Your body needs glucose forenergy, but it's important to
keep those levels steady and nothave big ups and downs
throughout your day.
There are a number of reasonsthat sugar may be playing a role

(03:37):
in making your hot flashesworse.
First of all, after you eat asugary meal or a meal with lots
of carbohydrates, your bloodsugar levels may rise quickly.
Then your body releases insulinso you can use up that sugar for
energy, but what can happen thenis your blood sugar can drop
fast and leading tohypoglycemia, or it now being

(03:57):
too low.
So one explanation for the hotflash is that these ups and
downs may be affecting yourbody's temperature control
system, and then you get a hotflash triggered.
Second, because of the declinein estrogen, it is more likely
for a woman to be more prone toinsulin resistance where your
body's cells don't respond aswell to insulin.

(04:17):
And then the resulting higherblood sugar levels may be
another trigger for a hot flash.
So we're talking today aboutblood sugar regulation and hot
flashes.
And another possibility is thatincreased inflammation may
impact estrogen production andtemperature regulation.
leading again to increased hotflashes.
Inflammation is something I workon every day with the women I

(04:39):
see in my practice because ithas an impact on menopause
symptoms as well as preventingdisease in the future.
And research shows that womenwith diets higher in sugar,
refined carbohydrates, andprocessed foods may have more
hot flashes than women with goodmetabolic health and stable
blood sugar levels who don'ttend to experience as many hot

(05:00):
flashes.
So, what's the takeaway here?
More research is of courseneeded to fully understand the
connection and the physiologybehind this.
There's a lot of differentpossibilities, but stabilizing
blood sugar is a strategy thatis used to manage menopausal
symptoms like hot flashes.
And in addition, it will alsoprotect you from chronic disease

(05:20):
like diabetes and heart diseasein the future.
So now what can you do about it?
How can you create the bestbalance?
Let's talk about solutions.
Here I have some practical stepsyou can take with your diet and
lifestyle to help balance yourblood sugar and in turn
potentially reduce the frequencyand intensity of hot flashes.
So these are some things thatyou can start doing right away

(05:42):
today.
Number one, prioritize proteinand fiber.
One great way to prevent bloodsugar spikes is to make sure
you're eating enough protein andfiber with each meal.
Protein and fiber slows down thedigestion of carbohydrates,
which helps keep your bloodsugar levels steady.
Foods like eggs, lean meats,legumes, and leafy greens should

(06:04):
be staples in your diet.
Adding nuts or seeds to snackscan also give you a great source
of healthy fats and fiber.
I really recommend taking thenumber of pounds you weigh and
eat about half of that in gramsof protein each day and aim for
at least 20 grams of fiber.
Number two.
Eating regular balanced meals.

(06:24):
Skipping meals can cause yourblood sugar to drop, which could
lead to a hot flash.
So try to eat regularly aimingfor three balanced meals a day
with possibly a couple healthyof snacks in between if needed.
Every person's different.
So be sure to include again, agood source of protein, healthy
fat and fiber rich carbohydratesin each of your meals.

(06:44):
Number three, choose lowglycemic carbohydrate foods.
Not all carbs are created equal.
So focus on low glycemic carbs.
What does that mean?
That's foods like greenvegetables, quinoa, legumes,
lentils, and berries.
These type of carbs digest moreslowly, providing a steady
source of energy without causingblood sugar spikes.

(07:06):
Number four, stay hydrated.
Drinking water helps your bodyin so many different ways and it
may also help to maintain bloodsugar balance and reduce hot
flashes.
A general rule of thumb is againabout half, drink about half of
your body weight in pounds inounces of water each day.
and it's really best to choosedrinks that don't have sugar,

(07:29):
alcohol, artificial sweeteners,or caffeine.
You might need more or lessdepending on your exercise or
your diet, and if you eat lotsof fruits and vegetables, you're
also getting some water fromthose foods too.
Number five, manage stress.
Chronic stress can also impactyour blood sugar levels by
causing them to rise or fallunpredictably.

(07:50):
Finding ways to manage stress,whether through mindfulness,
yoga, deep breathing, or evenjust taking some time for
yourself, is important for hotflash and preventing illness
today and in the future.
Number six, last one, avoidexcessive alcohol and caffeine.
Both alcohol and caffeine cancause fluctuations in blood

(08:11):
sugar and worsen hot flashes.
If you're sensitive to them, tryto cut back and see if it makes
a difference.
Opt for water, herbal teas, ormaybe mocktails instead.
These simple strategies can makea big difference in your blood
sugar balance and hopefully helpease the number and intensity of
hot flashes you're experiencing.
And remember, every woman's bodyis different, so it might take

(08:33):
some time to fight the, find theright combination of lifestyle
changes that work for you.
But the more you understand yourbody and its signals, the better
equipped you'll be to manageyour symptoms and feel really
empowered during this phase oflife.
In just a moment I want toanswer the question of the week
that you might be wonderingabout too, but today we've been

(08:53):
talking about specific steps youcan start taking right away to
balance blood sugars and improvehot flashes.
I recommend you start withchoosing one strategy that you
can work on.
I find the best way to makechanges towards better health is
just one small step at a time.
And also to help you do justthat, you can grab my free
guide, Five Natural Ways toReduce Menopause Symptoms.

(09:17):
In it, you'll find lots ofspecific things you can start
with to create your best healthduring perimenopause and for
many decades to come.
One of my clients took just onetip on page three and she
started sleeping better than shehad in months.
So to get that guide, go to thecomments below and click on the
link.
And as promised, here's thequestion of the week.
My doctor says my lab values areall normal.

(09:40):
I'm not diabetic.
So how do I know if my diet isworking to keep blood sugar in
check?
There's a couple of things thatcan be helpful for you.
First, when you see your doctor,have them measure your
hemoglobin A1c.
This is a marker of how wellyour blood sugar has been
regulated over time.
It's possible your doctor mightjust do a fasting glucose level,
but that's just a snapshot ofwhat's going on right now.

(10:01):
And we want to see what's goingon over time.
So a hemoglobin A1c gives you anidea of how well your blood
sugar is managed over about thelast three months.
Ideally, we'd like to see itbelow 5.
7 percent for someone who is notdiabetic.
And then another option is usinga continuous glucose monitor.
It's a great tool that can helpyou really see how food is

(10:23):
impacting your blood sugarthroughout the day.
When you eat and in betweenmeals, I use it with my clients
sometimes to help them take theinformation they learn from
their monitor and implementchanges in their diet.
It's a really cool tool that isavailable today.
And when you know how to use theinformation, it can be really
helpful.
So thank you so much for joiningme today for taking the time out

(10:44):
of your day.
If you found this episodehelpful, click to subscribe and
until next time, take care ofyourself.
And here's to feeling your bestevery day.