50+ Living article

Hot flushes and night sweats: what actually helps

Sources cited · not medically reviewed · last checked November 2026

The short answer. Hot flushes and night sweats are among the most common symptoms of the menopause transition, and they can continue well after periods have stopped. UK guidance lists practical measures that genuinely help — cooling, avoiding known triggers, exercise, weight and stress — and recognises cognitive behavioural therapy for flushes as well as for mood and sleep. Where symptoms are having a big impact, discussing treatment with a GP is the appropriate next step. Nothing in the supplement aisle is in that guidance.

This is part of the Women 50+ track. If you are at the beginning of the transition, start with what perimenopause is and when it starts.

What is actually happening

A hot flush is a sudden feeling of heat in the face, neck and chest, sometimes followed by feeling cold. It can make you sweat heavily, and it may come with palpitations, anxiety or dizziness. It can last several minutes, and it happens at night as well — night sweats interrupt sleep in the way daytime flushes interrupt a meeting.¹

They are driven by falling hormone levels, and they are unpredictable: they can start during perimenopause, continue through menopause itself, and carry on afterwards. Experience varies widely. Some people are barely troubled; others find their sleep, work, relationships and mood all affected. Ethnic background plays a part too — women from a Black ethnic background are more likely to have severe hot flushes that continue for longer.¹

What UK guidance says helps

These are measures named in NHS guidance. They are not a treatment plan, and they are not a reason to avoid discussing your options with a clinician.²

Cooling, directly. Lightweight clothing, a cool bedroom at night, a cool shower, a fan, or a cold drink when one starts.
Removing avoidable triggers. The guidance names spicy food, caffeine, hot drinks, smoking and alcohol as triggers to reduce or avoid.
Regular exercise and a healthy weight. Both appear on the guidance’s list.
Reducing stress, deliberately. Relaxation practices — yoga, tai chi, meditation — are named, along with general stress-reduction.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Named specifically as helping to manage hot flushes, and separately for low mood, anxiety and sleep problems. It is available through a GP, face-to-face or as an online self-help programme.

Two things the same guidance warns about. It advises talking to a doctor before taking any herbal supplement or complementary medicine — because these are not neutral products, and interactions and effects vary. And it notes that smoking makes symptoms worse, so stopping is not only about long-term risk.

What needs a professional

See a GP if your symptoms are having a big impact on your daily life, your relationships or your work, or if you want to talk through treatment options properly. Care for menopause should be tailored to you and decided with you, not handed to you — which is exactly why it is a conversation rather than a page.³

Contact a GP promptly if you have a fast or noticeable heartbeat, or if you have any vaginal bleeding after 12 months without a period. That needs checking even if it happened once, even if it was only spotting, and even if you feel well.

Questions worth taking to your appointment. Open the appointment brief and they will be laid out for you.

Are my symptoms likely to be explained by the menopause transition, or should we rule anything else out?
For someone with my medical history, what are the treatment options and what does the evidence say about each?
I have read about herbal and complementary products — what should I know before trying anything?
Would CBT be available to me, given how much the flushes and the broken sleep are affecting me?
If we try something, how long before we know whether it is working, and what should I watch for?
Is there anything about my bone health we should look at now?

Sources

NHS, Symptoms of menopause and perimenopause — page last reviewed 19 May 2026.
NHS, Things you can do to help menopause and perimenopause symptoms — page last reviewed 19 May 2026.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Menopause: identification and management (NG23) — published 12 November 2015, last updated 15 April 2026.

This page quotes UK guidance. Other countries’ guidance differs, including which treatments are available and when they are offered.

This is education, not medical advice. It explains what published guidance says and what you can influence. It does not diagnose, does not interpret anyone's individual test results, and does not replace care from a qualified professional. If something is urgent, seek local help.