I got up in the middle of the night. I asked the dogs who are always SO happy to go out and check out the back yard at 2:30 in the morning.... "Is it hot out here, or is it just me?"
I'm all into the hot flash phase of the menopausal minefield these days.
To help myself understand what was going on, I went on line. Heck, I was up anyway, why not do some research?
Here's the most coherant thing I found on the subject.
Verbatum:
Here's the biological wiring that switches on the sudden sweats. Here's The Breakdown of Your Hot Flashes
#1 Portions of the brain, which control body temperature, react to dips in the blood level of hormones.
#2 The brain's insular cortex, which controls perceptions of heat, cold, pain and pleasure, turns on.
#3 About 20 minutes before a full blown hot flash, your core body temperature begins to rise.
#4 About 10 minutes before a flash, skin temperature rises. Vessels dilate and blood flow increases to prepare the body to get rid of the extra heat.
#5 An aura--dizziness, a racing heart and a sense of anxiety or unease--may also precede a flash.
#6 You feel hot, sometimes intensely, mostly on the upper third of your body.
#7 Sweat glands prepare to start pumping out perspiration.
#8 Blood rushes to skin across your chest, neck and face, causing flushing.
#9 You begin to sweat, mostly on the upper part of your body.
#10 Peripheral blood vessels, in your arms, torso, legs and face, fully dilate, and heat shoots out. ( I love that little phrase.... 'heat shoots out'...... isn't that precious? )
#11 Total time of thermal chaos: under five minutes. Flashes are most common in the morning and evening, according to researcher Robert Freeman of Wayne State University.
Originally published in More magazine, December 2005 / January 2006.
That'll wake you right up out of a sound sleep now wouldn't it?
And here's the really wierd and whacky thing. This is the picture that came with the text.... I promise you that I am not making this up:
[album 65561 p_1205MENOPAUSE005.jpg]
Now THAT is just too comical for words.
(Looks like somebody's got your number there Cupcake...)
See you at 2:30 AM.
I'm all into the hot flash phase of the menopausal minefield these days.
To help myself understand what was going on, I went on line. Heck, I was up anyway, why not do some research?
Here's the most coherant thing I found on the subject.
Verbatum:
Here's the biological wiring that switches on the sudden sweats. Here's The Breakdown of Your Hot Flashes
#1 Portions of the brain, which control body temperature, react to dips in the blood level of hormones.
#2 The brain's insular cortex, which controls perceptions of heat, cold, pain and pleasure, turns on.
#3 About 20 minutes before a full blown hot flash, your core body temperature begins to rise.
#4 About 10 minutes before a flash, skin temperature rises. Vessels dilate and blood flow increases to prepare the body to get rid of the extra heat.
#5 An aura--dizziness, a racing heart and a sense of anxiety or unease--may also precede a flash.
#6 You feel hot, sometimes intensely, mostly on the upper third of your body.
#7 Sweat glands prepare to start pumping out perspiration.
#8 Blood rushes to skin across your chest, neck and face, causing flushing.
#9 You begin to sweat, mostly on the upper part of your body.
#10 Peripheral blood vessels, in your arms, torso, legs and face, fully dilate, and heat shoots out. ( I love that little phrase.... 'heat shoots out'...... isn't that precious? )
#11 Total time of thermal chaos: under five minutes. Flashes are most common in the morning and evening, according to researcher Robert Freeman of Wayne State University.
Originally published in More magazine, December 2005 / January 2006.
That'll wake you right up out of a sound sleep now wouldn't it?
And here's the really wierd and whacky thing. This is the picture that came with the text.... I promise you that I am not making this up:
[album 65561 p_1205MENOPAUSE005.jpg]
Now THAT is just too comical for words.
(Looks like somebody's got your number there Cupcake...)
See you at 2:30 AM.