Hot flashes feel the same to men and women: A sudden feeling of warmth or flushing that is most intense over the head and trunk, often accompanied by visible redness of the skin and by sweating, which can be profuse. Hot flashes are most common at night.
That's right—men have hot flashes, too.
You may get them frequently, or just occasionally. You might feel like you're “burning up”, or you might break out in a cold sweat. Some men wake up hot and sweaty at night. These hot flashes that happen at night are called “night sweats”, and they can cause sleep deprivation.
Although all men experience a slow and steady decline in testosterone starting at around age 30, it is usually a sharp decline in testosterone that causes hot flashes.
Male menopause is a period of gradual adjustment when the body adjusts to low levels of testosterone. According to some sources, the discomfort of menopause may last 15 to 20 years.
The decrease in the levels of male hormone, or testosterone, is less severe than the drop in hormone levels for women throughout menopause. The varied signs and symptoms some people attribute to male menopause include: hot flashes. moodiness and irritability.
Men can experience night sweats due to low testosterone levels, also called male hypogonadism. Around 38% of men 45 years or older. View Source have low testosterone levels for a variety of reasons, and even otherwise healthy men have a 20% likelihood of having low testosterone levels if they are over 60 years old.
One possible cause of night sweats in men is low testosterone, which can be identified via a simple blood test. It's a hormonal condition that becomes more common as men age. Low testosterone has been linked to being overweight and to Type 2 diabetes.
If you're hot and sweaty and you straight-up cannot stand the heat, you may have an overactive thyroid, a.k.a. hyperthyroidism. “One of the most common symptoms of hyperthyroidism is heat intolerance,” says Jonathan Arend, M.D., an internist at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.
Treatment for cancers such as breast and prostate cancer commonly cause menopause or menopause-like effects, which can include severe hot flashes. Night sweats are common in people who have received treatment for breast or prostate cancer.
One study that looked into the possible connection between hot flashes and hypertension found that women who experienced frequent hot flashes also had a systolic blood pressure that was significantly higher than average.
An overworked liver is a very common cause of excess body heat and it's often overlooked. So the next time you think it must be your hormones, spare a thought to your liver.
A hot flash is the sudden feeling of warmth in the upper body, which is usually most intense over the face, neck and chest. Your skin might redden, as if you're blushing. A hot flash can also cause sweating. If you lose too much body heat, you might feel chilled afterward.
Hot flushes and night sweats can dehydrate you, but being dehydrated will put more pressure on your nervous system, which will also trigger more hot flushes and night sweats.
Hot flashes: Some individuals worry that hot flashes in men and high blood pressure are correlated, but just as with women, they can be caused by prescription medication, being overweight, anxiety, thyroid illnesses, and sudden hormone changes.
Night sweats can be a manifestation of simple infection, underlying malignancy, more complex infections – including TB and HIV – connective tissue disorders, menopause or certain prescribed drugs. It's also important not to overlook possible psychological causes, such as night terrors secondary to PTSD.
Article highlights. Some large studies show that people with obesity, diabetes, and insulin resistance seem to have more hot flashes, and that weight loss and healthy diets can decrease hot flashes.
Hot flashes in elderly adults are caused by a decrease in estrogen levels which affects the body's thermostat. Generally, hot flashes are associated with menopause.
While women typically experience menopause in the 40s or 50s, a large number of women can experience hot flashes not only during menopause but well into their 60s, 70s, and even 80s.
Low testosterone levels in males can lead to erectile dysfunction. They can also affect sleep, mood, the size of the testicles, and more. In both males and females, low testosterone can lead to lower bone mass and reduced sex drive.
Treating normal aging with testosterone therapy is not advisable. If you don't have a medical condition that's contributing to your decline in testosterone levels, your doctor might suggest natural ways to boost testosterone, such as losing weight and increasing muscle mass through resistance exercise.