Why do I get hot flashes at night during perimenopause?

Experiencing hot flashes at night during perimenopause is common, and the timing is not random. Your body's hormonal fluctuations interact with your environment, activity level, and stress response to trigger symptoms at specific moments.

At night, your body may be more susceptible to hot flashes because of factors like temperature changes, physical exertion, stress hormones, or blood sugar fluctuations. Estrogen helps regulate many of these systems, and when levels are unpredictable, your body's response becomes less predictable too.

Practical strategies: Pay attention to what happens in the 30 minutes before hot flashes starts at night. Common triggers include caffeine, alcohol, spicy foods, warm environments, sudden stress, and blood sugar drops. Once you identify your personal triggers, you can plan around them.

Logging when hot flashes occurs at night helps you build a clear picture of your patterns and share useful data with your healthcare provider.