Hot flashes during pregnancy can be so overwhelming. While you’re getting ready to bring a baby into the world, supporting its ability to grow, and dealing with a plethora of cravings, there are also so many other symptoms that you’re forced to think about in the middle of it all.
Hot flashes in pregnancy can be prevented, but what can you do in your day-to-day life to avoid them to the best of your abilities? It may surprise you how easy it is to do many things that prevent hot flashes. However, if your pregnancy hot flashes are beginning to bother you, it’s always good to speak with a medical professional.
No Smoking
According to Cleveland Clinic, smoking can trigger hot flashes during pregnancy. So, of course, if you’re pregnant, you probably shouldn’t be smoking in the first place.
In addition to this, it’s also a good idea to avoid places where you know that smoking is common. For example, if you have friends or family members who smoke regularly, it would be good to avoid seeing them in places where they often smoke and ask them not to smoke around you because of your pregnancy.
This may be a hard ask for some, but it’s essential to prioritize your baby's health and your own.
Further, try to avoid places that permit smoking, including some restaurants, theme parks, and casinos. Sometimes this will be unavoidable, mainly depending on where you live. But it’s best to make an effort.
Lowering Caffeine Intake
It’s also well-known that you should limit the amount of caffeine frequently associated with coffee while you’re pregnant. However, suppose you’re especially prone to hot flashes during your pregnancy. In that case, it could be a good idea to cut caffeine out of your routine altogether for the duration of the pregnancy.
This will undoubtedly be even more of an inconvenience for some than it already was. You’re allowed to have some limited amounts of caffeine, including in decaffeinated coffees and teas.
However, if you were planning to rely on the small amounts of caffeine you wanted to keep but are still likely to get them (or just really worried about hot flashes during your pregnancy in general), you might need to let caffeine go for a while.
Say ‘No Thanks’ to Booze
Again, this is something that you shouldn’t be having while you’re pregnant anyway, in the opinion of many doctors. However, some will say that having a glass of red wine during dinner is okay.
Regardless, to be more confident that you’re preventing any hot flashes in your pregnancy, just don’t consume any alcohol. It may be challenging to say goodbye to some of the fun, but it must be emphasized how important the health of both you and your child are. Keep your future baby healthy, and keep yourself more comfortable.
If you’re at a social gathering and feel out of place without a drink in your hands, try having some juice, a soft drink, or something else that just isn’t water. Some have found that this helps them know what to do with their hands, and still like they’re being part of the fun.
Add Meditation to Your Regimen
For something that doesn’t tell you what not to do, here is something that you can try to do in addition to your regular life. Adding meditation has been found to significantly lower levels of stress and anxiety and some of the hormones and chemicals associated with these unpleasant feelings.
High levels of stress and anxiety frequently cause hot flashes in pregnancy, so meditating can be pretty helpful if you do it regularly. If you make meditation a habit, it’s a good idea to pick a time to do it every day, like after you wake up, go to bed, or during lunch.
Additionally, you can meditate if you start to feel your stress or anxiety levels rising to nip the feelings in the bud.
Meditation is primarily considered helpful because it requests that you maintain regular and deep breathing, and it also asks that you keep your mind as empty of thoughts as possible. Therefore, meditation can be pretty helpful by focusing all of your attention on your breathing and not giving your energy to the things causing you stress; meditation can be quite helpful.
Deep breathing can lower your heart rate and the adrenaline levels throughout your body.
Some have recommended that if you have difficulty letting go of your thoughts, you can use a little bit of imagery to help you empty your mind again. For example, if your mind starts to wander, you can imagine it floating away from you on a balloon as soon as you notice it.