October 18th is World Menopause Day, and Baylor University researchers identify safe and effective options for hormone replacement therapy, including hypnotherapy, to improve women’s sleep and reduce menopausal hot flashes. We have been working on a 20-year mission to do so. transition.
Dr. Gary Elkins, professor of psychology and neuroscience and director of the Institute of Mind-Body Medicine at Baylor University, is one of the leading researchers in the United States on hypnotherapy and mind-body approaches, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH). ) includes ongoing funding. Evaluate the effectiveness and other outcomes of self-hypnosis interventions to improve sleep and reduce hot flashes.
“It’s important to recognize that hot flashes are a natural part of menopause,” Elkins said in the release. “It’s not caused by stress or personality, but by the natural decline in estrogen that occurs as we age.”
Perimenopause (hormonal changes leading to menopause) and menopause (cessation of menstrual cycles) are natural aging processes characterized by a decrease in the female reproductive hormones estrogen and progesterone, lasting between 7 and 20 years. You may. Menopause usually begins around age 52 but can also be triggered by breast cancer treatment or a hysterectomy.
Hormone replacement therapy remains the most effective treatment for hot flashes, but it is not suitable for everyone. A major NIH study found that hormone replacement therapy leads to an increased risk of breast cancer and cardiovascular disease in some postmenopausal women and breast cancer survivors. Elkins’ research aims to provide women with options for their own health care, including alternatives such as hypnotherapy.
“Hypnotherapy is not widely understood by many people, but by managing the perception and regulation of temperature in the brain, it can regulate hot flashes and improve sleep,” Elkins said in a release. It is stated in “Hypnotherapy is a mind-body therapy, similar to mindfulness or guided imagery, that focuses your attention, puts you in a relaxed state, and provides therapeutic suggestions.”
Elkins’ research on sleep and hot flashes and hypnotherapy has been clinically shown to reduce hot flashes by up to 80%, making it more effective than any other hot flash management tool except hormone replacement therapy.
He also found that hypnotherapy as a mind-body intervention can reduce hot flashes to a degree comparable to hormone replacement therapy, improve sleep quality by more than 50%, and reduce anxiety while increasing feelings of well-being.
“Hypnosis therapy involves practicing 15-minute hypnotic relaxation sessions daily that teach the brain to adapt to changes in the body’s hormone levels. Mental imagery for calm and control can help reduce hot flashes and “It is used to help women control two of the most troublesome menopause symptoms: sleep,” Elkins said in the release.
Elkins offers the following suggestions to empower women and help them find relief from hot flashes, anxiety, and disrupted sleep:
- Remember that hot flashes are a normal part of the perimenopause/menopause transition and the effects women experience are real.
- Talk to your doctor about options that work for you. Everyone is unique, so it’s important to find what works best for you.
- An approach that combines mind-body hypnotherapy and low-dose medication may help some women.
- A good way to monitor your hot flashes is to keep a daily hot flash diary.
- Get a good night’s sleep. Lack of sleep and night sweats can make hot flashes worse.
- Be knowledgeable about unproven remedies, such as fans, ice packs, and certain herbs.
- Ask family and friends for support.
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