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Dealing with vasomotor symptoms—commonly known as hot flashes or night sweats—during menopause can feel like an exhausting game of Whac-A-Mole. You’re told to look for patterns and avoid triggers, but they can be difficult to pinpoint—just when you think you have a sense of what can bring on a hot flash sequence, one arises seemingly out of nowhere. This is made harder by the fact that frustratingly little has been proven about the connections between hot flashes and certain foods and drinks.1 That nightly glass of wine is a prime example: While anecdotal experience suggests that alcohol can trigger or worsen hot flashes, studies have yet to empirically prove the connection.2
But there are many things we do know about alcohol use that can, along with personal observation, provide a useful roadmap for navigating drinking and vasomotor symptoms. SELF spoke with experts on what to know and what to look out for.
Know that alcohol use could potentially trigger hot flashes, and monitor your own experiences.
Laurie Jeffers, NP, DNP, co-director of the Center for Midlife Health and Menopause at NYU Langone Health,