Hot flashes are extremely common in perimenopause and menopause. It is estimated that between 50 percent and 80 percent of women in perimenopause experience them.

Because hot flashes can be very unpleasant and affect your quality of life, you might be wondering how long you’ll be dealing with them. Read on to learn more.

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How Long Does a Hot Flash Usually Last?

A hot flash is a brief sensation of warmth throughout the body, often involving flushing, sweating, chills, and an elevated heart rate. Usually, each individual hot flash is between one and five minutes long.

For some people, hot flashes are mild and short, while others may have longer and more intense episodes. And one hot flash to the next can be different. They can happen anywhere from once a day to more than 10 times a day.

When hot flashes happen during sleep, they're often called night sweats. They can cause heavy sweating that may wake you up or leave your pajamas or bedding damp.

How Long Will You Have Hot Flashes Once They Start?

Hot flashes usually begin during perimenopause, the transition phase before menopause, which typically starts sometime in your 40s. There is a wide variety in the amount of time that hot flashes can last, but the average is seven to nine years.

One ThisIsMenopause member shared, “I experienced severe hot flashes for about a month and was not able to sleep, which resulted in me starting HRT to resolve the issue.” (HRT stands for hormone replacement therapy, also called menopause hormone therapy.)

It was once thought that hot flashes go away a few years after menopause. But health experts now know that some women experience hot flashes for much longer — even into their 60s or 70s.

What Causes Hot Flashes?

Hormonal changes during perimenopause are the most likely cause of hot flashes, because estrogen is believed to affect thermoregulation. Declining estrogen levels can disrupt the body’s temperature regulation system.

When this happens, it can make the temperature zone where you feel comfortable very small. For example, even a slight increase in temperature can send your body into sweats and flushing, while a small drop in temperature can cause chills and shivering.

Treatment Options for Hot Flashes

Although hot flashes are common and can last many years, you don’t necessarily need to just live with them. Treatment options are available and help many women feel relief.

Prescription Medications

Menopause hormone therapy containing estrogen, or estrogen and progesterone, increases hormone levels, which can help with hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause as well.

There are also nonhormonal prescription medications that treat other conditions like depression, anxiety, or sleep problems but can also help with hot flash frequency and intensity.

And recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved fezolinetant and elinzanetant for the treatment of moderate to severe hot flashes. These new medications work by targeting brain pathways involved in temperature regulation.

Lifestyle Considerations

Self-care and lifestyle changes can help bring some relief, too.

To help manage hot flashes, you can:

• Dress in layers.
• Keep your home and bedroom cool.
• Keep a cold drink or cold compress nearby.
• Stay physically active.

You may also find it helpful to identify and avoid your personal hot flash triggers. Common triggers include alcohol, caffeine, smoking, spicy foods, hot weather, stress, and hot drinks.

Controlled deep breathing exercises may also be beneficial for managing hot flashes. In one six-week study, postmenopausal women who practiced weekly slow, deep breathing sessions saw a 50 percent reduction in the number of hot flashes they got.

Talk to Your Doctor

People who have never experienced hot flashes may underestimate how unpleasant they can be. Discomfort may be intense and cause anxiety in some people.

You deserve to feel good in your body. Menopause is more than a reproductive milestone, and your symptoms deserve a thoughtful, whole-body approach to care.

There are many hormonal and nonhormonal treatment options available to help with menopause symptoms today. Talk to your healthcare provider. Your care team should take all of your symptoms seriously and help you find effective treatment options that work for you.