Thankfully, my days of hot flashes and evenings of night sweats are a thing of the past.
For me, what finally worked was to get on the correct medications. Once my hormones were back in balance, these unpleasant (to put it mildly!) symptoms went away.
But I know that millions of women are not as fortunate as I am. Every night, they continue to wake up freezing and drenched in sweat, and then beg their families to let them keep the A/C set at 60 during the day because they feel so insanely warm. In an effort to help these women feel better, I’ve done a lot of reading on the various products that claim to help us feel cooler. I’ve also spoken with other women about them, to ask for their opinions. And in the spirit of good research, I’ve tried them too.
Below, you’ll see a list of products that have earned what I call “The Good Housekeeping Seal of Michelle.” These are the ones that I’ve heard the best, most consistently positive feedback on, and that I also personally loved.
But first, I want to take a minute and remind anyone who is dealing with hot flashes and/or night sweats to be sure to keep a water bottle at your side at all times. When I first started having night sweats, I found that I was thirsty all of the time. While I was used to drinking a lot of water while dancing, it took me a few thirsty days to realize that as far as your body is concerned, sweating is sweating! Keep a bottle at your bedside and one in your purse and be sure to keep your body hydrated.
Okay, on to the products! What all of these have in common is the ability to help keep our body temperatures regulated, which in turn leads to better sleep (and a better mood!).
As you know, when you have night sweats, your pajamas get soaked. What we need, then, is something that will pull away, or wick, the moisture from our skin. What we need are called wicking pajamas, which are available at www.serenecomfort.com and also www.karenneuburger.com
I just love how these jammies work. When you wear them and get sweaty, the fabric helps take the sweat away from your body and absorbs it away from your skin. So you are left feeling dry and comfy, instead of cold and soggy.
Another product that impressed me and my friendly, informal panel of testers is called the Chillow Pillow. You can find them at www.amazon.com . Chillow pillows go inside your own pillowcases, and as they sense your body temperature rising, they cause your pillows to feel cooler. Isn’t that just great?
The final product I want to tell you about today is in honor of the woman I referred to above—the one who wants to keep her whole house as chilly as possible. Of course, this is usually easier said than done because the rest of her family will squawk and then when she sees her electric bill, she’ll probably squawk too.
How about a portable air conditioning unit? This baby is on wheels, and even has a hose attached to it so you can direct the cool air right where you need it most—on you! You can usually find them at Costco or similar stores, and most run right about in the $400 range. While that might seem a bit on the pricey side, the way I looked at it was that it broke down to 12 monthly payments of about $35—that seemed a lot easier to swallow financially. Plus, your electric bills won’t go crazy from keeping the A/C at 60 degrees.
As an interesting final side note, I was telling a friend of mine about these products, and she said that although she hasn’t had to deal with night sweats and hot flashes yet (lucky duck!), she did experience big time night sweats for about 6 weeks after the births of both of her sons. She felt that new Moms, who are also dealing with fluctuating hormone levels, might also be interested in these items. So if you know a woman who was just visited by the stork, feel free to pass this information along to her!
So, what products have worked for you? Have you tried any of the products that I’ve mentioned? I’d love to read what has and has not worked for you so please, drop me a line!