Health A-Z

Medical Content Created by the Faculty of the
Harvard Medical School

Hot Flashes

Symptoms

A hot flash begins as a sensation of intense warmth in the upper body, followed by skin redness (flushing), drenching perspiration, and finally a cold, clammy feeling. Typically, these symptoms begin at the head and spread downward toward the neck and chest. They last from 30 seconds to 5 minutes. The average is 4 minutes. Hot flashes can be accompanied by other uncomfortable sensations, such as heart palpitations, a pressure feeling in the head, or feelings of dizziness, faintness or weakness. When hot flashes occur during the night, they can cause sleeplessness (insomnia), resulting in poor concentration, memory problems, irritability and exhaustion during the day.

A hot flash begins as a sensation of intense warmth in the upper body, followed by skin redness (flushing), drenching perspiration, and finally a cold, clammy feeling. Typically, these symptoms begin at the head and spread downward toward the neck and chest. They last from 30 seconds to 5 minutes. The average is 4 minutes. Hot flashes can be accompanied by other uncomfortable sensations, such as heart palpitations, a pressure feeling in the head, or feelings of dizziness, faintness or weakness. When hot flashes occur during the night, they can cause sleeplessness (insomnia), resulting in poor concentration, memory problems, irritability and exhaustion during the day.