Last Updated on August 2, 2026 10:09 pm by INDIAN AWAAZ
Dr. Anita Kant Chairman & Head Department of Gynae & Obstetrics, Asian Institute of Medical Sciences
Acute changes in physical activity and ambient temperature may influence the occurrence of hot flashes, according to a study published in the journal Menopause.¹
The study enrolled 270 women aged 45 to 55 years, spanning three menopausal stages, who wore ambulatory monitors to continuously track temperature, humidity, physical activity, and hot flashes over a 24-hour period. Data were collected between October and April, during cooler weather. Subjective hot flashes were recorded via an event marker and data logging, while sternal skin conductance was used to objectively measure hot flashes. Participants wore wrist accelerometers to monitor physical activity and record wake and sleep times. Logistic multilevel modeling was used to compare physical activity, humidity, and temperature in the 10 minutes preceding a hot flash against control windows in which no hot flash occurred. The odds of experiencing a hot flash were analyzed separately for objective and subjective hot flashes, and for wake and sleep periods.
Data from 188 subjects were analyzed. Acute increases in physical activity significantly raised the odds of objective waking hot flashes (odds ratio [OR] 1.31) and subjective waking hot flashes (OR 1.16). Similarly, acute increases in actigraphy-measured activity were associated with substantially higher odds of objective sleeping hot flashes (OR 1.17) and subjective sleeping hot flashes (OR 1.72)
An increase in temperature was significantly associated with higher odds of subjective sleeping hot flashes (OR 1.38), but not with objective hot flashes. No relationship was found between humidity and the likelihood of experiencing hot flashes, either objective or subjective
These findings suggest that hot flashes overall are more likely during acute increases in physical activity, while subjective (but not objective) hot flashes are more likely at higher ambient temperatures. Given the well-established benefits of physical activity, clinicians should nonetheless be aware of this association and counsel patients on the potential link between vigorous exercise and hot flashes
- Witkowski S, et al. Acute increases in physical activity and temperature are associated with hot flash experience in midlife women. Menopause. 2024 May 28. doi: 10.1097/GME.0000000000002373.
