The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › General Hot Yoga Discussion › Diet, Clothing, Hydration and Drinking › Hot Flashes
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I am well past the age for menopause plus I had a complete hysterectomy when i was in my early 30’s. I am now 69 years old and since I started Hot Yoga almost 6 months ago I have been having some pretty bad hot flashes. I can be in a cool room or even outside and all of a sudden my whole body breaks out in sweat …. Has anyone else ever had this happen? I feel fine otherwise … even though I am old 🙂 Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thank you!!
BettyHello Betty
Thank you for posting your very important question.
It’s highly likely that you are suffering from a case of heat exhaustion, albeit mild (mild enough for you to keep going to yoga). But before we jump to that conclusion definitively, I think it’s best to ask you about the studio in which you are practising.
Can you tell me about the heat and humidity in your particular studio? Are you aware of the conditions in a real way via some kind of visible means, or is it just hearsay? When you’re in class, or perhaps talk about it with others after class, that others have a certain ease or difficulty in handling the conditions while practising. Maybe there’s a clue there.
Have you ever had difficulty coping with heat before? Do you live in a hot state or one of those cooler to freezing ones? 😉
Tell me what you can and we can drill down until we get an answer.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂I go to Hot Yoga Inc. in Puyallup, WA. They say it is 105 degrees with pretty high humidity. I do sweat profusely but seem to be handling the heat pretty well so far (going into my 6th month). I was wondering if the heat could have an effect on my hormones? I asked my doctor about it but her answer is always just stop going and I do not intend to do that. She is useless. Instead of trying to find an answer she just wants me to stop. I grew up in a very hot state, Texas. But did not really spend a lot of time outdoors. When I first started Hot Yoga I really did not think I would be able to tolerate the heat but after only one class I was hooked. As I mentioned, not only do I feel better physically but my mental condition is so much better. I wish I could find an answer … I am asking around. I can live with the hot flashes if I have to but I would prefer not to 🙂 Thanks for your answer. I am not sure if I helped.
Hello Betty
It does seem to me to be classic heat exhaustion. Many studios heat their studios too high.** In fact the problem is not necessarily that the heat is too high, but that the heat PLUS high humidity is creating an alchemy of effects that makes the cooling of the body much more difficult and sometimes impossible.
How often are you going to yoga? How many days between classes?
When you are in class do you have to stop during class for a rest? Do others have to do the same? How many people in your classes?
Re the heat in your studio**. It appears that they just tell you that the studio is 105F. How can you confirm that? Is there a gauge somewhere? If your studio is also humid then what do they do when the humidity is very high? Do they drop the heat or do they open windows or doors, turn fans on, or something else, or perhaps nothing at all?
What does it take for action to be taken during any one class? If any action is taken at all that is! Some studios wait for people to ask, others wait for a certain number of people to appear to suffer.
Do you or others in the studio know the percentage humidity readings at any moment of the class?
I know there are a lot of questions there, but the ‘devil is in the detail’ in this instance and it’s best to know what you’re talking about before you start pushing for anything to change (if that’s what is necessary). We have to see if conditions are safe for you and everyone else or if it’s an individual thing.
What you can do is look up on this forum (by using the search facility above) something called the ‘heat index’. It will help you to understand the multiplying effect of the heat and humidity.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hello Betty
It does seem to me to be classic heat exhaustion. Many studios heat their studios too high.** In fact the problem is not necessarily that the heat is too high, but that the heat PLUS high humidity is creating an alchemy of effects that makes the cooling of the body much more difficult and sometimes impossible.
How often are you going to yoga? How many days between classes?
When you are in class do you have to stop during class for a rest? Do others have to do the same? How many people in your classes?
Re the heat in your studio**. It appears that they just tell you that the studio is 105F. How can you confirm that? Is there a gauge somewhere? If your studio is also humid then what do they do when the humidity is very high? Do they drop the heat or do they open windows or doors, turn fans on, or something else, or perhaps nothing at all?
What does it take for action to be taken during any one class? If any action is taken at all that is! Some studios wait for people to ask, others wait for a certain number of people to appear to suffer.
Do you or others in the studio know the percentage humidity readings at any moment of the class?
I know there are a lot of questions there, but the ‘devil is in the detail’ in this instance and it’s best to know what you’re talking about before you start pushing for anything to change (if that’s what is necessary). We have to see if conditions are safe for you and everyone else or if it’s an individual thing.
What you can do is look up on this forum (by using the search facility above) something called the ‘heat index’. It will help you to understand the multiplying effect of the heat and humidity.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂First I need to say when the hot flashes occur. Normally they occur in a cool room – my bedroom or living room area which is fairly cool. Of course it would be really hard to tell if you had hot flashes in a very hot room LOL …
There is no way to tell how hot it actually is or how high the humidity really is. It is said by other Hot Yoga studios that Hot Yoga Inc has the hottest rooms around. But for me it is near my house and my choice of other studios is not a choice at all …. I have an eye disease that keeps me from driving anywhere but very short distances. Plus I adore all the instructors and the people who go there.
During Oct. there was a challenge and I went for 30 days without a break but before that I normally went to classes 3, 4 or 5 times a week. After the challenge I am going back to that schedule. For my age and the fact that I only started hot yoga a few months ago .. never went to any type of yoga in my life … I always seem to feel better after I leave the hot room. And then usually at night or evenings I get the hot flashes. Sometimes I only get one a day/night and sometimes I get several at different times during the day/night.
I truly do not think it is heat exhaustion at all although I certainly am no expert … I was thinking maybe the heat has somehow changed my hormones or something like that. I sure do not feel bad physically so it is hard for me to believe that this is bad for me … health wise.
Thank you so much for answering me. I appreciate your concern and your help.
BettyHi Betty
Here is where the answer to your problem lies:
There is no way to tell how hot it actually is or how high the humidity really is.
Please go and research heat exhaustion. You will find that hot flashes are a major indicator. You don’t need to feel hot during the course of your activity. You are most likely experiencing effects of prolonged exposure to heat conditions that are too high for too long. Please look up those references to heat index too for a better understanding of the combined effects of heat and humidity.
I don’t believe your hormones have reset due to hot yoga.
Please read around this forum for the dozens and dozens of similar stories. I invite you to explore the possibilities and then decide on a course of action. It doesn’t mean you have to give up your yoga. But perhaps together we can find a way to manage what is clearly a problem.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Thank you very much for your time and effort on my problem. I will research further …
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