A new study says women who quit smoking may suffer less hot flashes during menopause. So if you’re a smoking woman getting to be of a certain age, you may want to extinguish that cigarette.
Quitting Smoking Helps Reduce Hot Flashes from Menopause
Researchers from the University of Illinois say that an added benefit for women who quit smoking may come in the form of cooler days during menopause. Less hot flashes with a shorter duration was a positive side effect the researchers found in former female smokers.
Menopause is a stage of a woman’s health around her late 40s or early 50s. At this stage of her life, a woman’s menstruation will cease and her hormones will deplete, leaving sometimes terrible side effects, including insomnia, mood swings, and dreaded hot flashes.
The researchers found that women who had given up smoking cigarettes five or more years prior to menopausal onset had a 45% reduction in hot flashes over women who still smoked. Women who had never smoked, however, had an even less occurrence of hot flashes.
Smoking and Women’s Health: A No-No At Any Age
Lead author on the study, epidemiologist Rebecca Smith of the University of Illinois hopes the findings will urge smokers to quit sooner and non-smokers to continue refraining from the harmful habit.
Though the study focused on menopausal women and how cigarette smoking affected hot flashes, Smith and the other researchers as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) know all too well that smoking at any age in a woman’s life is harmful and potentially fatal.
According to the CDC, smoking can lead to lung and mouth cancers, as well as increased possibility of strokes and heart problems. Presently, smoking-related illnesses top the charts in cause of death in the United States.
Study Encourages Women To Stop Smoking Before Menopause
The study was conducted over a period of 7 years focusing on women with an average age of 50. Of the 700 women in the study, half of them (346) reported experiencing hot flashes. The smokers of the study had more hot flashes and had an increased duration. The smokers had hot flashes four times more frequently than the former smokers who had quit prior to menopause.
Though a small study, the benefits of quitting smoking before reaching menopause may not only save your lungs, your skin, your organs, and your life, but it can also save you the agonizing sweat-soaked nights of hot flashes when you’re at the prime of your life.
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