What is the link between cortisol, the hypothalamus and hot flashes?Updated a year ago

Cortisol is activated by the hypothalamus, an integral part of your hormone system. Hot flashes tend to coincide with the hormone imbalance that comes with perimenopause, menopause, and andropause – wherein all the hormones, including cortisol, are in a state of imbalance. When cortisol is in an elevated state it interferes with our natural circadian rhythm disrupting sleep, when we don’t get quality sleep we are unable to generate the hormones we need to function at our best the next day. We make our hormones in our “deep sleep” and when we get too little sleep or disrupted sleep deep sleep if forfeited. Too many nights of disrupted sleep results in a downward spiral of insufficient hormone production resulting in exacerbated symptoms such as hot flashes. High cortisol leads to disrupted sleep that worsens symptoms. It is a vicious cycle. But if you can bring cortisol into rhythm, then the other hormones can start doing what they are supposed to, and this in turn results in a significant reduction (and possible elimination) of hot flashes.