Day 20: The Importance of Tracking Your Hot Flashes

When it comes to managing any symptoms, hot flashes included, there are few things better or easier to use than tracking.

For most of us, tracking is nothing new. Ask any woman when her last period was and chances are, she can whip out her calendar or phone and tell you the date and maybe even the duration of her last cycle. Keeping track of our periods is a rite of passage of sorts. Some of us have probably been tracking our periods for 20 years or more. And with good reason.

Knowing the timing of our cycle is super important. We need to know when to expect it to start. We need to know how long it is. We need to know how and when it might impact certain plans. And, if it’s late or a complete no-show, we need to know that too. Tracking your cycle gives you necessary information about what’s happening in your body. You use that information to make decisions about your health and lifestyle.

So tracking your period makes sense right? But what about your hot flashes and other symptoms? Why track those? Because, like your period calendar, tracking your symptoms gives you lots of information. And that information can help you figure out what you can do to reduce your symptoms.

What we know about hot flashes is that they differ from woman to woman. Your experience will be different from mine and from your friend’s. When they happen, how often they happen, the sensations you experience, your triggers – these are all things that will vary from woman to woman. And what brings relief will vary just as much. If your goal is to manage your hot flashes, then how do you know you’re managing them if you don’t know what it is you’re managing? Tracking tells you those things, and the daily log on this app is here to help you do just that.

You can log both the occurrence and severity of your hot flashes every day. Importantly, you can also log triggers: does that extra cup of coffee make a difference? Does that sleepless night make them worse? These are some questions we can find answers to by logging these factors every day. And last but not least, you can also log positive actions that should help reduce your hot flashes, like exercise, mindfulness, and even doing these lessons!

So you get the idea. The point is, tracking over time gives you information. You can’t manage what you don’t know.

Another important reason for tracking is accuracy. We don’t always do a good job of remembering details over time, especially if we are in distress when it’s happening. Your memory is only as good as your last hot flash. You might recall how hot you felt but you might not remember the 3 margaritas you had the night before. Were they a trigger? Maybe. But how would you know if alcohol is a trigger if you don’t keep track of it? Tracking helps you to keep up with the details so your brain doesn’t have to.

Probably the most powerful aspect of tracking is not your daily log at all. Tracking does something for you mentally. It gives you a sense of control and mastery. There is comfort in knowing what to expect and realizing that there are things you can do to manage your hot flashes. And, that you are successful in doing so!

All that information helps you to set goals and lets you see your progress. That’s powerful stuff! So as we approach the end of this course, make sure you start spending time with the daily log on this app. It’ll soon become one of your closest friends.