Hot flashes can be described as a feeling of intense and sudden warmth or redness of the face, neck, and upper body. They are often one of the most commonly reported symptoms of the menopause transition and are attributed to fluctuating hormones during this time period. Other hot flash triggers include stress, certain foods, caffeine, alcohol, and smoking.

They can occur at any time of day but are especially disruptive at night, as they can prevent quality sleep. Hot flashes that occur at night are sometimes called night sweats due to the accompanying perspiration and chills afterwards.

Each woman is different, but a single hot flash can last between 1 and 15 minutes. The number of hot flashes experienced can also vary from none to multiple episodes an hour. There is no "normal" number of hot flashes a woman may experience.

The same is true for how long they may persist. On average, women will have hot flashes for a period of 10 years, but it's also not uncommon for them to persist for more than a decade.

Fun fact: hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is scientifically proven to be the single most effective way to prevent and decrease the severity of hot flashes.