Hot Flashes Make Me Thirsty

The first hint I notice when a hot flash is about to encompass my 50-something body is the urge to get a drink of water. NOW.

That rush to the faucet is quickly followed by searing heat, red-hot skin, and drippy sweat. And flying clothes.

Seriously. My new wardrobe of this life stage is pants (for now, until spring is upon us, then shorts or capris), tank tops, and the one-same Goodwill sweater that I match - or maybe not - with every outfit. That is all I plan on wearing for the next few years. The sweater is easily tossed on the floor once the sweat descends. Sleeveless tops cool my neck and arms much quicker than even short-sleeves. The house slippers join discarded items until the heat thermostat that is my body drops back to the normal zone. Whereupon I get dressed. Again.

One day, as that thirst hit . . . Interesting. Just writing about a hot flash has encouraged one to visit me. There go the clothes and the sweaty keyboard. Need a drink.

Back. Sorry. Goes with the territory.

Now, as I was saying, I realized that the sudden and demanding urge to quench my thirst at the onset of a hot flash was in fact, very similar to that same thirst I experienced each time I began to nurse my babies. Simultaneously, they began to suck, my milk let-down, and I needed a drink. All at the same time. I learned to prepare to feed the babies by first placing a big glass of water on the table beside me. It worked.

I'm guessing, though I could be way off target, that hormones are at play here. Back then, pregnancy, childbirth, and nursing stimulated the hormones that made me thirst as I produced and delivered milk to the babies. Now I am not nursing, but my hormones are doing something to make me thirsty. Maybe it is the last dying gasp of estrogen floating out of my body, no longer needed to maintain the body for reproduction.

Someone out there knows. Maybe a female scientist could take this one on and let me know. One thing I am sure of. I am very thankful that I did not have hot flashes while I was nursing! And I am thankful that I am not a nursing mommy now.

Another thought I had was that the thirst I experienced, a (seemingly) life-threatening thirst, must be what the Lord was talking about in the Sermon on the Mount as He spoke with His disciples and the gathered crowds.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6

Spiritual hunger and thirst is a life-threatening situation. We thirst and we hunger for the Savior, the Son of God, and His righteousness. But do we let ourselves be filled?

It's as easy as my placing a glass of water at my side or going to the sink to fill a cup. We just have to ask. And we will be filled with exactly what we need.

What are you hungry and thirsty for?


Angie Quantrell regularly disrobes and puts clothes back on as she hot flashes throughout her days. Writing about life and connecting with spiritual truths gives her purpose. Angie lets the Lord quench her thirst.