Hot Flash Solutions Lifestyle Diary Icon Definitions

Date And Time
In order to calculate your hot flash triggers it’s important to know the date and time they occurred. You don’t have to be pin-point accurate - it’s okay to say “afternoon”, or “morning”, but if you do know the time, enter it here. Ultimately, the more detailed your information, the easier it will be to pinpoint your triggers.

What did I eat?
In this box list everything you ate in the 15 to 30 minutes before your hot flash occurred. You can list general categories - like candy, ice cream, cake, a hamburger, a bag of chips. Or you can be more specific such as chocolate candy, vanilla cake, or strawberry ice cream. Also important: Note the temperature of the food - was it cold like ice cream, warm like soup, or room temperature like cake? The more specific you can be, the easier it will be to track down your hot flash trigger.

What did I drink?
This box should contain all non-alcoholic drinks you consumed in the 10 to 30 minutes prior to your hot flash. Categories include coffee, tea, hot chocolate, soda, juice, ice water, iced tea, iced coffee, mocha latte. The more specific you can be the easier it will be to track your hot flash trigger. Very important: Note whether the beverage was hot or cold.

What I Am Wearing
This not only refers to the article of clothing - such as a sweater or bathrobe - but more important, the fabric you are wearing, such as cotton, spandex, nylon, flannel, polyester, etc. If you don’t know what kind of fabric you are wearing, then identify the article of clothing - such as “pink long sleeve shirt”, or “white sweater”. As long as you know what the item is, it can help you to identify if it may be a trigger. If you do establish that what you wear triggers a hot flash, you can back track and see what all the items have in common. Often it will be the fabric, or the color - an indication of the dye.

What I Am Doing Right Now?
Are you exercising? Vacuuming? Doing laundry? Having sex? Smoking? Thinking about having sex? J Meditating? Watching television? Cooking? Eating? At your computer? Talking on the phone? Taking a bath? Driving? Whatever activity you are engaged in at the time your flash occurs - write it down. You don’t have to stop and do it that minute - but try to remember what you were doing when your flash occurred, and fill it in when you can.

What Am I Feeling?
Happy? Sad? Aggravated? Stressed? Furious? Sleepy? Hurt? Upset? Contented? Relaxed? Frightened? Turned On? Anxious? Depressed? Whatever you’re feeling when the flash strikes, jot it down - you don’t need a lot of details, just an indication of how you were feeling when the flash hit.

What Am I Smelling?

From the scent of your favorite perfume, to the laundry detergent you just dumped into the washer, the fumes from the office copy machine, your dish washing detergent, shower gel, shampoo, your best friends new carpet, the oven as it self-cleans, your co-workers perfume, new cut grass, a bouquet of flowers - if there is an obvious fragrance present at the time you are getting a hot flash, enter it here.

Activity: The Last 30 Minutes
Different from “What Am I Doing Now?” this is a record of what you were doing in the 30 minutes or so before your flash hit. This is also the place where you enter the relative temperature of the room before your flash hit. Was it cold, warm, just right? Also note if any temperature change occurred - hot to cold, or cold to hot, as you came in or went out.

Alcohol Consumption : For some women alcohol brings on an immediate hot flash, for others the reaction is delayed or linked to the total amount consumed over a period of hours. For still others, it’s the type of alcohol that becomes the trigger. So try to be as specific as you can when filling in this section - noting the type of alcohol, and the amount - such as 2^nd glass of the day.