Hot flashes and night sweats are common for women around the age of menopause, but if they’re severe, they can lead to further health problems, Cleveland Clinic Wellness notes. “Research shows a link between hot flashes and heart disease, and according to a new study, both hot flashes and night sweats may also signal a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. Women whose hot flashes started later in perimenopause and who also experienced night sweats had the highest risk of diabetes,” the clinic says.

If you are experiencing symptoms like this, you’ll want to both talk with your physician and start making changes to improve your health — such as exercising regularly, drinking less, and eating a diet rich with whole foods and noninflammatory nutrients. Cleveland Clinic adds: “New data also suggests that hormone therapy with a bioidentical estrogen patch or cream and a micronized progesterone pill coupled with baby aspirin may have much more benefit than prior studies seemed to indicate. So if hot flashes disrupt your life, and lifestyle alone is not enough to mend it, talk to your doc about this too.”