Thinking of Switching to Decaf During Menopause? How Tracking Can Help You Decide

Wondering if your daily coffee is making your hot flashes worse? Let’s discuss a few quick details about caffeine’s effect on menopause symptoms and how tracking your caffeine intake can help. 

Does caffeine trigger hot flashes?

Whether you get it through coffee, tea, soda, or energy drinks, caffeine doesn’t cause hot flashes. However, it may influence their severity (Faubion, 2015) (Faubion, 2015).

A 2015 study analyzed questionnaire responses from 1,806 women aged 40 and older. They found that caffeine was associated with more bothersome vasomotor symptoms, which include hot flashes, night sweats, and palpitations (Faubion, 2015) (Faubion, 2015). However, older studies found the opposite: drinking tea and coffee was associated with milder menopausal symptoms (Noll, 2020) (Noll, 2020) (Bouchard, 2015) (Bouchard, 2015).

Caffeine may also affect other health concerns—for better or for worse. Caffeine is associated with (Noll, 2020) (Noll, 2020): 

• Urinary incontinence in women aged 70 and older 

• Prevention of depression and cognitive decline when consumed over a lifetime

• Improved mood and concentration   

All of this said, the amount of caffeine in different cups of coffee can vary and affect you differently. We need more research, with more precise measurements of caffeine levels, to fully understand how caffeinated drinks influence common menopausal symptoms (Bouchard, 2015) (Bouchard, 2015).

The benefits of tracking your caffeine intake 

The link between caffeine and menopause symptoms isn’t entirely clear: caffeine consumption might make your vasomotor symptoms worse, but it’s not guaranteed (Noll, 2020) (Noll, 2020). While the research isn’t conclusive, tracking can help you understand how caffeine specifically affects your symptoms. 

If you’re dealing with severe hot flashes and night sweats, you may consider swapping your morning cup of coffee for an herbal tea and tracking any changes. After, if your symptoms improve and your energy levels stay the same, you may decide to cut out caffeine for good. But if your hot flashes persist after switching to decaf, you may decide to switch back.    

Tracking your caffeine intake and menopausal symptoms provides you with valuable data that can help you make informed choices for your health and well-being. As always, share your data with your healthcare provider to gain further understanding and more personalized menopause care.     

DISCLAIMER

This article is intended for educational purposes only, using publicly available information. It is not medical advice, and it should not be used for the diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of disease. Please consult your licensed medical provider regarding health questions or concerns.