Aaron Hartman, MDFunctional Medicine Specialist | Clinical Researcher

Why Stress Can Trigger Hot Flashes #shorts

13 Apr 2026 · 0 min

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0:22

In this short video, Dr. Aaron Hartman explains that elevated stress hormones—particularly cortisol—and heightened sympathetic nervous system activity can disrupt the brain's temperature regulation system. This dysregulation shifts the thermoregulatory "set point," causing normal stimuli to provoke exaggerated responses such as hot flashes, night sweats, and other hormonal symptoms, even during a normal life transition.

all of a sudden they can no longer deal with stress like they used to. And they start having hot flashes, night sweats. They start having a lot of hormonal symptoms, even though this is a normal changing phase of life because the cortisol is so high and their sympathetic nervous system is so high. Their, their rheostat, their temperature thermometer set in their brain gets dysregulated. And all of a sudden, all the stimuli they're used to are now exaggerated.