Featured Post from Baylor University

Managing Menopause: Mind-Body Solutions for Hot Flashes, Sleep and Well-Being

Feb 16, 2024

3 min

Gary Elkins, Ph.D., ABPP

In recognition of World Menopause Day, Baylor psychologist shares research on hypnotherapy's beneficial effects in relieving hot flashes


(Image credit: Rana Hamid via Getty Images)


The natural aging process of perimenopause and menopause can create a wide range of symptoms for women, with hot flashes and poor sleep being the most frequently reported – and most disruptive – symptoms. World Menopause Day is recognized on Oct. 18, and one Baylor University researcher has been on a 20-year mission to identify safe and effective options to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to help women find relief from hot flashes and improve sleep and well-being during the menopause transition.


Gary Elkins, Ph.D., professor of psychology and neuroscience and director of the Mind-Body Medicine Research Laboratory at Baylor University, is among the nation’s leading researchers on hypnotherapy and mind-body approaches, including continued funding by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to evaluate the efficacy of a self-hypnosis intervention to reduce hot flashes and improve sleep, as well as other outcomes.


“It is important to recognize that hot flashes are a natural part of menopause,” Elkins said. “They are not caused by stress or personality but are due to the decline in estrogen that occurs naturally with aging.”


Perimenopause (the hormonal transition leading up to menopause) and menopause (the cessation of menstrual cycles) is the natural aging process marked by the decline in the reproductive hormone estrogen and progesterone in women and can last anywhere from seven to 20 years. Menopause usually begins around age 52 or can result from breast cancer treatment or hysterectomies.


Although HRT remains the most effective treatment for hot flashes, it is not appropriate for everyone. A major NIH study found that HRT led to an increased risk of breast cancer and cardiovascular disease in some post-menopausal women and breast cancer survivors. Elkins’ research is aimed at giving women choices for their own healthcare, including alternatives such as hypnotherapy.


“While hypnotherapy is not widely understood by many people, it can regulate hot flashes and improve sleep by managing how temperatures are perceived and regulated in the brain,” Elkins said. “Hypnotherapy is a mind-body therapy, similar to mindfulness and guided imagery, that involves the focus of attention, a relaxed state and therapeutic suggestions.” Elkins’ research on hot flashes and sleep and hypnotherapy has been clinically shown to reduce hot flashes by up to 80%, more effective than any other hot flash management tool available, with the exception of HRT.


He also has found that hypnotherapy, as a mind-body intervention, can reduce hot flashes to a degree comparable to HRT, improve sleep quality by over 50% and reduce anxiety while increasing well-being.


“Hypnotherapy involves daily practice of 15-minute hypnotic relaxation sessions that teach your brain to adapt to your body’s changing hormone level. Mental images for coolness and control are used to empower women to take control of the two most troublesome menopause symptoms – hot flashes and sleep,” Elkins said.


Elkins offers the following suggestions for women to empower them and help them find relief from hot flashes, anxiety and interrupted sleep.


  • Remember that hot flashes are a normal part of the perimenopausal/menopausal transition, and the effects a woman experiences are real.
  • Talk to your doctor about options that may work for you. Everyone is an individual, and it is important to find what works best for you.
  • A combined approach of mind-body hypnosis therapy along with low-dose medications can be helpful for some women.
  • It can be helpful to keep a daily diary of your hot flashes to monitor them.
  • Get good sleep. Poor sleep and night sweats can make hot flashes worse.
  • Be knowledgeable about things that have not been shown to work, such as fans, cold packs and certain herbs.
  • Seek support from family and friends.


Elkins has developed the Evia from Mindset Health App to give women easy access to hypnotherapy for hot flashes. The app comes with a free trial that delivers evidence-based hypnotherapy intervention for women during the menopause transition and beyond.


Connect with:
Gary Elkins, Ph.D., ABPP

Gary Elkins, Ph.D., ABPP

Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience (Core Clinical Faculty)

Dr. Gary Elkins' areas of specialization are clinical psychology, health psychology, and hypnotherapy.

Clinical PsychologyHealth PsychologyHypnotherapyHypnotherapy for Hot FlashesBreast Cancer Survivors

You might also like...

Check out some other posts from Baylor University

2 min

Has the SuperBowl Priced Itself out of Fans?

It's arguably one of the 'must-see' sporting events in the world.  But this year fans seem to be a little reluctant to spend those hard earned dollars to watch the Kansas City Chiefs attempt a three-peat and a chance at history. It's a topic that's getting a lot of coverage leading up to the big game this Sunday. The Kansas City Chiefs might make history this weekend, but ticket prices aren’t reflecting that. The cheapest ticket for Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans has fallen below $4,000 on the secondary market, according to reseller TickPick, marking a 30% decline over the past week — and more than 50% cheaper compared to last year’s record-breaking Super Bowl. The Chiefs, who face the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, are hoping to be the first team to win three successive Super Bowl rings. Despite that historic feat on the line, fans apparently aren’t excited to splash out big bucks. There are a few potential reasons related to this year’s host city — and perhaps a slight dose of Chiefs fatigue. Last year’s matchup between the Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers was the most expensive Super Bowl on record, partly because it took place in the party mecca of Las Vegas for the first time. However, New Orleans “doesn’t have the same appeal” as Las Vegas, TickPick CEO Brett Goldberg said. New Orleans’ larger seating capacity is pushing prices lower as well, Goldberg said. The Caesars Superdome holds about 74,000 seats, whereas the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas holds around 65,000 seats. The host city is also still reeling from a terrorist attack last month when a man drove a pickup truck into a crowd and opened fire, killing 14 people and injuring at least 35. Then there’s the matchup itself. Football fans are bored by a third straight Chiefs Super Bowl bid, resulting in TickPick “seeing less interest from fans looking to attend,” Goldberg told CNN. “Had the Detroit Lions, Washington Commanders or Buffalo Bills made it this far, it’d be a much different story as it relates to current prices.”  February 03 - CNN It's an interesting topic and there are questions to be asked Does ticket demand and attendance really matter to the NFL and its sponsors? Why is viewership more important than attendance and ticket prices for the Super Bowl? Location, location, location. It’s always the same issue but what’s different this year? The NFL is big business and if you're a journalist covering the Super Bowl this Sunday - then let us help with your stories. Kirk Wakefield, Ph.D., is The Edwin W. Streetman Professor of Retail Marketing at Baylor University, where he is the Executive Director of the Curb Center for Sales Strategy in Sports and Entertainment (S3E) program in the Hankamer School of Business. Kirk is available to speak with media - simply click on his icon ow to arrange an interview today.

2 min

Return to Office Mandates: Top 3 Challenges for Employers and Employees

Full time return-to-office (RTO) mandates – most recently from JPMorgan Chase, Amazon and now the U.S. federal government – have made headlines across the country and caused consternation among remote and hybrid employees. Whether one is – or is not – a supporter of remote and hybrid work, the challenges that arise with RTO and with remote/hybrid arrangements are important to consider from both sides – employers and employees. Baylor University management expert Sara Jansen Perry, Ph.D., who studies employee stress and well-being, including the role of remote/hybrid work and leadership, said working from home has existed in some form for decades, and research suggests it will continue to be an option for many workers and organizations. "We know many employees value remote work so much as a benefit that they will choose jobs based on whether it is an option,” Perry said. “Fortunately, we have seen many benefits of remote work as well, including employee productivity, cost savings, enhanced work-life balance and well-being, to name a few. Even if employees return to the office a few days a week, these benefits can still be realized, including longer term organizational benefits in terms of retention and applicant attraction. However, if an organization is set on returning to office full time, there are some challenges they should consider and proactively address.” Perry highlights 3 key challenges about Return to Office mandates from the perspectives of both employers and employees, applying foundational topics in organizational psychology, among them leadership, trust, culture, performance management and retention. Those three key challenges are a must read and part of the entire article attached below: Are you a journalist looking to know more?  The let us help. Sara Jansen Perry, Ph.D., The Ben Williams Professor of Management in the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor University, is a nationally recognized researcher on employee stress and well-being, including the role of remote/hybrid work and leadership. Sara is available to speak with media about the recent Return to Work announcement for the federal bureaucracy. Simply click on her icon now to arrange an interview today.

3 min

Baylor Expert: Finding Work-Life Balance with Remote Work

Before March 2020, the idea of remote work was not a realistic option for many businesses. However, the COVID-19 pandemic changed options drastically for employees almost overnight, and the remote work experiment began. Fast forward to today, and traditional work styles are no longer considered the only option and many employees are looking for the freedom to choose where they work. Remote work is generally viewed positively, but it has its own distinct set of challenges, and businesses that help employees respond to these challenges will benefit with a more productive and healthier workforce, said remote/hybrid work expert Sara J. Perry, Ph.D., The Ben Williams Professor of Management at Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business. This is especially important as remote work continues to be a popular option. According to a Gallup poll conducted in August 2022, 34% of employees prefer to work exclusively remote, 60% said they would like a hybrid model and only 6% would like to return to a traditional full-time on-site model. Two keys to success for remote work: flexibility and intentionality Perry has researched the issues around changes to the workplace for over a decade. In a recent article, Interruptions in Remote Work: A Resource-based Model of Work and Family Stress, published in the Journal of Business and Psychology, Perry and her research team surveyed 391 couples to understand the difficulties in finding the balance between work and family when at least one of them works from home. The research shows the keys to success for remote work are flexibility and intentionality. “You can't have a one-size-fits-all; it has to be a nuanced approach,” Baylor University's Sara J. Perry said. Perry identified two risks to successful remote working: Increased interruptions from family members Blurring of work life with family life Develop healthy break habits Unexpected work interruptions make it difficult to focus on the work tasks, and the lack of boundaries between work and family can turn job duties into a non-stop endeavor for the remote employee. These interruptions can cause frustration, a lack of focus and difficulties getting back on task that can eventually put stress on family relationships. “The simple act of establishing effective breaks during work hours can help people sustain their well-being and job satisfaction without sacrificing productivity. The negative effects of not establishing healthy break habits include increased stress for the employee and their family,” Perry said. “If you’re using your breaks wisely, the study suggests that those intentional breaks reduce the damage that interruptions.” A good place to start for remote employees is incorporating some non-work goals into breaks throughout the workday, which can be as simple as starting or finishing a household chore. According to Perry, these activities make a difference in overall stress, engagement and productivity. Breaks focused on self care are also important to include throughout the workday. “Meditating or taking a nap makes you feel restored because you are doing things that make you feel accomplished and give your brain a break from your actual work,” Perry said. Employers also have an important role to play in establish a habit of intentional work breaks. “A lot of people say, ‘I never take breaks,’ or ‘I don't take enough breaks,’” Perry said. “By offering staff the autonomy to plan their own workday that includes breaks without guilt, employers also benefit. Reducing the stress of struggling to maintain a work-life balance will also reduce burnout.” Understanding how to overcome these and other remote work challenges requires employers and employees be “intentional about meaningful communications and connections,” Perry said. She added that leaders who recognize the importance of work versus family time can help employees to develop strategies that allow them to grow and learn while maintaining a healthy balance between work and family.

View all posts
Powered by