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June 2025.

Dr Ben writes a new Blog at the start of every month for our Man Shed section.

Three Hot Topics to Watch Out for in Flaming June

It’s pretty sweltering hot and humid in my Man Shed today, and with Flaming June upon us, it’s definitely time to spare a sympathetic thought for how menopausal and perimenopausal women are coping with the raised temperatures at the moment.

At this time of year, it’s good to be mindful of the fact that it can be particularly challenging for women. Perimenopausal women may have more troubles with temperature regulation due to hormonal changes and blood vessel responses, which can disrupt sleep and produce irritability because the body is finding it harder to maintain a good balance of thermoregulation.

There are three main areas of your partner’s health to be aware of and I’d recommend you keep a close eye on these three hot topics through Flaming June and the summer months ahead:

1. Sleep

Good-quality sleep underpins general good function and wellbeing, so when sleep is significantly disrupted on a regular basis it’s likely that your Other Half will struggle to function. In the current heat and humidity, nighttime may be significantly warmer.

Because overnight temperatures may be higher, it’s harder for a woman’s body to regulate temperature at night in perimenopause. So developing good sleep hygiene is a good idea, always, and especially now.

Sleep hygiene includes going to bed in a cool, dark room. However, if you have all the windows open and curtains flapping, your bedroom can still overheat and make for a disrupted, inadequate night’s sleep.

I would recommend that you suggest a cool shower before bed, or cold-water immersion, either in a bath or shower. That may help with cooling down the body before getting into bed.

Aim for a well-ventilated bedroom, possibly deploying a fan or cooling system. You might go and buy an air-con unit to help your partner stay cool at night.

Sleep is usually more disrupted for a woman during perimenopause, and if she is waking up a lot in the night, she may need some naps during the daytime to compensate. You should both aim for eight hours of quality sleep. If she is napping during the day, try to restrict naps to 45 minutes because otherwise, if you nap longer, you’ll disrupt your night-time sleep quality.

2. Hot flushes

At work during the summer, if you don’t have air conditioning, it is very likely that in perimenopause, your partner may experience flushes more commonly as part of her menopausal symptoms. These can be very distressing, embarrassing and can also be accompanied by heavy sweating and may even require a change of clothes.

At work, it’s worth your partner trying to minimise time spent sitting in stuffy, warm rooms. It’s also important to keep up fluids and, as a considerate man at work, you can look after your female colleagues by ensuring that workspaces are cool and that the water cooler is replenished as the temperature rises outside.

If you partner is based at home, it’s important to remember to drink fluids regularly, so it’s not a bad idea to put a bottle or large jug of water out and to try to drink it as often as you see it. Keep a constant supply of refreshing, cool drinks available and flowing all day.

3. Skin sensitivity

Hormonal changes can sometimes alter the skin, causing inflammation, blotchiness and greasiness. Sunshine can add to these challenges, as can greasy suncreams, so do be mindful to find products that suit your partner‘s skin. These products may not necessarily be the same ones she has used before.

Watch out for increased sensitivity or pigmentation of her skin, which may occur after sun exposure. Be aware that the skin can be damaged by the sun’s rays through over-exposure. This can particularly affect sensitive skin on the face, back of the neck, upper chest and the tops of the ears.

So it’s worth you both wearing a hat. You might prefer something like my Shed Man hat. She may prefer something more stylish, like a large, wide-brimmed hat. In fact, why not gift her a stylish beach hat for those days when you are both getting out and about more?

And when you give her your thoughtful present, don’t forget to remind her of the famous old adage: “If you want to get ahead, get a hat”!

If you’ve got a question for Our Man in The Man Shed Dr Ben Sinclair, you can email him on drben@menopausematters.co.uk

Welcome to The Man Shed and I’m delighted to be your man in it!

My name is Dr Ben Sinclair (please just call me ‘Dr Ben’, everyone does), and I’ve been a GP for nearly 20 years. Bear with me a sec while I shift these spare paint tins and get my laptop set up…

If you’ve got a question for Our Man in The Man Shed, Dr Ben Sinclair, you can email him on:
drben@menopausematters.co.uk.

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