Micro-Blog: Do You Have Hot, Burning, Tingling Feet? 3 possible reasons
Hot, burning, tingling feet and/or other areas of the body during menopause aren’t uncommon. Although lesser-known, the burning/tingling sensation can manifest in various places including burning feet (peripheral neuropathy), mouth (burning mouth syndrome) or vagina.
This may also be related to a recognised symptom known as tingling extremities or paresthesia.
3 reasons you could be struggling:
1. Hot, burning, tingling feet & estrogen
Fluctuating estrogen may be one reason for burning feet which can be uncomfortable and alarming.
As you may know, unstable and declining estrogen is one of the hallmarks of perimenopause and menopause.
And though it’s not well-understood estrogen shifts can affect the nervous system. Of course, 40+ and 55+ can help to regulate your estrogen.
Hot, burning, tingling feet often present themselves at night and can sometimes accompany night sweats. And guess what? They could be caused by something as simple as needing hydration.
Another reason to drink enough water regularly. We have a free Water Tracker sheet here.
2. Hot, burning, tingling Feet & Vitamin B
Another reason for hot, burning and tingling feet may be a lack of certain nutrients including vitamin B.
- B1 – thiamine
- the B2 – riboflavin
- B3 – niacin
- B5 – pantothenic acid
- B6 – pyridoxine
- B7 – biotin
- B9 – folate/folic acid
- B12 – cyanocobalamin
Because the eight members of the vitamin B family are water-soluble the body doesn’t store them so they need to be replaced daily.
Food sources include:
- Avocado
- Citrus fruit
- Eggs
- Leafy greens
- Legumes such as beans and lentils
- Meat & poultry
- Salmon
- Whole grains
For this reason, we always recommend adding a quality vitamin B complex to your menopause toolkit. (Plus we include vitamin B7 (biotin) in LotaLocks®)
Please note: vitamin B6 has been linked with peripheral neuropathy causation2.
3. Hot, burning, tingling Feet & underactive thyroid
An underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) is common in midlife. Indeed, many of the signs and symptoms can be similar to those of perimenopause.
However, there have been some links found between burning feet and hypothyroidism. With that said, there is a lack of comprehensive scientific data so it’s best to check with your doctor.
Tip: if you don’t have a functional medicine practitioner please ask for a full panel thyroid test. The standard test only measures TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) and this doesn’t give a full picture. You need free T3, free T4 and ideally thyroid antibody readings also.
Conclusion
There is some conflicting information out there but several women in perimenopause / menopause experience hot, tingling burning feet. We know this because they’ve told us.
This is one of our series of micro-blogs. Short, sharp and quick to read.
Disclaimer: our articles are a guideline only. Any signs and symptoms you are experiencing could be due to a number of reasons. And burning feet can be linked to a medical condition known as Grierson-Gopalin syndrome or diabetes. For this reason, this should not take the place of medical advice. If you’re experiencing ongoing signs please see your health professional.
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Main image: Anna Schvets @pexels
References:
- Hanna M, Jaqua E, Nguyen V, Clay J. B Vitamins: Functions and Uses in Medicine. Perm J. 2022 Jun 29;26(2):89-97. doi: 10.7812/TPP/21.204. Epub 2022 Jun 17. PMID: 35933667; PMCID: PMC9662251.
- https://www.tga.gov.au/news/safety-alerts/health-supplements-containing-vitamin-b6-can-cause-peripheral-neuropathy
