Hi Jenn,
I am not officially in menopause yet as my last "period" was 6 months ago, but I do get the dreaded hot flashes, night sweats, occasional weepy moments and sleeplessness. I have found that eating too much sugar (aka chocolate!) will intensify these symptoms, and so does caffeine.
I have a bedside fan that is a must and sleep with something light on like just a t-shirt or tank top. During the day at work, I carry around bandannas for when I have hot flashes. As for getting emotional, I just let it flow! It's just part of the process. And when people ask me what's wrong, I tell them.. MENOPAUSE!