14 DAY TRIAL // Women who have entered menopause are likely to have an easier time sleeping at night provided that they sign up for yoga classes, specialists working with the Group Health Research Institute say.
Thus, it appears that yoga reduces insomnia. What's more, it improves sleep quality in menopausal women, and it makes them feel less depressed.
“Many women suffer from insomnia during menopause, and it’s good to know that yoga may help them,” lead investigator Katherine Newton, PhD says.
However, yoga appears to have no effected on other symptoms associated with this transition period. Specifically, it does not make hot flashes more bearable, and it does not reduce night sweats.
The researchers base these claims on data collected while monitoring a total of 249 healthy women who were all experiencing menopause.
As part of this investigation, some of the volunteers were asked to take up a 12-week yoga class. Others were required to enter a moderate aerobic exercise program, and one other group was given omega-3 fatty acid supplements.
By the looks of it, the women who took up exercise experienced a slight improvement in their sleep quality. Besides, the aerobic routine appeared to have somewhat improved their mood, meaning that the women were less depressed.
Still, none of these improvements in their overall wellbeing were statistically relevant, the Group Health Research Institute specialists argue.
The dietary supplements, on the other hand, had absolutely no effect on the women's wellbeing. More precisely, they neither improved their mood, nor reduced hot flashes and night sweats.
The researchers who carried out this investigation explain that, for the time being, the Food and Drug Administration in the US lists hormone therapy as the only treatment for symptoms associated with menopause.
Given the fact that an ever-increasing number of women refuse to opt for hormone therapy, it is important that new treatment options be found.