Aerobic Exercise Regimen Helps Menopausal Women Sleep Better

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The most beneficial aerobic exercise regimen for menopausal women suffering from sleep disturbances is a 70-to-90-minute exercise session three times a week, lasting eight to 10 weeks, according to a recent systemic review published in BMC Women’s Health.

A team of researchers, including corresponding author Liu Mingyi, Ph.D., from the College of Sports Training at Wuhan Sports University in China, studied 16 articles and 19 randomized clinical trials from Web of Science, PubMed, Springer, Science Direct and China Knowledge Network with a total of 885 and 982 subjects in the experimental and control groups, respectively. Researchers aimed to find out what exercises to do, how long to do them and how frequently to repeat them to relieve sleeping disturbances brought on by menopause. Articles used were vetted for bias using The Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment Tool, which covers six areas of bias including performance and detection bias.  Sleep quality of participants was measured using scales such as the widely used and self-reported Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the Insomnia Severity Index, often used in clinical research to diagnose insomnia.

Sleep disorders have become increasingly common, affecting about 27% of people globally, the study says. Additionally, sleep disturbances are one of the most common symptoms reported by menopausal women, affecting an estimated 40% to 69% of menopausal women. However, less than 40% of women meet the criteria for insomnia, resulting in a treatment gap, an additional study published in Menopause reports.

In the Wuhan Sports University study, aerobic exercises were classified into three categories: dynamic exercise (walking, stepping etc.), static exercise (yoga etc.) and a combination of the two (tai chi etc.). Static exercises were the most effective, likely because of their ability to reduce muscle tension, regulate respiration, the study says.

Exercises were also categorized by group setting or solo setting. There were mixed results on which was more beneficial. Some of the studies in this review suggest that exercise classes can create a sense of community, but others suggested that solo exercise limits excessive stimuli and stress.

“Aerobic exercise can improve sleep disorders in menopausal women by balancing the estrogen secretion mechanism, relieving somatic symptoms and regulating adverse emotions,” Mingyi and fellow researchers write. “Aerobic exercise may also enhance the quality of sleep in menopausal women by alleviating vasodilatory symptoms, hot flashes, headaches, palpitations, anxiety and depression.”