Hot flashes, interrupted sleep, joint pain and irritability are just a handful of the unpleasant symptoms women deal with as they enter menopause. Even worse, approximately 25% of peri-menopausal women also suffer from depression.
While there’s no magic cure, a study has found that 10 minutes of stretching before bedtime may help decrease the unpleasant side effects of menopause.
Forty middle-aged Japanese women, all of whom suffered from menopausal and depressive symptoms, took part in a study conducted by the Physical Fitness Research Institute, Meji Yasuda Life Foundation of Health and Welfare, in Tokyo, Japan.
Twenty of them were assigned to do 10 minutes of light stretching before bed; the other 20 were asked to remain sedentary. Researchers found that the women who stretched reported decreased menopausal and depressive symptoms compared with the women who remained sedentary.
The science behind the effectiveness of stretching is twofold. Acute stretching suppresses sympathetic nervous activity and increases parasympathetic activity, which seems to be effective for achieving better sleep. A better sleep helps to restore the body and manage psychological well being.
Admittedly, it’s a small study, and more research should be done in a larger control group. However, previous research indicates that exercise is already known to help menopausal symptoms. For peri-menopausal women, it may also be worthwhile to do 10 minutes of stretching before bed. While it doesn’t erase symptoms completely, the research suggests it’s good habit to get into.
