Practising Yoga Can Help Menopausal Women Sleep Better, Study Shows

Lisa Franchi October 04, 2013

Women on their menopause often experience sleep problems, particularly insomnia. Current medical advice for these women includes practising good sleep hygiene and undergoing hormonal replacement therapy. However, new research shows that yoga can have beneficial effects too.

In a randomised-controlled study carried out by the Group Health Research Institute, a US-based research institution, two groups of healthy menopausal women were assigned to either a yoga programme or exercise, and another group served as a control. Of these women, 107 participated in a weekly 90-minute yoga class for 12 weeks, in addition to a daily yoga practice at home, 106 women were assigned to do exercise, and 142 just went on with their usual activities. In addition, 177 of these participants took omega-3 fatty acids.

The findings show that yoga helped ease insomnia in healthy, menopausal women. However, the researchers did not find a significant difference between women assigned to do yoga and those assigned to usual activity in the frequency of other menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats.

Furthermore, exercise was linked to slight improvements in depression and insomnia. Omega-3 fatty acids had no effect.

Yoga poses for better sleep

Sleep and stress often goes hand in hand. Many people couldn’t sleep well at night because they are anxious, worried and all, whilst others are stressed because they couldn’t get enough sleep.

That’s where yoga comes in. Yoga promotes sleep by calming the body, releasing tension, lowering stress levels naturally, and calming the mind. There are several yoga poses that have been shown to induce restfulness and combat insomnia. Among the most popular are the following:

Forward Bend – this pose is something even beginners can try, especially before bedtime. It involves bending over and attempting to have your knees touch your forehead. This pose is great for releasing tension in the legs, back and shoulder. There are many variations of forward bend. You can try the seated position, the wide legged forward bend, and the standing forward bend.

Child Pose – this pose involves tucking your feet under your buttocks and bending forward with your hands stretched out in front or resting lightly on either side. It stretches your hips, thighs and ankles. It also promotes relaxation, thus reducing anxiety and fatigue.

Supine Spinal Twist – this pose involves lying down and twisting the upper body. It helps relax the spine and back, and is known to aid in insomnia.

Plow – this is an advanced yoga pose that involves lying down, bending one’s body from the hip and placing the legs above and beyond the head. It works well in reducing anxiety and stress.

Shoulder Stand – another advanced pose that promotes relaxation and reduces insomnia. It involves bending the body from the shoulders and lifting and holding the legs in the air.

Legs Up The Wall Pose – this easy yoga pose is great for relaxation and stress relief.

Corpse Pose – this pose helps you get into a sleeping mode easily. But this involves not just lying down. You also want to focus your attention on your body and breath, and let go of all your worries.

Source of this article:

Yoga Could Improve Insomnia In Menopausal Women