A recent study reported in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine (April 2007) suggests that women who exercise regularly seem to have an easier time handling the symptoms that go along with menopause than women who don’t exercise. But don’t get your hopes up too high. Exercise may or may not help to reduce some of the most bothersome symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes.
Menopause is defined as the actual point in time when you have had your last period and your ovaries stop making the hormones estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. Any time after that is actually post-menopause.
The symptoms that women typically associate with menopause can begin
many years before menopause and last for a year or more after
menopause. Symptoms will vary from one woman to another but here are
some that you might experience: hot flashes, night sweats, bladder
changes, insomnia, headache, tiredness or fatigue, irritability,
anxiety, depression, heart palpitations, and joint pain.
Regular exercise can improve heart and respiratory fitness. It can also
improve your mood and relieve tension. These benefits in turn seem to
have a direct influence on the way women perceive how they are feeling.
Hence, women who exercise report having a better quality of life when
dealing with menopausal symptoms. The actual symptoms may not be
different than for women who do not exercise but they may be perceived
to be less of a problem.
If exercise does not relieve your hot flashes, one of the most
bothersome of the menopausal symptoms, try some of this suggestions
from the National Institute on Aging:
1. Keep track of when hot flashes happen–a diary can help. You might
be able to use this information to find out what triggers your flashes
and then avoid it.
2. When a hot flash starts, go somewhere cool.
3. If night sweats wake you, try sleeping a in a cool room or with a fan on.
4. Dress in layers that you can take off if you get too warm.
5. Use sheets and clothing that let your skin "breathe."
6. Have a cold drink (water or juice) when a flash is starting.
Hope these suggestions help.
Even though exercise may not directly improve menopausal symptoms there
are clearly other benefits for your overall health and possibly some
indirect benefits for helping you cope with menopausal symptoms. So
keep on exercising or find a way to get started!
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