Yoga eases menopause symptoms
Yoga can reduce hot flashes and night sweats among women going through menopause, and also appears to sharpen their mental function, researchers from the Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana in Bangalore found. To investigate whether yoga would help women with physical and cognitive symptoms of menopause, they randomly assigned 120 menopausal women, 40 to 55 years old, to yoga practice or simple stretching and strengthening exercises five days a week for eight weeks. Women in the yoga group also listened to lectures on using yoga to manage stress and other yoga-related topics, while those in the control group heard lectures on diet, exercise, the physiology of menopause, and stress. After eight weeks, women in the yoga group showed a significant reduction in hot flashes, night sweats, and sleep disturbances, while the women in the control group did not, the research found.