One researcher discovered that even a few yoga classes each week seemed to soothe hot flashes, improve muscular fitness and lower blood pressure.
Menopause is no picnic. This life change, which women typically reach between the ages of 45 and 55, can be accompanied by hot flashes, night sweats, anxiety, depression and sleeplessness. Fortunately, one of the many yoga benefits for women is the potential for a little relief from menopause-related irritation.
Recently, a study conducted at the University of Lethbridge found that yoga exercises work at least as well as walking when it comes to reducing the symptoms of menopause.
The author, kinesiologist Sophia Veroza, monitored dozens of volunteers who were perimenopausal – that is, beginning or going through the hormonal shift that signals menopause.
Over the course of several months, she monitored the hormone levels, physical fitness, blood pressure, body mass and heart rate of each participant. One-half of the group was given regular yoga instruction, while the other half undertook a weekly walking program.
In the end, the yoga health benefits for perimenopausal women were clear. Veroza discovered that even a few yoga classes each week seemed to soothe hot flashes, improve muscular fitness and lower blood pressure.
Such findings aren't small potatoes. After all, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that in any given year, 37.5 million American women are in some stage of menopause!
