Yoga Fails to Cool Hot Flashes, But May Aid Sleep
Expert says longer study might have found more benefit for menopausal women
WebMD News from HealthDay
By Amy Norton
HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, Oct. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Practicing yoga[1] may not ease menopausal hot flashes[2] , but it might help women sleep a bit easier, a new clinical trial suggests.
Right now, hormone therapy is the most effective treatment for the hot flashes and night sweats many women develop as they go through menopause. But hormones have been linked to risks like blood clots[3] and heart attack[4] , so many women want alternatives.
Some small studies have suggested that yoga can reduce the frequency and severity of hot flashes -- possibly by calming nervous system activity. But that was not the case in this latest trial, which randomly assigned 249 women to either take gentle yoga classes for 12 weeks, or stick with their usual activities.
By the study's end, women in the yoga group were having fewer hot flashes each day -- but so were those in the comparison group.
On the other hand, the yoga practitioners did seem to be sleeping better.
"For the time being, there seems to be little sound evidence that yoga is helpful for hot flashes," said lead researcher Katherine Newton, of the Group Health Research Institute in Seattle.
"However, we did find yoga to be modestly helpful for insomnia[5] ," Newton added. That's important, she noted, because sleep problems are one of the most common reasons that women seek some kind of treatment as they go through menopause.
"If insomnia is bothering a woman," Newton said, "this style of gentle yoga, practiced regularly, may be of benefit."
The study was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and recently published online in the journal Menopause.
It may be too soon to write off yoga as a hot flash remedy, according to another researcher not involved in the study.
Yoga should be seen as a lifestyle change, and it takes time for people to work it into their lives, noted Nancy Woods, a professor at the University of Washington School of Nursing who studies menopause symptoms[6] .
"It's a practice," she said. "You have to learn the poses, get comfortable with them, and then integrate these practices into your daily life."
So it's possible that women need longer than 12 weeks of yoga to see benefits for their hot flashes, according to Woods. Medications would be expected to work in that timeframe, she said, but a lifestyle change "may not have the quick effect that a drug does."
"Women who are already doing yoga should not stop because of this study," Woods added.
And if women with menopause symptoms are interested in starting yoga, she added, it's worth a try. Even if it doesn't cool their hot flashes, Woods noted, there could be other gains, like reduced stress[7] , better sleep and the health benefits of physical exercise[8] .
References
- ^ yoga (www.webmd.com)
- ^ hot flashes (www.webmd.com)
- ^ blood clots (www.webmd.com)
- ^ heart attack (www.webmd.com)
- ^ insomnia (www.webmd.com)
- ^ menopause symptoms (www.webmd.com)
- ^ stress (www.webmd.com)
- ^ exercise (www.webmd.com)
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