Postmenopausal women may benefit from Portland yoga classes.
Many aging women dread the effects of menopause. Not only do the shifts in hormone levels drive uncomfortable hot flashes and other symptoms – they can rob women of a good night's sleep. However, Portland yoga classes may be beneficial to Oregonian women going through this major transition, as suggested by a new study.
A team of researchers investigated the effects of yoga in 44 postmenopausal women aged 50 to 65 years. These subjects were assigned to one of three different regimens: yoga, passive stretching or no treatment. The women also filled out questionnaires before and after the study period, assessing factors such as depression and anxiety symptoms, insomnia, stress and other variables.
After four months, those who performed yoga exercises had significant improvements in their quality of life compared to the control group. When it came to insomnia, the yoga practitioners had greater reductions in symptoms than women in either the passive stretching or control segments, as explained in the journal Menopause.
"We are not saying that yoga can cure postmenopausal symptoms," researcher Helena Hachul wrote in an email to Reuters Health. "But it can improve and relieve them."
However, women don't have to wait until menopause to reap the benefits of yoga. In fact, about 72 percent of yoga practitioners in the U.S. are women, according to the Yoga Journal.
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Tags: depression and anxiety, depression and anxiety symptoms, Portland yoga, Portland yoga classes
