Effects of stretching on menopausal and depressive symptoms in middle-aged women: a randomized controlled trial.
Exercise may help alleviate menopausal and depressive symptoms in middle-aged women, but sufficient evidence does not currently exist to fully support this theory. Whereas frequent moderate- to vigorous-intensity exercise may be associated with the risk of menopausal hot flashes, light-intensity exercise, such as stretching, is not likely to increase the occurrence of hot flashes. Little is, however, known about the effects of light-intensity exercise on menopausal and depressive symptoms. We examined the effects of a 3-week stretching program on the menopausal and depressive symptoms in middle-aged, Japanese women.



Forty Japanese women, aged 40 to 61 years, were recruited (mean age, 51.1 ± 7.3 y). The participants were randomly assigned to either a stretching or a control group. The stretching group (n = 20) participated in a 3-week intervention program that involved 10 minutes of daily stretching, just before bedtime. The control group (n = 20) was assigned to a waiting list. Menopausal symptoms were evaluated using the Simplified Menopausal Index, which measures vasomotor, psychological, and somatic symptoms. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Self-Rating Depression Scale.



The compliance rate was 75.8% during the 3-week intervention program. The total Simplified Menopausal Index scores, including the vasomotor, psychological, and somatic symptoms, and the Self-Rating Depression Scale scores significantly decreased in the stretching group compared with that in the control group. No adverse events, including increased hot flashes, were reported by the participants during the study period.



These findings suggest that 10 minutes of stretching before bedtime decreases menopausal and depressive symptoms in middle-aged, Japanese women.
1Physical Fitness Research Institute, Meiji Yasuda Life Foundation of Health and Welfare, Tokyo, Japan 2Department of Health Sciences, Saitama Prefectural University, Saitama, Japan.
Yuko
Y
Kai
Toshiya
T
Nagamatsu
Yoshinori
Y
Kitabatake
Hiroomi
H
Sensui
D000328:Adult; D003863:Depression / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D019584:Hot Flashes / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D052580:Muscle Stretching Exercises / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome