Yoga Helps Menopause: You Don't Have To Be Bendy To Benefit

If you're going through menopause, it won't surprise you to learn that your fluctuating hormones are the number one cause of those troublesome symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, insomnia and depression.

As the estrogen and progesterone levels in your body decline during the menopause transition, you may be left with a general feeling of emotional and physical imbalance even if your menopause symptoms are not that severe.

Yoga can help you to correct this instability by bringing your body and your mind back into balance. Yoga postures and poses (asanas) combined with breathing exercises (pranayama) help to strengthen the muscles and internal organs of the body as well as balance the endocrine system; the system of glands such as hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid and pineal, responsible for secreting hormones directly into the bloodstream.

Inverted postures such as the shoulder stand, downward facing dog and plough pose work the heart and boost the immune system and are considered to be hormonal balancers due to the increased blood supply to the endocrine glands at the throat during practice.

Yoga meditation and relaxation practices enable you to let go of tension in your body and your mind, allowing access to a deep inner peace and calm, helping you to accept yourself and your body and leading to a calmer, easier transition to menopause.

Who Can Do Yoga?

If you've never considered practicing yoga to help ease your menopause symptoms then at this point your mind is probably throwing out all kinds of objections like "yoga is for young people", "I'm not flexible enough to do yoga" or "I don't have time to do a yoga class"

First of all, just about anyone can practice yoga. The oldest yoga teacher in the world is 93 years old! All right, she started practicing yoga when she was eight years old but the average age of the students in her daily yoga class is 40 plus. You can start practicing yoga at any age, you just have to listen to your body and not over extend yourself during the exercises. Choose a reputed teacher and a class designed for older students so you won't be tempted to overdo it when you're just starting out.

Menopausal Insomnia? - 5 Ways To Sleep Through Menopause

How many hours' sleep did you get last night? The experts tell us that as an adult we need 7-8 hours of undisturbed sleep a night to stay healthy, alert and able to function effectively in our daily lives. Unfortunately for many women going through menopause, that amount of undisturbed nightly rest is nothing but a pipe dream!

Lack of sleep can leave you irritable, unable to concentrate at work or on daily tasks. Over time, insomnia can lead to depression and a weakened immune system.

Although the inability to get a good night's sleep can be linked to psychological issues such as anxiety, stress at work, relationship or family worries and financial concerns, changes in hormone levels are often the root cause of insomnia in women during the menopausal years.

A decline in progesterone, which normally has a sleep-inducing effect, can mean you are not able to fall asleep quickly or soundly, while decreasing estrogen levels may cause hot flashes and night sweats, waking you up several times a night and interrupting your sleep cycle.

How To Get A Good Night's Sleep

Fortunately there are ways that you can wind down your body and your mind to induce sleep and get the rest you need.

    Natural & Herbal Remedies

Herbal remedies are a safe and natural drug-free alternative treatment for menopausal symptoms and insomnia.Plant extracts such as Black Cohosh and Dong Quai have been shown to address the hormone imbalance that causes sleeplessness, hot flashes and night sweats. Melatonin, Passion Flower and Valerian Root can be effective in helping you to relax and in promoting restful sleep.