Can excercise help night sweats and hot flashes?
Can physical activity help menopausal hot flashes? In this article, we summarize the reports regarding physical activity and hot flash & night sweats otherwise known as VMS(vasomotor symptoms) and discuss biological mechanisms by which physical activity might exert a beneficial effect. The potentially mediating role of mood, quality of sleep, and/or body weight on the relation between physical activity and VMS will be reviewed, as will the clinical and public health implications of our current state of knowledge.
Review of the literature
Approximately 27 published articles have explored the relation between physical activity and hot flashes (a complete reference list is available from the author). Generally, these studies have evaluated Caucasian populations in the United States, Australia, and Sweden; a few have included African Americans and other racial/ethnic groups.
Most studies feature observational, cross-sectional designs: one had
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