Research findings will help women experiencing menopause walk toward a good night’s sleep and better

A good night’s sleep for women experiencing the menopause is steps away following research from University of Northampton (UON).

The research – from the University’s Centre for Health Sciences and Services – has found that taking up to 10,000 steps a day (or 70,000 each week) improves the quality of women’s sleep, reduces menopause symptoms and helps their general wellbeing.

Led by Dr Tracey Redwood, Associate Professor in Nursing & Health Professions – working with colleagues Dr Alison Ward and Dr Tash Bayes – the research explored the effects of moderate exercise on sleep and wellbeing in women.

Thirty UON staff members between the ages of 45 and 55 who are experiencing symptoms of menopause actively took part.

The group had a period of self-monitored walking with the aim of achieving at least 70,000 steps per week; they were given a Fitbit ‘wristwatch’ that is theirs to keep them on target.

The University’s buildings and Waterside campus – the perimeter of which is around 1.1miles long – provided a green and pleasant area for participants to maintain the pace when they weren’t at home.

Each participant recorded their progress, took part in focus groups and was asked to keep a diary detailing how they felt.

The findings show that increasing step count did help reduce symptoms of the menopause and that this needs to be more holistic. Everyone needs to balance their physical exercise with good mental and spiritual health to improve their wellbeing.

Participants, it transpired, had often been incorrectly diagnosed with health issues – such as depression – as menopause symptoms decrease hormones. Participants became more self-aware and were empowered to self-care through the project, such as taking an early night’s sleep, using the Fitbit data as evidence.

One of the recommendations being explored is that the project is broadened out to include all members of University staff to increase their physical activity levels and see how this supports all of their general health and wellbeing.

The full findings will be revealed and discussed at the University’s next Café Scientique talk on Thursday 19 September (5pm-6:30pm) at The Beehive in Northampton.

Dr Redwood (pictured on the right) says: “From night sweats to regularly waking up at 3am, many woman – or partners sleeping with them – going through the menopause know the misery of frequently disrupted ‘shut eye’ time.”

“Just over half of the human population will, at some point in time, go through the menopause directly often with varying degrees of symptoms and severity. With our research, applicable to all women, we have verified one simple way they can help alleviate some of their symptoms.”

As part of the research, a WhatsApp group was created to keep volunteers updated about the project and to discuss their approach to maintaining their steps total. It also became a useful forum to share their personal experiences of and strategies for coping with menopausal symptoms.

This highlighted another important feature of coping with the menopause, as Dr Redwood continues: “The WhatsApp group, which quickly became an indispensable advice and support forum, was frequently cited by our participants as a big plus point. The University is already a Menopause Friendly organisation and has a dedicated staff group for menopause help and information, so our findings will feed directly into that.

“This aspect to the research is something I explore in more detail in my book Power Surge: Balancing Midlife, which will be published on Amazon later this year.”

Listen to this podcast with Dr Redwood to hear more about the project; she’s joined by research participant Win Hughes, Senior Lecturer in Advanced Nursing (also pictured above), who talks about why she took part.