Evidence library · Sleep

Does aerobic plus resistance affect sleep in menopause? What 9 studies found

Studies of aerobic plus resistance in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women that measured sleep. 5 reported an improvement and 0 found no difference against the comparison group.

  1. A network meta-analysis of 31 RCTs in peri and postmenopausal women found combined exercise and flexibility exercise were most effective for improving sleep quality, with mind-body and aerobic exercise also helpful.

    Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 2025Midlife womenCited 1 timesPubMed

  2. Older breast cancer survivors on aromatase inhibitors did nine months of combined resistance and aerobic exercise, which improved quality of life, fatigue and sleep compared with a control group.

    Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 36 women · 36 weeks · 2019PostmenopausalCited 89 timesPubMed

  3. Postmenopausal breast cancer survivors did 3 months of walking plus resistance band training; fatigue effect sizes were small and not statistically significant, with inflammatory markers mediating change.

    Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 46 women · 12 weeks · 2014PostmenopausalCited 70 timesPubMed

  4. Postmenopausal breast cancer survivors did 3 months of walking and resistance band training; the exercise group reported fewer hours of sleep per night versus control, mediated by inflammation and fatigue.

    Reported a worseningRandomised trial · 46 women · 12 weeks · 2015PostmenopausalCited 47 timesPubMed

  5. Thirty-eight postmenopausal women with hot flushes did 12 weeks of combined resistance and walking exercise, and reported reduced vasomotor symptom severity and improved sleep and mood versus controls.

    Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 36 women · 12 weeks · 2025PostmenopausalCited 2 timesPubMed

  6. Seventy postmenopausal women did jazz dance or concurrent training for up to 12 months; both improved cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle strength and sleep quality, with concurrent training showing greater fitness gains.

    Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 70 women · 52 weeks · 2025PostmenopausalCited 1 timesPubMed

  7. In 66 early postmenopausal women, eight weeks of combined aerobic and resistance training, delivered in person or via app, reduced menopausal symptoms, fatigue, and improved sleep versus education alone.

    Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 66 women · 8 weeks · 2026Early postmenopausalPubMed

  8. Postmenopausal women did a 16 week outdoor exercise program combining cardio, strength, balance and flexibility; the exercise group reduced fat mass and visceral fat more than controls, but sleep duration and quality did not improve.

    Mixed resultsControlled trial · 75 women · 16 weeks · 2025PostmenopausalPubMed

  9. A planned 16-week, 3 sessions per week exercise program in 150 perimenopausal women will assess cost-effectiveness and effects on fitness, sleep and menopause symptoms, results not yet reported.

    Direction not statedOther · 150 women · 16 weeks · 2015PerimenopausalCited 18 timesPubMed

How to read this. Each line is one study, summarised in plain language from its PubMed abstract, with the authors' own sentence underneath on the study page. A count of studies is not a verdict: trials differ in size, length and quality, and a result in one group of women may not hold in another. Nothing here is medical advice.

Summaries are generated, then checked by machine against the abstract they came from; any summary that could not be matched word for word was left out. Our clinical lead is reviewing the summaries topic by topic, and this note will change when that is done. Corpus last refreshed 2026-11-03. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we will fix the summary or remove the study.

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