In the authors' words
“Subgroup analyses revealed that cognitive behavioral therapy (SMD, -0.40; 95% CI, -0.70 to -0.11; I2 = 72.7%), physical exercise (SMD, -0.57; 95% CI, -0.94 to -0.21; I2 = 94.0%), and mindfulness/relaxation (SMD, -1.28; 95% CI, -2.20 to -0.37; I2 = 96.0%) improved sleep, as measured using both subjective (eg, Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index) and objective measures.”
What was measured
- Sleep Reported an improvement
About the study
- Type
- Meta-analysis
- Who took part
- Midlife women
- How many
- 2,108
- Exercise
- General physical activity
- Cited
- 19 times, per Europe PMC
- PubMed ID
- 36067398
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.
Similar studies
- A meta-analysis of 11 trials found low to moderate intensity programmed exercise for 12 weeks to a year reduced depressive symptoms in midlife and older women, with less insomnia reported secondarily.
- A meta-analysis of nine trials with 1579 women with hot flushes found physical activity did not significantly improve sleep quality or insomnia but produced minor improvement in sleep problems.
- A meta-analysis of 22 trials in women with natural menopause found exercise reduced insomnia severity scores, though cognitive behavioral therapy and acupuncture showed larger reductions.
- A review of 31 studies found yoga, walking, exercise, and stretching improved sleep quality in menopausal women, with inconsistent effects on depression.