Physical therapy reduces insomnia symptoms in postmenopausal women

OBJECTIVE: Regular exercise has been highly promoted and recognized as the best non-pharmacological treatment for postmenopausal problems. It may also increase total sleep time and decrease the latency of sleep onset. One study assessed the effects of exercise on sleep symptoms in postmenopausal women. Tworoger et al. [Tworoger SS, Yasui Y, Vitiello MV, et al. Effects of a Yarlong moderate-intensity exercise and stretching intervention on sleep quality in postmenopausal women. Sleep 2003;26(7):830-6] observed that increased fitness was associated with an improvement in sleep. No studies have been published describing the effects of physiotherapeutic treatments for insomnia in postmenopausal women. This study examines two cases of symptomatic postmenopausal patients with insomnia. The two patients took part in an individual physiotherapeutic treatment program that involved one and a half hour sessions twice a week for 6 consecutive months. The treatment consisted of segmental and global stretching exercises, strengthening exercises, massotherapy and relaxation techniques. Patient 1 experienced a significant increase in REM sleep and in total sleep efficiency. Patient 2 experienced a reduction in sleep latency and an increase in slow wave sleep, as shown in the polysomnograph. Both patients reported an overall improvement in their condition.