ABSTRACT

Introduction: Menopause is a natural biological process during the reproductive life of women that most often occurs between the ages of 41 and 58. The symptoms of menopause are diverse, and the most common are cycle changes, night sweats, sleep disturbances and other

Aim: Investigate the connection between physical activity and the mental health of women during postmenopausal stage.

Materials and methods: Fifty-five participants aged 60 to 70 years participated in this study. The participants were divided into two groups: the group of physically active (N = 38) and physically inactive women (N = 17). All participants completed a questionnaire on physical activity and menopausal symptoms.

Results: The results of the study showed statistically significant differences in the feeling of fatigue and exhaustion between the two examined groups (p = 0.0332). For the questions on the assessment of mental and physical health, sleep disorders, difficulty concentrating and memory and the assessment of socialization, no statistically significant difference was found between the two investigated groups (p> 0.05).

Conclusion: Physical activity leads to a reduction of fatigue, exhaustion, restlessness and tension in the group of physically active women. Moreover, physically active women showed greater self-satisfaction compared to the group of physically inactive women.

Key words: postmenopause, mental health, physical activity, symptoms