睡眠困擾是成人常見的健康問題之一，而失眠者有較差的心理安適感(psycho1ogica1wellbeing) ，特別是更年期和停經後的婦女，因荷爾蒙的變化(fluctuation)及承擔家庭照護責任而減少身體的活動，使女性的睡眠問題多於男性。此外，失眠亦是中老年婦女尋求醫療協助的主因之一，而安眠藥物處置對於失眠，有威脅行動安全及影響生活品質之潛在副作用。運動因增加血清素及腦內嗎啡分泌的效孟，具鎮靜情緒及放鬆肌肉的作用，進而有緩解焦慮和改善是鬱情緒的效果，常被視為非藥物之輔助療法或另類療法。本文統整以運動介入措施方式，作為改善中老年婦女睡眠問題的研究文獻後，發現適合促進睡眠的運動介入以有氧運動效孟最佳，其中，以走路運動和綜合有氧運動最常見，且改善睡眠成效由間接改善更年期症狀、增加耗能、緩解壓力反應和緩解肌肉疼痛等促進睡眠，至直接提升對睡眠品質的主觀知覺。對於有睡眠問題的社區婦女，健康照護人員宜主動暸解其個人屬性，並進一步做健康評估和暸解其運動習慣及喜好，主動提供介入諮詢，方能提供個案相關的運動效孟資訊及具體建議措施。

Sleep disturbances are common health problems among adults. People who suffer from insomnia have poor psychological well-being. Females are more likely to have sleep problems than men because women have hormone fluctuations, especially among menopausal and postmenopausal women. Women
are also responsible for family care, which results in limitation of physical activity. Insomnia is a common reason to visit the physicians for medical therapy among middle-older aged women. However,taking sleeping pills have potential adverse effects such as ambulatory safety and may cause a negative impact on quality of life. The secretion of serum serotonin and endorphins is greatly enhanced through exercise activities, sedating one’s mood and relaxing muscles to relieve anxiety and improve the depressive state. Thus, exercise is regarded as one nonpharmacological adjuvant or alternative therapy.The present article reviewed related research literatures which studied women and exercise interventions to improve sleep problems. It revealed that aerobic exercises are the most optimal exercises. The popular exercises are mixed types of aerobic exercises and walking. The effects of exercise on sleep
improvement include decreased climacteric symptoms and exhausting energy, decreased responses to stress, and relief of muscle pain. To improve the sleeping quality of community-dwelling women who suffer from sleep problems, healthcare providers should be active and be able to understand patients’characteristics and preferences and assess their health problems, then provide an exercise consultation about the benefit of exercises.