Survey study, 1975
Does menstruation cause extreme sleepiness?
One girl had severe sleepiness linked to her periods, sleeping about 14 hours a day during episodes. The cause is unclear, but hormones may play a role.
What they did
They observed a 13-year-old girl who had repeated episodes of extreme sleepiness occurring with each menstrual cycle. They measured how much she slept during episodes and tested her ability to concentrate and her brain chemistry.
What they found
During sleepy episodes, she slept an average of 14 hours and 19 minutes per 24 hours. Her ability to do mental tasks was significantly impaired. Tests showed an abnormal increase in a brain chemical (5-hydroxyindolacetic acid), suggesting changes in serotonin activity. Hormone tests did not show major abnormalities. Because the sleepiness was closely linked to her menstrual cycle, her doctors suspected progesterone involvement and started hormonal treatment, which appeared to help.
What it means for you
This is one rare case of extreme sleepiness linked to menstruation. The cause remains unknown, and we cannot know from a single case whether hormonal treatment truly helps or how common this condition is. More study of other women would be needed.
13 years old
Age of girl
14 hours 19 min
Sleep during episodes per day
About the study
- Original title
- A menstruation-linked periodic hypersomnia. Kleine-Levin syndrome or new clinical entity?
- Authors
- Billiard M, Guilleminault C, Dement WC
- Journal
- Neurology
- Year
- 1975
- Study design
- Survey study
- What was tested
- Hormonal treatment was started based on clinical observation.
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1212/wnl.25.5.436
Topics
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