--- title: Does the menstrual cycle phase change how one night of poor sleep affects the stress hormone cortisol? description: Yes, one night of sleep restriction raised cortisol responses in women in the follicular phase, but not in women in the luteal phase, so cycle timing seems to url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/impact-of-menstrual-cycle-phase-on-endocrine-effects-of-partial-sleep-2014/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does the menstrual cycle phase change how one night of poor sleep affects the stress hormone cortisol? Non-randomised trial, 2014 # Does the menstrual cycle phase change how one night of poor sleep affects the stress hormone cortisol? Yes, one night of sleep restriction raised cortisol responses in women in the follicular phase, but not in women in the luteal phase, so cycle timing seems to matter. Moderate study design 18 healthy young women not taking oral contraceptives, average age 21.8 ## What they did 18 healthy young women (average age about 21.8) who were not on the pill were studied at either the mid-follicular or mid-luteal phase of their cycle. Each woman had a normal 10-hour sleep night, then a night with only 3 hours of sleep. Saliva samples were taken at six times each day on both days to measure cortisol. ## What they found Women tested in the follicular phase showed a significant drop in their morning cortisol awakening response (p=0.004) and a lasting rise in afternoon and evening cortisol (p=0.008) after the short-sleep night. Women tested in the luteal phase showed neither of these changes. ## What it means for you The menstrual cycle phase seems to change how the body's main stress hormone reacts to a bad night's sleep, which could matter for mood and metabolism. The study was small (18 women), looked at only one night of sleep loss, and did not directly measure PMS or PMDD symptoms, so more research is needed to know what this means for period-related symptoms. 18 women studied p=0.004 cortisol awakening response drop (follicular phase) p=0.008 afternoon/evening cortisol rise (follicular phase) ## About the study Original title Impact of menstrual cycle phase on endocrine effects of partial sleep restriction in healthy women Authors LeRoux A, Wright L, Perrot T et al. Journal Psychoneuroendocrinology Year 2014 Study design Non-randomised trial What was tested One night of sleep restricted to 3 hours, compared between women tested in the follicular phase and the luteal phase Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.06.002](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.06.002) ## Topics [Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Sleep and insomnia](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-sleep/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[Oral contraceptives and drospirenone](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-hormonal-contraceptives/)[Adolescents and young people](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-adolescents/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Survey study, 2025 Do menstrual problems and poor sleep affect mood and thinking in teenage girls? Survey study, 2026 How do pre-menstrual symptoms affect the work and social life of young women? Survey study, 2021 What factors are related to premenstrual syndrome in high school students? Survey study, 2019 What factors affect PMS severity in teenage girls? Randomised trial, 2001 Do changing reproductive hormones disrupt the body's internal clock and cause mood disorders? Non-randomised trial, 1999 Does your menstrual cycle phase affect how alert and focused you stay during sleep deprivation? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗