---
title: How does menstrual cycle phase affect sleep and recovery after exercise?
description: Sleep quality was worse during the luteal phase (the second half of the cycle) than during earlier phases, with women waking up more and sleeping less deeply.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/influence-of-menstrual-cycle-phase-on-sleep-and-recovery-following-high-and-low-2024/
---

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- How does menstrual cycle phase affect sleep and recovery after exercise?

Study, 2024

# How does menstrual cycle phase affect sleep and recovery after exercise?

Sleep quality was worse during the luteal phase (the second half of the cycle) than during earlier phases, with women waking up more and sleeping less deeply. Recovery feelings and muscle soreness were not affected by cycle phase.

 Moderate study design

15 endurance-trained women with regular menstrual cycles

## What they did

15 endurance-trained women did high-intensity and low-intensity exercise sessions during three different cycle phases. Sleep was measured with a device after each session. Women reported how recovered they felt 24 hours later.

## What they found

During the luteal phase, women woke up for 33 minutes on average during the night, compared to 22 minutes in the early follicular phase and 14 minutes during ovulation. Sleep efficiency was 87% in the luteal phase versus 90% during ovulation. Light sleep made up 59% of sleep in the luteal phase versus 54% in the early follicular phase. High-intensity exercise caused more muscle soreness and lower recovery feelings than low-intensity exercise, but this was true across all cycle phases.

## What it means for you

If you exercise regularly, expect slightly worse sleep during the luteal phase, but your recovery sensations should be consistent throughout your cycle. This study was small and included only endurance athletes, so results may not apply to all women or less-active women.

33 min

Nighttime awakenings during luteal phase

14 min

Nighttime awakenings during ovulatory phase

87%

Sleep efficiency in luteal phase

## About the study

Original title Influence of Menstrual-Cycle Phase on Sleep and Recovery Following High- and Low-Intensity Training in Eumenorrheic Endurance-Trained Women: The Female Endurance Athlete Project Authors Taylor MY, Hrozanova M, Nordengen L et al. Journal International journal of sports physiology and performance Year 2024 Study design Study What was tested High-intensity and low-intensity training sessions during different menstrual cycle phases Read the paper [doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2024-0201](https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2024-0201)

## Topics

[Sleep and insomnia](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-sleep/)[Athletes and sport](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-athletes/)

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